The Kooks tour moves in its own way with DiGiCo Quantum 338 consoles

Brighton’s indie hit-makers the Kooks are heading out on their latest European tour in February 2026, taking them straight through into a packed festival season. During the dizzying heights of one of indie rock’s biggest moments in the mid-noughties, the band caught the moment perfectly with singalong hits Naive and She Moves In Her Own Way. Fans will be singing back every word on the February tour, and there will be no naivety in the sound with the accompanying DiGiCo Quantum Consoles in use by front-of-house engineers Russ Miller and Ralph Smart.

Meeting at the BRIT School in Croydon, Greater London, Luke Pritchard, Hugh Harris, previous member Paul Garred, and then shortly after joined by Max Rafferty, the Kooks formed in 2002. The unlikely origin story was that the original quartet had the idea of forming the group while buying clothes in the discount chain Primark, where they began buying hats and other items that would fit their band image. In search of their first show in Brighton, a venue landlord told them, “Well, you can't get a gig if you don't have a demo, but I like your hats, so I'm going to give you a gig."

Taking the advice, the band sent out their first demo in the hopes of getting more gigs, but instead began hearing back from music managers and record labels. With The Kooks only four months into their life as a band, they signed with Virgin Records. They recorded their debut hit album Inside In/Inside Out in 2005. It was destined for success with the aforementioned Naive, She Moves In Her Own Way, and Ooh La.

Engineer Russ Miller joined the Kooks touring crew in 2021, and Ralph Smart came a year later. The former explains that the band and crew were already feeling certain about the audio setup, and that there was no question of not continuing with DiGiCo.

“The Kooks is the first band I've worked with where the console has been a permanent fixture. We inherited the gig in 2021 from another pair of engineers who Ralph and I knew; they were pretty entrenched in the DiGiCo ecosystem,” Miller recalls. “The decision was made not to change anything just for the sake of it and keep that consistency. We were very happy with the SD12 96s that were being used, but then the Quantum range came out, and the SD12s were harder to get hold of, so we swapped. We started with the Quantum 225, then went up to the Quantum 326 to benefit from the larger console surface.”

Sound engineer Miller emphasises the importance of artist satisfaction regarding sonic choices on tour. He maintains that the artists’ approval is a priority in his work, particularly with The Kooks. According to Miller, the band members possess a clear understanding of their musical presentation, and he notes that the technical skills of engineers and the professional requirements of musicians are aligned in achieving this goal.

“I’ve been mixing for a while now, but when you first start off as an engineer, there can be a tendency to think, I'm the audio engineer, I have the technical knowledge,” he says. “The fact is, there's a reason, aside from brilliant songs, that those musicians are up there on stage, and that is, they've got really good ears. They know exactly how they want their songs to sound and can hear the most subtle changes. So, we make sure that we've got consistency at both ends of the multicore; that’s really important.”

The selection of the DiGiCo Quantum 326 is influenced by both its audio quality and its physical interface. The console features a customisable control surface designed to be intuitive, which allows Miller to maintain focus on the band during performances.

“Mixing is a dance, it's a performance; you're performing almost as much as the band. Having the same console under your fingertips all the time means you can learn that dance,” he expands. “I would wager that no matter what console somebody uses, they will try and make everything the same on every console, not just sonically, but the actual physicality of it. People in studios do the same thing, maybe their kick drum always comes up on Fader 19, or the vocal is always on 20, etc.”

At the monitor position, Ralph Smart utilises the Quantum 326 for its specific technical capabilities, including its larger matrix and increased processing power. Smart also highlights the significance of consistency when touring internationally. By specifying DiGiCo on technical riders, the production can rely on the brand’s global distribution network to provide familiar equipment regardless of the geographic location.

“Having a setup we know we can replicate across all territories via local suppliers has been crucial for consistency. Last year, we made the leap to Quantum, and I haven’t looked back,” he says. “The additional matrices and macros on the Q326 have given me some really useful routing options with all my tech-mixes that were not possible when we were on the SD Range. I have been utilising the Mustard Source Expander, which has been great, especially in the bigger venues; it’s a really useful tool. I’ve also had great results experimenting with the tube emulations and the Mustard compressors on the console.”

The technical requirements of the tour are supported by the Liverpool-based company Adlib. With over 40 years of experience in the industry, Adlib supplies a comprehensive range of DiGiCo consoles and accessories. The company also provides technical crew and engineers to support The Kooks’ touring schedule.

“Adlib has a kindness that clearly comes from the top down. Everyone who works there has it; it’s like a house attitude. I love working with them for that reason, and the gear is always top-notch, too,” Miller finishes. “David Grimes was the systems tech on the tour; he's amazing, and Emma, who was our stage tech, is incredible, plus our PA techs Sam and Jamie, they’re all really knowledgeable and great engineers as well. It’s great to have extra sets of experienced ears on tour.”

“Support has been great for this tour,” Smart agrees. “Dave Jones and all the guys at Adlib have been amazing; the kit was prepped perfectly with an excellent crew. DiGiCo support has always been second to none. We had a festival a couple of years ago that we would have had to cancel after our console took a bath during a stage evacuation in Europe. As we were discussing pulling the show, a DiGiCo rep appeared and gave us a brand new Q338, gig saved! They always come through for us.”