Anglo-Irish activist musician Luke Concannon unveils his new album and a run of UK headline shows.
As one half of folk duo Nizlopi, Luke Concannon is perhaps best-known for penning their 2005 #1 hit ‘JCB’, and being a key inspiration for Ed Sheeran when he interned for them. Having continued to write songs over the years, Luke will be releasing his new album Midnight Bloom on 14th November. Punchy, passionate and bold, it’s a joyful yet hard-hitting return to recording after a long period of illness in his life. Following a gruelling tour promoting his previous album, 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. 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.
To have come through several years of illness and remain as grounded as he has, Luke’s message of hope in the album sets an example of how to keep your head in these extraordinary times. Be sure not to miss him at an upcoming show on his headline UK tour (tickets available here).
9th October – Kitchen Garden Cafe, Birmingham
10th October – The Met, Bury
11th October – The Garden House Concerts, Holbeach
16th October – Strings Bar & Venue, Newport
17th October – The Folklore Rooms, Brighton
Bio:
Luke Concannon has early memories of falling asleep at Irish family parties to the sound of guitars, singing, and dancing. He has been making music in the community ever since. Upon meeting double-bassist John Parker in school, the two formed the folk hip- hop duo Nizlopi (best known for the ‘JCB Song’), selling a million records in their twenties and deeply influencing the young Ed Sheeran who interned with them. Through the strain of recording and touring world-wide with a small family-run label, Nizlopi parted ways.
Invigorated by a hitch-hiking trip to Palestine, Luke wrote his first solo album Give It All, kindling the fire for a solo singer-songwriter career. Ecstatic Bird in the Burning, Luke’s 2022 album, debuted at Number 12 in the folk charts on both sides of the Atlantic, including a Number 7 single, ‘Doing Nothing,’ and garnered rave reviews.