After more than three decades together, Kula Shaker recently notched up an impressive achievement with their eighth album, Wormslayer, entering the charts just outside the top 10 — their third-highest chart position to date.
Whether buoyed by that success or simply confident in the strength of the record, the band placed eight songs from Wormslayer into the set. It’s a bold move for an established act, especially when there’s always pressure to pack in the classics. Bolder still was the decision to drop favourites like “Hey Dude” and “Grateful When You’re Dead / Jerry Was There” entirely.
The set opened with “Lucky Number,” the same track that kicks off Wormslayer. Before the instant, glam-rock hook landed, the room was bathed in mystical, psychedelic textures — including a snippet of “Radhe Radhe” — building suspense beneath swirling kaleidoscopic visuals. Some may have expected the familiar punch of “Hey Dude,” a frequent opener over the years, but at this sold-out Islington Assembly Hall show there wasn’t a hint of disappointment.
The setlist continued to mirror the album’s running order. “Good Money,” which leans into early-’90s dance and acid influences on record, was reworked live with more of a ’60s flavour, giving it a looser, warmer feel. “Charge of the Light Brigade” benefited from a shift in emphasis too, with Jay Darlington’s organ taking the lead rather than guitar. Darlington was a constant presence, extending and embellishing passages — particularly on “Broke as Folk,” where his enchanting organ lines stole the moment.
The sense of reinvention wasn’t limited to the new material. Classic “Shower Your Love” was introduced through spiritual devotional sounds before segueing midway into “Sound of Drums,” usually positioned much earlier in the set. From K 2.0, “Infinite Sun” followed, hands clapping in unison across the hall.
Crispian Mills described Wormslayer as a twin to its predecessor Natural Magick, and the link was clear. The funky, groove-driven title track “Natural Magick” appeared, and later Triparna Mukherjee Roy joined the band onstage for a duet on the Indian-tinged, Western-flecked “Chura Liya (You Stole My Heart).” Her most striking contribution came on the closing pre-encore epic “Wormslayer.” At nearly eight minutes, it could have tested attention spans, but instead it held the room completely — drawing out the many textures that define the band and showcasing Roy as an integral presence.
Post-encore, “303” jolted the crowd into motion, the previously composed audience finally cutting loose. The momentum carried through “Tattva” before peaking as Mills counted in “1, 2, 3, 4” and the band tore into “Hush.”
If there was one nod to tradition in the closing stretch, it was “Govinda.” Yet even that felt refreshed. With Roy sharing vocals, it was both devotional hymn and rock anthem. By the end, as all five musicians bowed together, she felt less like a guest and more like a fully fledged member of the band.
So were Kula Shaker right to sideline “Hey Dude” and “Grateful When You’re Dead / Jerry Was There”? On this night, absolutely. With K turning 30 this year, Mills promised those songs will have their moment in the celebrations to come. Judging by the reaction in the room, though, Wormslayer has more than earned its place — and won’t be fading from memory any time soon.
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