Luke Pritchard has laid bare the toll that early fame took on him, admitting he “wasn’t a very stable person” during the making of The Kooks’ debut album Inside In/Inside Out.
Speaking on The Evening Show with Dan O’Connell on Radio X, the 41-year-old frontman said he now recognises how much pressure he was under at the time — and how badly it affected him.
He said: “Oh yeah, mistakes were made.
“I’m half deaf in my left ear, which probably could have been avoided if I’d been more on top of things. I wish I’d been strong enough not to tour so much and not jump straight into album two… maybe even album three. We never gave ourselves space, and it could’ve been more enjoyable, more creative. But you’re young, and you just get on with it.”
Luke also spoke candidly about the emotional punch behind the band’s video for See Me Now, which features never‑before‑seen footage of his late father — including clips from The O2 and home videos from his childhood.
He revealed the song was written a decade ago with producer Inflo, who “pulled it out” of him at a time when he wasn’t ready to confront the grief.
He said: “Everything comes back to losing my dad as a kid.
“He was in a beat band in Bristol before going into fashion, but he never made it. All he left me was a box of records and a Gibson Les Paul. Music became my way of connecting with him.”
Luke said the timing finally felt right to share the personal footage after his mum unearthed old VHS tapes of his dad “doing rock star training” when Luke was just three.
He added: “I thought, yeah — people should see this.”
Tune into The Evening Show with Dan O’Connell on Radio X weekdays from 7:00pm – 10:00pm and on Global Player.