October 24, 2006 10:00

The Kooks discuss tour-stopping illness The Kooks Tickets

And how it almost changed their sound

The Kooks' singer Luke Pritchard has spoken about the recent illness that forced the band to postpone their UK tour.

Pritchard's tonsillitis and laryngitis forced the band to cancel the first four dates of their current tour.

He told NME.COM: “The specialist said that if I carried on singing, the tonsillitis would keep coming back. I would have got something called ‘chronic tonsillitis’ where you have to have your tonsils out. If you have them out, it changes the sound of your voice.”

Pritchard avoided the operation and instead got by with painkillers, but ended up cancelling shows.

“It’s been so frustrating, especially when we turned up at Brighton, our hometown. I felt so bad for all the people who’d bought tickets.”

He also said he had been working on new material.

“I’ve been writing quite a lot recently," he said "It’s probably quite different stuff in a way. I’ve been listening to a lot of folk music, and more roots-based stuff.” He added that the band hope to have an EP of new material released early next year.