A CHART-TOPPING musician from Leamington is back on song after a difficult few years.
Luke Concannon was one half of folk duo Nizlopi – alongside his former Trinity School best friend John Parker – whose biggest claim to fame was scoring a number one hit with the JCB Song back in December 2005, followed by having a young Ed Sheeren no less as a roadie and guitar technician.
Sheeran has even credited Nizlopi and lead singer Luke with teaching him “basically every aspect” of his live performance, including his use of a loop pedal and beatboxing.
Despite Nizolipi calling it a day some 15 years ago, they have still played together on and off over the years, but now both mainly purse their own musical paths.
Luke went travelling following the split and finally finished up settling in the USA while continuing to release new music. Invigorated by a hitch-hiking trip to Palestine, Luke wrote his first solo album Give It All, released in 2013.
But following a gruelling tour promoting his 2022 album Ecstatic Bird in the Burning – which received rave reviews on both sides of the Atlantic – Luke was diagnosed with IBS and burn-out, leading to three years of poor health, fatigue and lost creativity.
His gradual recovery was driven by his desire to build a house for himself and his pregnant wife Stephanie, who was studying for her Master’s Degree in Boston.
Buying eight acres of woods in Vermont, Luke lived in a small tent while building a yurt, and found his creative mojo returning through physical work as he wrote songs at 5am every morning in the woods.
Soon after, Stephanie completed her degree, they welcomed their son Oran, and the songs became his first new album in four years – Midnight Bloom.
Luke has embraced the land and community, finding that life does indeed find a way, even through the darkness, if one shows up and plants the seeds.
On the inspiration for the album, Luke explained: “I’m a recovering perfectionist. I’m learning to let go and realise that ‘good enough’ is a better way to approach our lives. We live in an area with a rich history of back-to-the-landers who lived on the edges of culture, and yet still managed to shake up the world through community, art, and politics.”
Soulful album opener ‘Shine’ reflects this mindset while addressing the hostility of workaholism and its effect on creativity. ‘Stick Together’ questions this further, with Luke flying through current world events and calling for unification in the face of it all.
Throughout the album there’s also plenty of groove, such as ‘Namaste Away From Me’ as Luke uses positivity in the face of negativity, but not to the detriment of one’s self.
Luke has early memories of falling asleep at Irish family parties in his home town to the sound of guitars, singing, and dancing – and the music has never stopped since.
Midnight Bloom is released on November 14.
Visit lukeconcannon.com for further details.
