The Britpop-era psych legends are back — weirder, wiser, and wielding a Hammond organ like a flaming sword.
In an era of AI singles and corporate-sponsored sadness, here come Kula Shaker — howling out of the shadows, barefoot on the cliffs of Cornwall, and sounding like they’ve seen the edge and decided to build a bonfire on it.
The band’s new single, ‘Broke As Folk’, out today, is a strange and stunning beast: an epic psych-blues sermon, dressed in Doors-y swagger and full of eerie sonic flourishes — howling wolves, ominous keys, and gothic guitar twangs that sound like Nick Cave hijacking a vintage Vox amp. But just when you think it’s all doom and drone, the track erupts into a kaleidoscopic anthem — Cadillac choruses, Hammond freak-outs, and Crispian Mills in full prophet mode, singing: “Now Day is Night, and Night is Day…”
It’s classic Kula Shaker: spiritual, subversive, and soaked in transcendental weirdness. And yes, Jay Darlington’s swirling organ solo is there — the musical equivalent of a wizard’s staff lighting up the fog.
The single follows 2024’s Natural Magick, which stunned everyone (in the best possible way) by hitting #1 on the UK Indie Chart — the band’s highest placement in 25 years. With their classic lineup restored — Crispian Mills (vocals/guitar), Alonza Bevan (bass), Paul Winter-Hart (drums), and the returning fan-favourite Darlington — Kula Shaker are all set to build a brand-new mythology.
“’Broke As Folk’ is a song for everyone who didn’t fly in for Jeff Bezos’s wedding; who isn’t part of the 1%; who’s ‘feeling the heat’, courtesy of our toxic overlords,” explains Mills, equal parts cosmic poet and pissed-off preacher. “Being ‘broke’ isn’t just about money, it’s a condition of the soul, a near-constant state of PTSD, which applies to most of us, if we’re honest. What do we do when reality itself is broken? When everything we read or hear (at least in the ‘official’ narrative) has lost all credibility. What replaces it?”
That last question hangs heavy in the air, but Mills offers a glimmer of grace, too:
“The song is also about the flip side, about counting one’s blessings, being grateful for the joys that money can’t buy. Like faith and family and friends, and foraging for wild mushrooms. It’s also got a really cool organ solo by Jay, which is what the world needs right now.”
And he’s not wrong. It’s a solo that could wake the dead — or at least make them groove.
Produced by Bevan and mixed by studio maestro Ash Howes, the track continues the cinematic arc that began with the band’s April release Charge of The Light Brigade — a Madchester-meets-mysticism ride full of “spiritual vampires and war mongering.” The new video, directed by Mills himself and shot on the windswept cliffs of Cornwall, is less music video, more psychedelic parable.
The single also serves as the prelude to a full-blown revival. Kula Shaker are currently wrapping up work on their eighth studio album, with details still tightly under wraps — but if this is the opening shot, expect something gloriously unhinged.
And for anyone who thinks of Kula Shaker as a footnote to the Britpop era, think again. They were always the scene’s psychedelic outsiders — closer in spirit to George Harrison’s All Things Must Pass than to any Blur vs Oasis headlines. Their debut K went double Platinum and hit #1 in the UK, powered by hits like Hey Dude (#2), Tattva (#4), and Govinda (#7) — a Sanskrit-sung spiritual that somehow cracked the Top 10. Then came the sprawling Peasants, Pigs & Astronauts, produced by both Bob Ezrin and Rick Rubin, and featuring epics like Shower Your Love and Sound of Drums.
After a quieter decade, Mills veered into filmmaking, but the band sparked back into life with 2022’s 1st Congregational Church of Eternal Love and Free Hugs, and then Natural Magick, which saw critical love from NME, The Line of Best Fit, Louder, and more. They toured the UK this spring with Ocean Colour Scene, played to ecstatic crowds, and proved they’re burning brighter than ever.
Upcoming Live Dates
Before they blast off across the Atlantic, Kula Shaker have two more UK festival appearances:
- August 6 – Lakefest, Herefordshire
- August 16 – Beautiful Days, Devon
Then it’s North America’s turn, starting with headline shows before joining The Dandy Warhols for a joint tour that feels like an alt-rock alignment of the stars:
Headline Dates
- Sept 16 – Chicago, IL – Metro
- Sept 18 – Toronto, ON – Mod Club
- Sept 19 – Montreal, QC – Le Studio TD
- Sept 21 – Boston, MA – Brighton Music Hall
- Sept 22 – New York, NY – Irving Plaza
With The Dandy Warhols
- Sept 25 – Dallas, TX – Longhorn Ballroom
- Sept 26 – Austin, TX – Mohawk
- Sept 27 – Houston, TX – Heights Theater
- Sept 29 – Santa Fe, NM – The Bridge
- Sept 30 – Phoenix, AZ – Marquee
- Oct 2 – Santa Ana, CA – Observatory OC
- Oct 3 – San Diego, CA – Humphrey’s
- Oct 4 – Pioneertown, CA – Pappy & Harriet’s
- Oct 6 – Los Angeles, CA – Bellwether
- Oct 8 – San Francisco, CA – Regency Ballroom
‘Broke As Folk’ is a warning shot wrapped in organ solos and cosmic grit. If the forthcoming album follows suit, Kula Shaker aren’t just making a comeback — they’re staging a beautifully bizarre rebellion, one Hammond howl at a time.
A music video to accompany the new single will go live this afternoon as 6pm BST via the video below:
Be sure to keep up with all things Kula Shaker online:
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