Ink Written Messages by Luke Clerkin
By Aideen O'Flaherty
MUSICIAN Luke Clerkin’s new single ‘Ink Written Messages’ has been a work in progress for the past two years, with the Ballyfermot College student having performed various permutations of the song before committing it to tape ahead of the release of his new EP ‘Second Starts’.
The 26-year-old, who hails from Springfield in Tallaght, has played hundreds of live shows and is a well-known figure in the Irish live music circuit, and he spent last summer in Germany developing his sound playing gigs for music fans in Berlin and numerous other German cities and towns.
Luke’s sound is a blend of indie and folk, but his new release marks a more loosely defined sound that has allowed the past pupil of St Mark’s Community School to indulge in a more pop-influenced, radio-friendly sound.
Luke told The Echo: “My style of writing since the beginning has been more of a folk, singer-songwriter kind of vibe than anything else, full of slow songs with an acoustic guitar, where I just bare my soul.
“But since going to Germany last year, and then coming back and going to college in September, where song writing is something we focus on a lot, I’ve been experimenting with different genres and my attitude to song writing has changed.
“I’m no longer afraid of the word ‘pop’, I think this is something that has held me back a bit, and now that I’ve become more openminded my new songs have become more radio-friendly and more upbeat, while also still keeping to the heartfelt singer-songwriter style that has got me to where I am today.”
This new sense of freedom will be apparent when ‘Second Starts’ is released on June 22, with the EP being the culmination of three years of Luke grafting and honing his sound.
Luke added: “This EP is my way of paying respect to my old style of writing and moving on to the next stage of my career.
“All in all, this release is very personal to me, and not for commercial benefit, so once people like it and can relate to it, and if it can give them hope in terms of dealing with the loss of a loved one, or the end of the relationship, then I’m happy and my job has been done.”
‘Second Starts’ will be released on June 22, and Luke will be performing in Whelan’s on Saturday, June 23 at 8pm, with tickets costing €8, to mark the release of his new EP.
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