The Kooks release See Me Now (Live At The O2 Arena, London)

2 February 2026, 15:44 | Updated: 2 February 2026, 17:00

The Kooks' Luke Pritchard. Picture: Davis Factor

By Jenny Mensah

The stunning single sees Luke Pritchard reflect on the loss of his father, who died when he was just three years old.

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The Kooks' have today released See Me Now (Live at The O2 Arena) as a new single.

Captured during their sold-out, landmark show at the iconic London venue in 2025, the powerful live rendition sees the band breathe new life into a long-cherished hidden gem from their 2014 album Listen.

The track sees frontman Luke Pritchard reflect on the loss of his father, who tragically passed away when he was just three years old. The song, which was written after his mother dropped off a collection of VHS home tapes, have now taken on a new level of poignance now Pritchard himself is a father.

The single is accompanied by an evocative music video directed by Julien Temple (The Filth and the Fury, Absolute Beginners, The Great Rock ‘N’ Roll Swindle), which you can watch below:

The Kooks - See Me Now (Live At The O2 Arena, London)

After hearing the track’s live version, Temple (who had originally created a short reel for the band’s social media and live performance backdrop) was inspired to develop the concept into a full music video, which weaves together existing home footage of Luke as a child with his father, the track’s original 2014 video, and clips from the band's O2 Arena performance.

The Kooks' artwork for See Me Now (Live At The O2 Arena, London). Picture: Press

Talking about the initial spark of how the song was written, Pritchard revealed: "My mum basically dropped off a load of tapes of me and my dad that I’d never seen. It was like a time capsule experience."

He added: “There are videos of him literally teaching me to use a microphone, play guitar, pose like a rock star, all when I was three. It unlocked a lot of memories. I was so young, I hadn’t realised it happened."

Luke’s father, a musician who once supported The Rolling Stones before moving into fashion, had left him with all the ingredients he needed to forge his own love affair with music.

The Kooks frontman was not only able to capture his father's legacy in real-time at the milestone performance, but he's also been able to see the song impact a new generation of fans and resonate with those who share his live experience.

"This live version we’ve chosen from the O2 was a particularly special performance," Pritchard notes. "I didn’t actually think I would be able to finish the song. My mum and sister were in the audience. I just thought how much this would blow his mind - that I played the song to that many people in London… And then all the stories from other people started coming into us. When I grew up I didn't know many people that had lost a parent so young. I’ve just had so many people contact me and talk to me about their stories."

He went on: "There’s been a new meaning in that song for me since having kids. I realised that music was the connection to my dad. And the fan reaction has been humbling… sometimes a song just has its time."

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The release of the single follows an extraordinary 12 months for The Kooks. Their seventh studio album, Never/Know, which was released in May 2025, became their highest-charting record since 2008, reaching number 5 on the UK Albums Chart.

The band will also celebrate the 20th anniversary of their pivotal debut album, Inside In/Inside Out, with a series of massive outdoor summer gigs, which will include performances at Delamere Forest, Scarborough Open Air Theatre, The Piece Hall in Halifax and Isle of Wight Festival 2026.

Pritchard reflected on the huge album anniversary, telling Radio X: "I can't quite believe it. I mean, 20 years is nuts, but I'm so thankful it happened."

"I mean, so many reasons why it almost shouldn't have happened," he went on. "You know, we were four very different people that didn't know each other very well and had this amazing musical chemistry.

"I think the greatest thing about it, 20 years on is, like, all the success you can have in all different ways is that the young kids dig it. And I find that amazing. I can't believe it."

The impact of Inside In/Inside Out also extends to his fellow musicians, with the Naïve singer revealing he gets approached by fans all the time: "The young artists that I meet, whether they just say it to me because they're meeting me, but they say that the music got in some place, and that's brilliant."

He added: "It's a time capsule. It captures, like, a perfect moment in time, but also, people listen to it back. They can actually get a freshness from it."

The Kooks are currently working on their next album - which Pritchard has teased as leaning towards a “psychedelic rock and roll record”.