The Kooks hit the road for biggest Aussie tour yet

UK indie band The Kooks are returning to Australia for a huge national tour in 2025, hitting multiple dates across the country before wrapping up at Perth’s Red Hill Auditorium on Thursday, March 6, with tickets on sale now. These upcoming shows mark The Kooks’ biggest Australian tour to date and follow on from a sold-out run in 2022 celebrating the 15th anniversary of their debut album Inside In/Inside Out. ALEIGHSHA GLEW caught up with guitarist Hugh Harris to talk about their memories of touring down under and what fans can look forward to at their upcoming shows.

Hi Hugh, how are you?

Nice to meet you. Thank you so much for giving me your time. I’m doing really good, thanks. I’m by the ocean, and I’m feeling good, and it’s great to be here.

How does it feel to be back in Australia following your 2022 sold-out tour?

Good question. It feels amazing, particularly for me because I sort of grew up here, and so I’ve got lots of cousins that I’m revisiting. I had a childhood filled with a kind of Sydney time around Christmas. We would come because my dad was Australian, so for me it feels like a homecoming, properly like a home. Every time I come here, it’s wonderful.

How has the tour been so far, and what have you enjoyed most about touring Australia?

We did do one show in Tasmania last weekend, but we start the tour next week in Sydney, and then we go around Australia for two weeks. Tasmania was wild. I mean, what an incredible spot. I think it’s amazing how I think the kind of parallels between Australia and The Kooks, like culturally, are quite strong.

I feel like our band, we formed in Brighton on the beach, like around similar ideas to what I think it’s like to be living in Australia. There’s a real positive kind of vibe here, which is kind of infectious, as is catchy pop music, and I think it’s just a well-paired match for our band and this part of the world. We definitely feel it’s like a proper homecoming.

Is it your first time that you’ve done a show in Tasmania on one of your tours?

We did do Hobart. I think Falls Festival or something like that. In Hobart we decided to throw an after-show party in an Irish bar in town, and we posted it on our Instagram. We finished the gig and went there after our show, and literally nobody turned up. It was just us and our crew. So that’s my last memory of it. I think people were too occupied with the festival to come and hang out with us in an Irish bar. So that’s my last memory of a previous memory of a slight catastrophe.

What do you think your Perth fans can look forward to when you come to Perth?

For our Perth fans, they can look forward to listening to us just kind of enjoying ourselves. It’s quite self-indulgent really, but we connect on quite a deep level with our live crowds. It’s very much like the show is kind of orchestrated by the crowd, and I feel like we as musicians—I mean, all musicians are sensitive, but I think particularly we are quite sensitive to the vibe of a room and a crowd. I think we will be bringing our best energies to Perth, and hopefully we’ll just have a dance and a good time, and that will be that.

Is there anything that you wanted to add before I let you get back to the lovely beaches?

We’re very grateful to be here, and thank you for having us, and yeah, we can’t wait to pop over and have some fun.

The Kooks play Red Hill Auditorium on Thursday, March 6, 2025. Tickets are on sale now from untitledgroup.com.au