There are not many bands that would tempt me to Sarf London on a school night, but as soon as Kula Shaker announced a second night at O2 Academy Brixton, we all snapped our tickets for a delicious dose of British psychedelic rock.
Kula Shaker
O2 Academy Brixton – 1 May 2025.
Words: Sara Harding
Photography: Manuela Langotsch
Kula Shaker are back and celebrating the huge success of their new single, Charge Of The Light Brigade, and epic video in a tantalising teaser from their upcoming 8th studio album drop.
Rave reviews for this KS/OCS UK tour have been all over the press and socials, so it is no surprise that the band were welcomed back for a second sold-out night in Brixton and a UK tour extension. 
It is absolutely packed in this legendary London venue as Crispian Mills & Co take to the stage with the eerie hypnotic prelude Radhe Radhe. You can almost smell the incense burning and lava lamps shining as the curtains drop for a magical mystery tour of music courtesy of the original Kula Shaker line-up.
Crispian Mills is the charismatic, multi-talented frontman of Kula Shaker, with swishing hair, hyper energy, and guitar chops like no other. Songwriting and vocal skills aside, Mills is a superb, underrated guitarist who deals us the wah-wahs to the soaring solos.
Alonza Bevan is a superbly brilliant bassist who shines on his 4 string. With a backline augmented by the truly talented drummer Paul Winterheart, they are the beating heart of this band.
Jay Darlington is a literal keyboard wizard on Hammond duty adding another huge layer of musical magic to this charismatic combo.
This is a highlight set, so it is a perfect one hour of KS greatness.
The band burst onto the stage to rapturous applause, kicking off with my favourite driving song, 303, in homage to the wonderful A-road that takes us past Stonehenge and Glastonbury all the way to my beloved Cornwall.
As soon as we heard that reverb intro into this anthem, us folk in the balcony were up and out of our seats.
Kula Shaker are taking no hostages tonight as they power into Grateful When You’re Dead with the sublime wah-wah guitar work of Mills. As we looked down into the arena, the whole place is stomping and shaking.
The band seamlessly flow into my favourite jam/mash-up of all time: Jerry Was There. I have been blessed to have seen the band over 30 times, and this song never gets stale. Every single time, the dudes play different solos, sing it in a different vibe and mix it up.
Tonight’s take was off the hook and reverb-ed around the Academy. That, mixed with the totally mesmeric light show, was a musical moment in time.
Mill says good evening to us all and declares it’s great to be back at Brixton, and for for him, it is Deja vu. “It’s a great pleasure to play for people who distrust their government”, Mills announces to an audience all cheering in agreement as they charge into I Don’t Wanna Pay My Taxes.
We are treated to another upcoming track from the new album. This time it is the brilliant Broke As Folk, which we are all truly blown away by. After the high-energy start to the set, it is great to take a minute to breathe and soak in the killer keyboards from Jay Darlington. This is so damn atmospheric. I feel like I’m on a tantric trip not at a sweaty gig in London Town.
The bass and beats shine with nods to how The Doors would sound live in 2025. If this is just a trailer to what the new album is like, then I am all in and so are the crowd. The Hammond solo from the wizard that is Jay, is frikkin amazing. It is so good to hear this unique organ sound live and loud.
The new song goes down really well with KS fans old and new. Goosebumps. Shower Your Love is a trip back in time to the Peasants, Pigs And Astronauts album era.
Mills then gives a shout-out to their new lighting designer, who is only 21 and from California – trippy! Can I add how darn good this production is? Imagine being in a dome of full-on oil projections, hypnotic visuals and kaleidoscopes. This adds to an already lovely textured soundscape.
Crispian reveals the next song is about an abusive relationship – as he intro’s the recent single Charge Of The Light Brigade! It goes down great and is already an earworm for this year. Mills’ vocals shine in this one. This scarily catchy song with its iconic video is already a firm fan favourite. 
When I filmed Kula Shaker back in Amsterdam in the late ’90s for MTV, the fans were all outside the Melkweg singing this next anthem, and it was sheer joy filming with them. A day I still remember, so that’s why Tattva brings me so many memories.
So obviously, it is great to hear it tonight two decades later. Mills solos on this track are superb and we are all enjoying this magical mystery tour of world music as East meets West.
Then it is crash bag into the wah-wah intro for Hey Dude. The whole Academy is pulsing now, and everyone is singing the refrains.
It is great to see the band interacting with the fans in mutual admiration. Mills is clearly enjoying the audience vibes as we count them in – it’s Hush time! The crowd sings again for the hush parts as this tune ends, and the balcony is already giving Kula Shaker a well-deserved standing ovation.
Mills says thanks for the party and again thanks us the fans. 
And as the last song intro commences, Crispian tells us this track is a detox smoothie for peace, with a cosmic crescendo that builds and builds and then builds again. Govinda is as always a key part of the K album which sold gazillions and it’s still so relevant.
Once again, the band mix it up with a massive jam style. Even though it’s entirely sung in Sanskrit, everyone knows the words.
As we leave Brixton and head back to West London, everyone on the tube is all chanting Govinda and raving about what we had just witnessed. Kula Shaker are well and truly back on the world stage where they belong. Jaya Jaya!
We can’t wait for the next set of headline gigs and new album drop plus special events. So watch this space.
Far out!!!
Huge thanks to Ken Lower and Ali O’Malley.
