Crispian Mills, Jay Darlington, Alonza Bevan, and Paul Winter-Hart reflect on 60s influences, reunions, and their three-album creative surge

Transmission 298: Interview with Kula Shaker

Kula Shaker are a British psychedelic rock band formed in London in 1995. The group consists of Crispian Mills (vocals, guitar), Alonza Bevan (bass), Paul Winter-Hart (drums), and Jay Darlington (keyboards). Named after a 9th-century Indian emperor and poet, the band became known for incorporating Indian musical influences and Sanskrit lyrics into their British psychedelic rock sound. The band gained attention during the Britpop era, distinguishing themselves through their use of Eastern instrumentation and spiritual themes. Their debut single “Tattva”, followed by later hits, achieved commercial success while remaining stylistically unconventional.

Title: Wormslayer
Artist: Kula Shaker
Release Date: 2026-01-30
Genres: Alternative Rock, Indie Rock, Progressive Rock, Psych-folk, Psychedelic Rock
Label: Strange F.O.L.K.
Description: Kula Shaker interview: Crispian Mills on Wormslayer, Vedic philosophy, and the return of psychedelic rock magic.

Their debut album ‘K’ (1996), featuring cover art by Watchmen illustrator Dave Gibbons, debuted at number one on the UK Albums Chart. The album included “Govinda”, a single sung entirely in Sanskrit, and their interpretation of “Hush”. Their second album ‘Peasants, Pigs & Astronauts’ (1999) was produced by Rick Rubin, George Drakoulias, and Bob Ezrin. The band disbanded in 1999 due to pressure and stress. The band reunited in 2006, initially without Darlington, releasing several albums throughout the 2000s and 2010s. Darlington rejoined for 2022’s ‘1st Congregational Church of Eternal Love and Free Hugs’. Their 2024 album ‘Natural Magick’ topped the indie charts, giving them their highest chart position in decades.

The band’s eighth studio album ‘Wormslayer’ will be released on January 30,  their third album in three years. The record was developed from the band’s live performances and recorded with the aim of capturing their energy as a live band. The album includes singles “Charge of the Light Brigade” and “Broke as Folk”, as well as “Be Merciful”, a song originally written two decades earlier. Several tracks, “Good Money”, “The Winged Boy”, and “Shaunie”, form a psychedelic opera based on a story Mills wrote about a boy who grows wings. Other tracks include the Yeats-referencing folk song “Dust” and the title track “Wormslayer”, described as “mantra-metal”.

Featured image: © Sandrita Cardenas

What kind of music were you listening to individually before you even thought about forming a band?

Jay: Well.. personally I was obsessed with bands like The Beatles, The Small Faces, The Who, The Kinks, The Zombies, 60’s garage, West coast psychedelia, The Byrds. Basically any band from the 60’s with a cool haircut and a fab tune. I also seemed to like a lot of bands with a ‘The’ in their name?.. ha. Did I mention jangling guitars and sitars yet?

Crispian:  I’m sure there were more songs being written back when I was a kid. Every TV show had a song or a cracking hit theme tune.

Alonza: The Wombles ‘Wombling Free’… The Smurf Song… 

Crispian: Dr Who… Mission Impossible… The Monkees…  The Brady Bunch… the list goes on. Music was much more part of product ‘branding’. Songwriting was still a booming trade back then. Nowadays, like modern art, everything is a lot more obscure; it’s more about sounds, beats, jingles, stings, hooks, etc. I think our generation was soaking up more songwriting than we realised because of pop culture. 

“Get a record deal — Get paid — Save the world. In that order.”

Looking back at your first sessions as a group, how would you describe the atmosphere and the shared “mission” you felt?

Crispian: Get a record deal — Get paid — Save the world. In that order.

What were the biggest internal or external challenges you faced before the mainstream success of the 90s?

Paul: There is a tricky dynamic of maintaining an individual as well as a group determination to keep on the path, without just blindly believing you were going to ‘make it’. We were pretty relentless, gigging, rehearsing and recording. 

JAY: Scurvy mainly.. Oh, and I recall Alonza’s tea drinking was really spiraling out of control around this time. It was almost impossible to move during recording sessions due to the amount of soiled tea cups everywhere.

Alonza: The biggest external struggle was trying to find rent money for our shared lodgings, dealing with the landlords etc. But things are much harder now for musicians, without benefits, so we shouldn’t really complain. The mental battle against indifference was also tough but you get used to that, as a musician.

Crispian: Apathy and indifference is a two headed monster that you always have to fight, wherever you are in your career. There will always be people out there who want to put you in a box and/or bury you in the ground. But that’s just the external battle. The real ‘War’ is internal: Self confidence vs Self loathing. I don’t think anyone dodges that bullet. You gotta do ‘the work’ on yourself and keep buggering on. 

Your sound is famously tied to Indian mysticism and psychedelia; what was the initial spark that drew you toward that specific spiritual and sonic path?

Crispian: A beautiful girl, of course.

Is there a common thread or a specific philosophy that ties the tracks on Wormslayer together?

Jay: I think Crispian got the idea for the title from his huge collection of 1970’s carp fishing magazines?.

(Don’t listen to what he tells you.. He’s lying!)

Crispian: Some of the tracks tell a story; like Shaunie, Winged Boy, Good Money, are all part of a fairy tale called the Winged Boy. But on the whole, you know, songs are a product of their environment and you keep writing songs for as long as you are interested and excited by the world around you.

“The real ‘War’ is internal: Self confidence vs Self loathing.”

What was the starting point for this new record?

Jay: I recall we started at the beginning?.. But I can’t be too sure?.. Anyone?..

Crispian: The first track we recorded was Broke as Folk. The album grew out of everything that was happening on stage live, so it’s really a sequel to Natural Magick. 

How did the recording process for this album differ from Natural Magick?

Crispian: It was very similar actually. Both were about capturing a live band performance. In many ways Wormslayer has more of that energy. 

What does the title Wormslayer signify to you personally?

Crispian: Slaying dragons, I guess. ‘Worm’ is sometimes used as a derogatory term for a dragon in English. There’s a legend and folk song in the North East of England called The Lambton Worm, which is about the slaying of a dragon living in a river. 

“Be Merciful” has a long history as a legendary bootleg. How did it feel to step back into a song you started two decades ago?

Crispian: It felt really fresh. Songs appear and reappear when they are meant to. They have a life of their own. We were experimenting with song ideas and Be Merciful sounded great alongside the other Wormslayer tracks. I added a new end section too.

How do current world events find their way into your lyrics?

Crispian: Via memes.

Which non-musical art forms, such as cinema, literature, or painting, have left the biggest mark on this new era?

Crispian: Memes?

Alonza: Everything is ‘Theatre’. Politicians and news organisations provide us with the most enthralling dramas, some of it is so well executed it’s almost believable.

JAY: I am hugely influenced by origami and macrame. If only I could apply those principles to time and space.

What has Jay Darlington’s return brought back to the chemistry of the group?

ALONZA: Jay is our talisman. He helps us ward off evil spirits, even the really nasty ones with bad breath.

Crispian: And Jay brings with him a fine selection of wigs.

What is a source of inspiration for you that would surprise your fans?

Crispian: The Sea.

JAY: My collection of Victorian wooden prosthetic legs and the fact that you asked us 13 questions.. Nice.

PAUL: I am a fan of lots of folky gentle stuff — James Taylor , Carole King , Joni , Elliot Smith , Jose Gonzales , and System of a Down ( don’t tell Alonza -he’s not big on modern U.S rock!)

Alonza: Richard Burton.

Photos courtesy of Kula Shaker

Matteo Damiani

Matteo Damiani is an Italian photographer and author. Curator of the sites Retrofuturista.com; weirditaly.com; china-underground.com and others