Charismatic, spiritually driven, and a fiercely inventive guitarist, Crispian Mills has been the creative engine, lead vocalist, and frontman of Kula Shaker since the group formed in the early 1990s.
Early Life & Musical Roots
Born into an esteemed British creative family—the son of actress Hayley Mills and film director Roy Boulting—Crispian spent his early youth immersed in the arts. However, it was the discovery of classic 1960s rock, particularly the heavy psychedelia of Jimi Hendrix, Deep Purple, and George Harrison, that pushed him to obsessively master the electric guitar.
In the early 1990s, a transformative backpacking journey across India profoundly shifted his artistic direction. Encountering Vaishnava philosophy and Indian spiritual traditions, Mills returned to the UK determined to fuse vintage guitar rock with ancient Sanskrit mantras and mystical storytelling—a vision that soon sparked the foundation of Kula Shaker.
Fronting Kula Shaker
As the band’s principal songwriter, Mills guided Kula Shaker straight to the top of the UK charts with their 1996 debut album K and its ambitious 1999 follow-up Peasants, Pigs & Astronauts. His signature Fender Stratocaster riffs, wah-wah solos, and soaring vocals anchored the band's biggest hits, including "Tattva", "Govinda", and "Hey Dude".
Whether navigating the Britpop boom or driving the band’s later records like Strangefolk, Pilgrims Progress, and Natural Magick, Mills has remained steadfast in championing raw, musicianship, timeless psych-pop melodies, and a distinctly uplifting, mystical ethos.
Beyond the Band: The Jeevas & Film Directing
During Kula Shaker’s hiatus in the early 2000s, Mills formed the garage-rock power trio The Jeevas alongside bassist Andy Nixon and drummer Dan McKinna, releasing two acclaimed albums: 1,2,3,4 (2002) and Cowboys and Indians (2003).
Mills also pursued a successful career in filmmaking as a writer and director. He made his feature directorial debut with the black comedy A Fantastic Fear of Everything (2012) and later helmed the horror-comedy Slaughterhouse Rulez (2018), both starring Simon Pegg.