The Kooks with their favourite weekly read

CAMDEN Town’s streets are no stranger to impromptu perfor­mances – but people out for a lunchtime stroll were surprised to find the two guys with guitars playing under a bridge were indie rock royalty The Kooks.

A crowd grew in Castlehaven Road on Monday to hear the duo play some of their old favourites and tunes from their new album Never/Know.

Naturally, it wasn’t their first time in Camden and band members Luke Pritchard and Hugh Harris told the New Journal how the area has left a “lasting memory” on them.

Mr Pritchard said: “Our first ever gig in London was at Bar Fly. Even as a kid I remember just going through the markets. As you were growing up it was a place to go and be a bit wild but still get back within a decent time to your house.”

He added: “Camden is a real cultural hub and for music with the bands and artists that have lived and worked here. The annual festival Camden Crawl was always really cool – it’s such an important part of bringing the new artists through.”

Mr Harris added: “I remember we had an after show at the Hawley Arms once after one of our big London shows – it was the place to go and the place to meet.

“We had security at the time and we were asked if we wanted security at the pub thinking we definitely wanted to arm ourselves and when we got there the place was totally empty. It was hilarious.”

A crowd gathers in Castlehave Road for the band whose songs include Naive, Ooh la and Jackie Big Tits

He added: “I think times have changed now – one of my daughters goes to school in Camden and now I come here for the school run, every morning at 8am watching people on their way home. It’s quite a change.”

Mr Pritchard spoke about the need to protect independent music venues with grassroots spaces suffering from the effects of the cost of living crisis and people going out less.

He told the New Journal: “Independent venues are at risk. I think there’s something like one going per week in the country.

“I think it’s probably a bit better in London and somewhere like Camden being the UK royalty of the music scene, but there are just little things the government could do.

“Things like reducing VAT (value added tax) and the way they tax venues. It would just take that stress off because they are so important.”

The Kooks said Camden has an important place in British musical history

Mr Harris added: “There’s less of a live scene now. There are more ways of releasing your music online and finding your audience and the barriers have come down between genres so it’s less tribalistic – and Camden is a testament to that theory.

“It’s where fashions and fads are born and die and sometimes never die – it’s like the valhalla of fads, this eternal realm which is genre-less. You can be a punk, you can take what you like and leave the rest for another genre.”

Next year will be 20 years since The Kooks released their first album Inside In/Inside Out with the band members hoping its anniversary will initiate a wave of nostalgia.

Mr Pritchard said: “It’s always nice to get the music back in people’s hearts – it’s never fallen out of love with the fans.”

Never/Know is out now.