In the February issue of Guitar,
you can find a good interview with Crispian and some very good pictures. Here's what the cover of the mag
looks like because there are so many guitar mags out there, that
it's a bit confusing these days. (25.2)* This is the story so far :
On 9 September, Crispian told the other three that he was leaving Kula Shaker. He had been writing material since the release of PP&A and wants to finish his solo album in about 6 months time. This album will be released under the Columbia record label just like the Kula Shaker releases. But first there will be a song contributed to the Bob Dylan tribute album, this song was recorded by the whole band a couple of weeks ago. (24.9)
* Latest interview with Crispian at Dotmusic . (23.9)
* German music channel VIVA in their newstext claims that there'll be a soloalbum from Crispian in six months. (thanks, K, for this info!)
* Crispian is still under contract with Columbia Records, so his solo material will be released under that label. A spokesperson for that record company has already stated that they are very excited to still have him because he's one of the best live acts around.
Crispian also wants to get on the road as soon as he can because 'playing live is what Kula Shaker excelled at'. I'm not sure whether this really makes me feel better.*sigh* (22.9)
* More news here : at the BBC and at Dotmusic
* CRISPIAN MILLS has announced that he is leaving Kula Shaker - the band he formed in 1995 - to start a solo career.
There has been speculation about the future of Kula Shaker following the under-performance of second album 'Peasants, Pigs and Astronauts',
though splitting the band completely is a radical move for Mills, who has apparently been writing a new set of songs since the release of the album.
Kula Shaker played their last shows when they made unscheduled appearances at V99 in Chelmsford and Staffordshire in place of Placebo, who cancelled at the eleventh hour.
Mills is quoted as saying of the split: "It's like the changing of the seasons."
* Today, on BBC Ceefax, it says the following :
Crispian Mills has announced that he is leaving Kula Shaker (formed in 1995) to persue a solo career.
More info when I get it, I can't say too much now because I'm totally sad and confused. This is the worst news I got in ages.... (20.9)
* Andrea (you
lucky bunny!) met Kula Shaker backstage at the Lowlands festival
and she came back with this news :
I just want to tell you some
news Jay + Alonza told me.
Jay said they'll start the new album "right now".
Lowlands was their very last gig this year and a tour next year
doesn't seem likely as Jay said "it is boring to always play
the same songs". When I asked them if they'd tour in 2000 he
said:"only with new stuff." Alonza said the Lizard was
"great fun, man."
A whole year without seeing them live???? How am I gonna survive
that????? (3.9)
* Just got
back from the Pukkelpop festival, you can read my report in reviews.
Hopefully, some pics will get on there soon....
And there is just no limit to Crispian's fame, because now you
can even buy a teddybear named Count Crispian. From what I've
heard the man from the teddy company is a friend of Dodge so
there you go. You can have a look at Count Crispian at this site and while you are there, check out the
shirts page because Jo Mills is modelling some shirts and
t-shirts. (30.8)
* Kula Shaker
fell in for Placebo at V99 last weekend.
Crispian made himself popular among the die hard Placebo fans by
saying that "Brian didn't play because he was so confused
whether he was a boy or a girl. So he was having a good
wank". The audience started to boo, and Dodge replied by
saying that he really likes Brian.
"Well, if I knew him, I know I would like him". Good
old Dodge... :-) (23.8)
* There won't
be a video from the set played at Lizard because from what I've
heard, filming and
flash photography was completely forbidden during their set.
Crispian reportedly said that he became a different person after
the eclipse. Whatever that may mean... (20.8)
* Latest news on the money problem with Lizard! The organizer ran off with the money and the whole event was very nearly cancelled. But he was caught on the day of the eclipse and all the bands that performed will be payed after all. Sing Hossanah!!! ;-) (16.8)
* Kula Shaker
have cancelled their gig at Benicassim festival
last weekend. There were rumours that Crispian has been involved
in a car accident but I personally think that the problem was
Lizard festival. Right around that time, there were problems with
that festival and it nearly didn't go ahead (due to health and
safety problems (?) and problems considering the payment of the
bands).
We all know how much Lizard and the eclipse meant to the band, so
my guess is that they tried to sort things out with the
organizers.
Sadly, the band didn't let their gig being shown on the live
webcast from Lizard which was a disappointment
but maybe we can expect a video release of that concert?? Let's
hope so! (12.8)
* Been watching the eclipse today, and what can I say???? Utterly brilliant.... <sigh> (11.8)
* You can catch live webcasts from the Lizard festival at the official festival site. (9.8)
* Kula Shaker
will take part in an ancient Indian Peace ritual at Lizard
festival.
The ceremony includes chanting mantras and incantations together
with a priest in front of a 30ft. Diety. Other participants
include members of the WWF. (source : BBC Ceefax) (8.8)
* A very nice person told me that there is an online interview with the band at this website. (7.8)
* I am back, my darlings, from a wonderful trip to Norway. I would like to say to all the Norwegian people who visit this site that your country is simply awesome!!!!! It was probably the best trip I have ever had. Simply astonishing.
OK, in the
mean time, Kula Shaker is touring the US and during one gig,
Crispian has said that Pauli is gonna be a daddy but he also said
that Pauli will become a catholic priest so maybe
we shouldn't take it too seriously....as usual. :-)
Now, I would
like to warn you for a certain person who has been active on the
net for some time
now. She takes on various names and e-mail addresses, so please
beware of her. Many people have already been tricked by her,
yours truly included. She's after material by Kula Shaker, The
Verve, the Manics and probably some other bands. She offers lots
of material to swap, but please, don't be fooled by her. After
you have sent your parcel, she never replies anymore.
This is the info I can give you : She often goes under the name
of Katie Fehr. She uses this address for the
'swap' : Katy Fehr, 740
Proudfoot Lane, Suite #114, London, Ontario, Canada N6H 5H2
This address is in fact an office, so
it's hard to trace her down. With me she used this e-mail addy : lifes_an_ocean@hotmail.com. But she has used others as well. So beware
of her!!!! I think it's sad that we have to do this, but this is
the (aweful) reality.... <sigh> (20.7)
* In a message coming from the official website, Crispian says that they will start recording the new album in November. (16.6)
* I forgot to mention last time that Crispian was voted 2nd uncoolest person in rock by readers of Melody Maker and we wouldn't want it any other way! :-) Also, on a more personal note, Fairyland was picked as site of the week by Great Hosannah's cool weekly newsletter. Thank you! (14.6)
* Crispian and
Alonza got injured in Japan.
The duo were surprised by a gang of 50 over-enthusiastic fans and
got hurt in the process.
Crispian suffered from neck and back injuries and needed the help
of a chiropractor and Lonz got bruised and has some cuts. They
didn't cancel any gigs but Crispian had to do two shows with a
neck-brace. Apparently, the band is a massive success in Japan at
the moment and sold 14 000 tickets in 2 hours. The band have been invited back to headline
Tokyo's legendary 15,000 seater Budokan in early 2000. Let's hope
they both make a speedy recovery....and please, they are only
humans, don't go around mobbing people just because you're a
fan.... (11.6)
* Kula Shaker
will be playing at Pukkelpop festival (Belgium) on 26 or 27
August.
They will be playing Lowlands in Holland during the same weekend.
(8.6)
* Kula Shaker are going to play Glastonbury this year as well. (5.6)
* Added the new US tourdates in new tours.(30.5)
* Kula Shaker are playing the Pinkpop festival on the 24th, and you can have a look at the website of the festival for more info. Also the website of the Lizard festival is up! (22.5)
* Kula Shaker will be performing on TOTP this Friday! (12.5)
* For fans in Holland & Belgium, on Wednesday 19 May there is a tv-special about the band on Nederland 3 (from 23.24 h till 00.05 h) (11.5)
* Shower your Love entered the UK Charts on #14.... :-( (10.5)
* Kula Shaker will perform at the solar eclipse party in August. Read more about it in new releases & tours. (9.5)
* You can now download a Kula Shaker font from this website. You can find it on the links page.(4.5)
* Kula Shaker performed Shower Your Love on TFI Friday on 30 April and you can catch a special about the band on Channel 4 on 14 May. (2.5)
* Last night, Kula Shaker were on Jools Holland and they did a wonderful performance of Shower Your Love and Great Hosannah plus there was a nice interview with Crispian about his musical influences. (24.04)
* As some of you might already know, Crispian has been suffering from a bruised or broken toe, but didn't let that get in the way of things. You can catch them this Friday (26 april) on Jools Holland on BBC 2. (19.4)
* Kula Shaker's new single, shower your love, will be released on 3 May and will feature Tin Terriers as a b-side. Also there will be a live album and a live video released (probably this summer). The video will feature a gig they did during their March tour in the UK. Also, the boys will appear on 10 April on CD:UK (on ITV) and they will also perform a couple of songs in Later with Jools Holland around that time as well. (29.3)
* Peasants, Pigs & Astronauts entered the UK album charts at #9. :-( (15.3)
* In the NME of 13 March, there was an interview with Crispian. The next single will be Shower your love (video for that one features two pigs, an astronaut, a queen lookalike, Indian dancers and old people. Hmm, sounds interesting). Dodge also explains what Namami Nanda-Nandana is about : 'the words mean, "Don't get too close to Krisna because he's a very beautiful young boy and he'll steal your heart." (13.3)
* Kula Shaker have parted company with their management - again! They are now looking for their 3th manager (in two years' time!) The split is said to be amical and friendly. (10.3)
* I bought PP&A yesterday and I can only say this : it's my album of the decade! Pure class! (8.3)
* Kula Shaker are coming to Belgium on 25 April! I already ordered my ticket!!! Also, the radio previewed the new album and so far, I've heard 'I'm still here', '108 Battles' and 'SOS' and they are all bloody brilliant! (4.3)
* Mystical Machine Gun entered the UK charts at #14. This is an absolute outrage and needs to be clarified. Dammit! (29.2)
* In the February issue of Guitar,
you can find a good interview with Crispian and some very good pictures. Here's what the cover of the mag
looks like because there are so many guitar mags out there, that
it's a bit confusing these days. (25.2)
* There was a brilliant interview in a Dutch magazine this month. You can read it when you go to reviews. (translated in English!) (15.2)
* I have seen the new video for MMG and it's looking great! It's very stylish, and the guys look very very good. The end is quite explosive and funny with Crispian and the rest of the band destroying their equipment. Who mentioned Jimi Hendrix?
* Today (23.1) I won two tickets to go to the exclusive showcase Kula Shaker are doing on the 29th here in Belgium. You can imagine my big delight in that! Of course, I will put up a very detailed review and some pics (if I can make some) shortly after that.
* Kula Shaker did a surprise gig on 11 January at King Tut's in Glasgow. Jon was lucky enough to get the last 2 tickets and this is what he said of about gig : (see below under new single & tours for info on new single and album)
I heard on the
Radio on Friday, phoned immediately and apparantly I got the last
2 tickets. They played several 'oldies' along with 4 new
tracks.The new tracks if I picked up correctly were :
Mystical Machine Gun (new single), Spawn, Last Farewell, Guitar
Man
The new single was superb, with a Pink Floydish guitar ending.
* Sadly, they didn't play live because Crispian had voice problems but they did play the new single on Radio 1 and from what I've heard, it's brilliant! Featuring samples and other bits and bobs, it's about the coming of the millenium. Eat your heart out, Robbie. :-) Kula Shaker will now be featured in a live show on the 17th February. Note that in your agendas!
* Kula Shaker will play at john dee in Oslo, 23 january, one month before the release of their second album "peasants, pigs and astronauts". The concert is a part of a project, Venue99, where exciting talented bands play at important venues in Scandinavia. (thanks to drWinston for this one)
* The new Kula Shaker album, now entitled "Peasants, Pigs and Astronauts" will be released in the UK on 8 March 1999. This will be preceded by a single "Mystical Machine Gun" on February 22. In the NME of 14 November, Crispian says that the album will be a deliberate reaction against what he sees as a current obsession within the music world for depressive dark LP's. Well, sorry, Crisp, some of us like that sort of doom and gloom, you know! :-)
* On 14 October, Crispian was a guest in the Jo Whiley Show. And I'm very happy to have heard that he's sporting his old hairstyle again...hmmm...he was apparently also wearing a Star Trek t-shirt.(which is kinda odd regarding his previous comments about Star Trek being propaganda) The other guest was Mel C from that band the Spice Tarts so he was obviously in good company. ahem. :-) If anyone taped this interview, I would really like to swap for it. Just drop me a line, OK?
* On Sunday 21 June, there was an interview on BBC1 with Roy Boulting, Crispian's father. In this interview he talked about his relationship with his son and I must say, that he struck me as a pretty strange fellow. However, the interview was very interesting...
* After my quest for a Kula Shaker Desktop Theme, I finally found one at this site! Here you can download a pretty good theme to Shake up your computer. Watch out for the nice icons!! (look for the 'kulaba.zip' file)
* Sound of Drums fell down to #17 in the UK Charts in the second week....How is that possible???????
* On 1 May, Kula Shaker did a wonderful performance of Sound of Drums on TOTP. Crispian was wearing eyelinere ànd mascara for the occasion and it certainly suited him! Apart from that, there were also two spinning objects at the side of the stage that looked rather strange....
* Kula Shaker entered the UK Charts on #3 with the Sound of Drums. They were beaten for the number one spot by Boyzone and Run DMC....Bugger!
* Kula Shaker performed on TFI Friday on 17 April and .... brace yourself.... Crispian was wearing eye-liner!!!!!!! Now, there's something to worry about! :-)
* The Kula Shaker gig in Leeds of 5 April was broadcasted on BBC Radio 1 on 19 April.
* Crispian and Paul both have tattoos now (Crispian's tattoo is on the right arm). How R 'n Roll!!!
* A big congratulations to Jay because on the 10th of March, our hairy darling has got married to Emma Farmer!!!!! Let's wish them all the best in their marriage!!!!
* As most of you know, the Prodigy album 'Fat of The Land' features a collaboration with Crispian called 'Narayan'. Certainly worth it!!! Some say it's one of the best tracks of the album!
* Kula Shaker have also done a staggering performance in Birmingham for the celebrations of the 50th anniversary of Indian Independence. They performed with a couple of Indian musicians and BBC2 showed one song of the mini-concert : Govinda. Probably the best version you can find!!!
* 'Hush' is featured on the soundtrack of the movie 'I know what you did last summer'.
* ...and for those Spanish Kula fans out there, there is now a Spanish Kula Shaker fanclub located somewhere in Barcelona!! Lord Neil of the K has finished his work on his very own Kula Shaker Website written completely in Spanish especially for all you Spanish fans out there!!! (See Links page for the url) and you can also ask him more info about the Spanish Fanclub...
This review is by Claire Cairnduff, a lovely girl from Scotland who was at the Dundee gig on the 1st of April. Be sure to visit her website too!
It was 8.30am on an ordinary April 1st day and I woke up. This day was one to remember, I was definitely sure of that, I mean come on I was going to a Kula Shaker concert!!!??!! I got ready 1 hour later and stepped out the door with a very big smile on my face, people walking past me must have thought 'What a right weirdo'..or 'She must be high cause she never smiles'. Around my town I'm known for being quite moody and if I don't like something/someone EVERYONE knows (cause I am quite outspoken, which has got me into a little bit of trouble.) Anyway I met my friend Margaret and her big brother Martin. Martin drove us to the train station to meet ANOTHER friend (Someone's popular!) Karleen. Eventually we went back to the train station and took the train to Glasgow. We went shopping for a few hours and then had our dinner at MacDonalds, (nearly getting into a fight with a group of fat cows) We made our way to Queen St. Station and took Another train to Dundee. When we arrived, we found our way to Caird Hall. There was quite a crowd there at 6.30pm (about 45 people) and the doors weren't opening till 7.30pm. We waited in this queue for one of the main doors and we stood beside this small door which no-one took any interest in (lucky for us later) Soon there were about 5 different queues for the main doors and everyone was there about 7.00pm. I was slightly surprised that there wasn't any fights or gangs of girls eyeing each other up (Meaning like, ready to fight) everyone seemed really friendly. The other concerts I've been to are Boy Band ones and the crowd practically kill each other. (I know its terrible to admit having gone through the boy band craze, but I am completely cured from the disease. THANK GOD!) Well, as soon as it turned 7.45pm the doors were starting to unlock and VERY FORTUNATELY for us the little side door was opened first!! I grabbed hold of Karleen & Margaret and we went through the little door really fast and gave our ticket to the door guy, so he could tear off the little slip. We ran to the hall faster than any one of us has ran before and got to the front of the stage. For one second I thought we had entered the wrong hall but when I turned round this hoard of people came running through trying to get the best possible view. We were right at the front. Margaret turned round to me and said: "Claire, look at the stage. Just think, Crispian will up there right in front of you!!" I was so shocked that we had got right to the front but I was prepared to fight anyone to keep my place. When the concert started at around 8.00pm the support band came on, Soundtrack to Our Lives. I thought they were OK but I will admit that I was disappointed that the Lilies weren't playing. You couldn't hear one word that the lead singer was saying and he looked really like Jesus but with a pot belly!! I thought that everyone in the band weren't really getting into the gig apart from the LOVELY guitarist Paul (who blew us a kiss). Paul really went mad on the stage, he was banging his guitar really hard against the drums and the floor!! We all agreed that he was soo cool. Some of the songs were alright nothing really amazing in my opinion. To be honest I was so glad that they had finished at about 8.40pm! We waited for the Kulas for 20 minutes while the sound check people did their stuff to this crappy music in the background. Eventually Kula Shaker came on and the crowd went mad before they even touched their instruments! I was squashed into this railing like an orange being juiced! I am sure I died from lack of oxygen that night!! They started off with Sound of Drums and then kept continuing to sing the Revolution For Fun line over and over again for about 10 minutes. I can't remember exactly what order the songs came in but I think it was 303, Start All Over, Hush, Hey Dude, Tattva, A new song with a line"....it's a mystical ride baby...", Tattva, Govinda, Narayn (guitar version), Gokula, Grateful When Your Dead, Jerry was There, Knight on the Town, Hollow Man, and loads more songs. They played for about 1 hour and 40 mins. The SEXY GOD OF MUSIC Crispian smiled and waved at me??!! while he was walking off stage, Paul laughed at me for getting squashed and beating up this nerd behind me, Jay waved and Alonza waved, nodded, smiled and blow kisses to us!! I was really and truely in love with Crispian, he was about 1 metre away!! Unfortunately my camera broke when we got squashed so I have no pictures to show you. But I promise the next Kula gig I go to I will get pictures somehow!! If any one has pictures I would love to get a copy?? I would pay a reasonable price for a copy. Overall, the gig was super, the songs were excellent, they all seemed in good health and the pictures that were flashing behind them were superb pieces of art! I am writing this one week later after recovering from the concert, but I still have very large bruises everywhere But (again?) it was worth every moment.
PS Crispian apologised for being out of tune, but I thought he sounded perfect singing, he is so good to fans. Also Margaret wasn't really a Kula fan but we made an agreement that if I went to a concert of her choice she would come with me to see Kula. I can now tell you that she has become a fan of Kula and is in the stage of converting to Kulaism.
Claire, April 8 1998,
This review is written by Lindsay who went to see them at the Blackout Festival in Belfast and had a great time (obviously!). Jay's beard is shaved off again, but he still has his long hair and Alonza's hair is purple now....
On 2nd May Kula shaker played in Belfast's Botanic gardens and I am very glad to say that I witnessed such a great event.
To start it all off we had great weather, the sun just seemed to add to the perfect atmosphere. Junkster and Juniper were supporting them, both were very good but we had bought our tickets to see the mighty shaker. As soon as they set foot on stage the crowd went mad, they started off with their great new single 'Sound of Drums' and I could guarantee that not one person was standing still. Crispian looked great (eyeliner included), Jay was without beard, Alonza's hair was purple and Paul was simply drop dead gorgeous! They carried on into the night with great songs like 'Tattva' and 'Grateful When You're Dead'. A few new ones, 'Holy River' and 'Magical Machine Gun', the very much sought after 'Hush' and last but most certainly not least, everyone's favourite, 'Govinda'. It was absolutely magik.
Nothing more can be said except that I would very strongly advise anyone to see them live.
Miriam Obrart went to see Kula Shaker at the Forum in April '98...
I arrived at 1.30pm with one of
my best mates, and there we sat, for 7 hours in the freezing cold
awaiting the arrival of the mighty Kays.
Pauli arrived by himself and I got talking to him, he's a
lovely man - shorter than I expected, but then, they always are,
aren't they? I got his autograph and asked him when the others
were gonna get there. "They should be here soon..." he
replied, vaguely.
Well surely enough, about 15 minutes later, a minibus arrives and
the marvellous Crisp and Jay stepped out, all dazed and as
confused as Pauli, God knows what they'd been doing. So Jay
had just got married and we were talking about that and
stuff. I asked Crispy if he thought Jay looked like John
Lennon, he agreed. Autographs were given etc.
Then, about 10 minutes later, my mate yells to me,"Mo, LEG
IT, ALONZA'S HERE!!!!!!!!!!"
So there I am, running up this little hill outside the Forum to
meet ALONZA, (God of all that is good and pure)and I get his
autograph and loads of pics etc.... wow!
The gig was amazing and Wow and completely indescribable to
anyone who doesn't UNDERSTAND THE BRILLIANCE of this unlikely
bunch.
Nigel Martin went to see Kula Shaker in Guildford....
I got there at 7:15 and was surprisied to see no major queueing, although I realised it wouldn't be too busy seeing that PP and A only got to #9 in the charts here. Anyway the support band the genies played at 8:15 and I loved them, absolutely brilliant, it was so kula and 60's influenced, full of Hendrix riffs and great catchy choruses. Well done lads, shame people in the crowd were booing them off. The anticipation was now inside me, I had been wanting to see Kula for 2 years and at 9:25 the lights dimmed and the orchestral intros began, I knew it was going to be Hey Dude since I heard the gig on R1 the night before but it didn't spoil it, I just went absolutely crazy when it started jumping around and so did everyone around me, I was standing about 4 rows of people from the stage, so it was fantastic. He was singing absolutely brilliantly, which makes me wonder what R1 did to that gig in Wolvo!! Anyway then we had Hurry on Sundown which I must confess I had only heard once before, it was terrific must be the best B-side. THey then played MMG, which hardly anyone knew at the start, 'cause of that great 60's intro. '303' absolutely rocked the place, I don't think there was one motionless body in the entire hall. 'Tattva' came and went, I actually found this a slight disappiontment, don't know whether it was rushed or just sounded a touch wierd but still good. My only other disappointment was that they didn't play 'Knight on the town' and 'Start all over' but still they played everthing else practically. It was a great gig, the mix of slower stuff with rocking stuff was amazing and well plannned. I was thoroughly knackered after about 40 minutes of continuous jumping but my was I happy, even the blokes I was with who didn't really like Kula that much were jumping like mad. They finished on Govinda, which is one of my faves and really does rock, although at that stage I could hardly move. Crispian and the gang seemed in high spirits and his voice was tremendous, Whatever you do go and see them, they are by far the best band I have seen live and I actually went knowing it would be amazing but it managed to top even what I imagined!!
Nigel Martin
Cathelijne went to see them at the festival in Holland called Pinkpop...
Last Monday I went to Pinkpop. I wanted to see Kula Shaker SO BADLY!!! So, i actually went to see them! They were WAY BETTER than I thought! They started at 8:15 PM. They started very mystical... which was the song: Great Hosannah. They also played songs like: Tattva, Mystical Machine gun, Hush, S.O.S etc... the crowd loved it!!! The one moment they were jumping, than they were fladdering with their hands (at a mystical moment), there was also a lot of crowd surfing. After they played their actual last song, they went off, their guitars were also brought backstage already, but the crowd kept applauding, whistle and cheer!!!! They came back to play one last song!!!!! That was soooo great!!!!! There was a lot of crowd there to see Kula Shaker. I was standing between the middle and the front. I made a lot of pictures!! I hope really hope they succeed!!! :) You'll hear from me again soon!!! -Cathelijne, from Holland