Some wonder what Pete Doherty would have been like had he managed to stay clear of the drugs; Luke Pritchard the 20 year old songwriter and frontman for The Kooks would be pretty close to the truth. The Kooks are fast becoming one of the most popular indie bands of 2006. Pritchard is keen however, not to lose any of their street cred -rich coming from a man who dated pop singer Katie Melua whilst attending the ‘Brit school of performing arts and technology ’ in Croydon.Nevertheless, their gigs are selling out fast; the Fuzz Club in Sheffield is a small venue, which seemed inadequate given The Kooks sudden rise in popularity-they could have sold it twice over. First the crowd was treated to the sole support act, The Automatic-an electro-punk outfit from Wales who received a good reception from the crowd, playing with purpose and presence on stage. They are one to keep tabs on what with their debut album due for release in April.

The Kooks took to the stage at midnight rising to the occasion playing an enthusiastic energetic set consisting mainly of material from the new album performed faultlessly; surprising considering the age of the band. The album itself is an interesting mix of warm love tracks like ‘Naïve’ and upbeat songs to get the indie kids jumping, like ‘you don’t love me’ and the much talked about ‘eddies gun’, which tackles the sensitive topic of erectile dysfunctions. Pritchard urges this is "nothing to be ashamed of" and has “happened to me and pretty much every guy I know at some time” controversial as the “she” in the song is thought to be former girlfriend Katie (must be the double chin).

The fresh tracks on the album are promising ‘I want you’-a possible indication of good things to come, with its heart felt lyrics. A reflection of Pritchard’s troubled history of family tragedy and a catchy melody make it a sure hit. However, with the indie pop scene looking increasingly crowded, The Kooks will have to work hard not to be squashed out by another longhaired leather jacket wearing four piece, but I feel in Pritchard they have a frontman who can steer them to success. The Kooks have another national tour planned in May and their Album ‘Inside in/Inside out’ is now available on Virgin Records.