British band Kula Shaker release Wormslayer video an homage to Japanese anime-style action

Legendary British band Kula Shaker have released their 8th studio album, Wormslayer. The music video titular track of the album celebrates fantasy table-top gaming and pop-culture aesthetics including an anime-inspired action sequence which sees Crispian Mills' teenage kids and their friends sent on an inter-dimensional adventure into Wormslayer to "Release the Goddess" and slay the mythical worm. 

Opening with a classic D&D style advert, the film is a 9 minute rollercoaster with loads of energy, epic sequences and intense instrumentals!

Visiting a tabletop gaming store, resplendent with Warhammer products and miniatures, we're treated to band organist playing Dungeon Master who invites the youngsters to a game of Wormslayer. Three minutes in and the action switches to an awesome anime-inspired world which then switches between the real and fantasy worlds while the band lay down some fantastic beats reminiscent of prog-rock mixed with the band's Eastern influences. 

Crispian Mills says, “Whether it was reading the Mahabharata or enjoying ‘Excalibur’ and ‘Lord of the Rings’, this band has always been about the ‘quest’. When we recorded the 9-minute title track for ‘Wormslayer’ we felt it deserved an epic cinematic quest to do it justice. So I hired my kids, and their mates, who are all in bands, and went berserk with Laurie, creating an epic video featuring live action and role play games, in an homage to Japanese anime-style action.

 “Like many, I grew up with Dungeons & Dragons. There’s even a D&D sequence in ‘Slaughterhouse Rulez’ (Mills’ 2018 feature film, starring Asa Butterfield, Michael Sheen and Simon Pegg), so I think it must have scarred my imagination.”

 “What we ended up with is ‘Goonies’, ‘Scooby Doo’, ‘Stranger Things’, ‘Lord of the Rings’, ‘He-Man’, and ‘Dungeons & Dragons’, rolled into one — all our fave pop-culture quests. And the conceit that this mythic ‘slaying of the worm’ is actually taking place in some Warhammer shop on a High Street in Devon made us all laugh."

Enjoy the video here:

Physical formats reflect the vibrant energy, inspiration and soul that Kula Shaker poured into the ‘Wormslayer’ album. The limited edition smoky purple and blue marble gatefold vinyl comes with a signed insert, and is available from the band’s official store. It also is available as part of a range of album bundles, all of which are further rewarded with a bonus CD featuring studio bootlegs.

You can find the vinyl, listen to the album and buy tour tickets on the Kula Shaker store

FEBRUARY - HEADLINE TOUR

7th - Brighton, Concorde 2 (SOLD OUT)
8th - Cambridge, Junction (SOLD OUT)
9th - Holmfirth, Picturedrome (SOLD OUT)
11th - Glasgow, Old Fruitmarket
12th - Manchester, O2 Ritz
13th - London, Islington Assembly Hall (SOLD OUT)
22nd - Nijmegen, Doornroosje
23rd - Den Haag, Paard van Troje (LOW TICKETS)
25th - Cologne, Bürgerhaus Stollwerck
26th - Paris, Cafe Dé La Danse (LOW TICKETS)
28th - Hamburg, Gruenspan

MARCH - HEADLINE TOUR

2nd - Berlin, Heimathafen Neukölln
3rd - Munich, Technikum

Each performance will  be illuminated by the mind-bending vision of The Mad Alchemist Liquid Light Show. The band’s summer festival quest is also taking shape, with a headline set at Kernowfornia and dates at Belladrum and Guilfest already confirmed.