The second major gig of the Heineken Green Energy Weekend had all the trappings of a damp squib at a firework display: expectations of a big bang soon fizzled out. Kula Shaker came on to muted applause, the grounds of Dublin Castle not exactly thronging with "the kids". The distinct impression was that this band is already past its pulling power prime.
Fronted by Crispian Mills (son of Hayley, grandson of Sir John), the band must be cursing the likes of Cornershop, whose authentic brand of raggamuffin Asian pop puts the Shaker's white-spirit version to shame. From the opening song (the latest hit single, Sound Of Drums), Kula Shaker came across like prissy cousins of rock'n'roll, too mannered and far too insincere for their own good.
Mills's dedication of a song to "the spirits of Dublin Castle" even caused hoots of derisive laughter from people who had previously been seriously frugging to Hey Dude. Most of the time Kula Shaker's combination of 1960s prog-rock and Eastern instrumentation sounded self-serving. It was guitar-heavy and tuneless, to boot.
Occasionally, they achieved the mix - Into The Deep was a rewarding if highly formulaic blend of Deep Purple and any Hollywood soundtrack you care to mention. Moments such as this, however, were few and far between. The end result was a band and its music that, unless something miraculous or inexplicable occurs in the interim (stern advice from the spirits of Dublin Castle, perhaps?), will both be distant memories by the end of the millennium. Kula Britannia? I don't think so.
