The Kooks head to Birmingham O2 Academy

When loveable indie four-piece The Kooks first strutted onto the airwaves in 2006, they won the hearts of music critics and fans alike with their breezy tunes and sweet lyrics.

Debut album Inside In/Inside Out proved to be a formidable product, going quadruple platinum in the UK within a year and dominating the charts across the world as songs such as Naive, She Moves in Her Own Way and Ooh La – as well as the rather cheeky Eddie's Gun – caught the music-loving public's imagination.

Unfortunately, the band suffered a severe bout of difficult-second-album-itis, and while 2008's Konk hit the number one spot in the charts, many music critics cynically attributed this to the loyalty of fans as the group seemed to have lost the magic sparkle which made them so popular.

Line-up changes sparked by the departure of bassist Max Rafferty, rumours of friction within the band and scrapped recording sessions filled the gossip columns of music rags throughout that time.

But, three years later, the boys have had time to think and grow and it seems this year's offering – Junk of the Heart, released last month – has gone some way towards appeasing the disappointed masses, reaching number 10.

Lead singer Luke Pritchard said: "We had a few blows. Things that were outside our control seemed to be ripping everything apart at one point. And it was difficult to understand why – because it felt as if everything was going so well. That was frustrating, definitely.

"It was very cool to get away to LA when recording the new album. For us it was incredibly positive, and we didn't have all the swirling cynics at every turn.

"There's quite a few different instruments we've not used before – different kinds of textures, but still with the roots of the band.

"Rather than being a band just playing our guitars in a room, we built the tracks up and added more layers. We wanted to make it more of a future-sounding record than looking back to the past."

And it seems to have worked – The Kooks' gig at Birmingham's O2 Academy on Saturday, October 8, 2011, as part of the Junk of the Heart tour, has completely sold out. Doors open at 7pm.

Charlotte Cross