Live in Dublin: Luke Thomas & Swing Cats reach no 2 on album chart
By Aideen O'Flaherty
Luke Thomas and The Swing Cats are seeing success with the release of their new album, ‘Live in Dublin’, which recently soared up the charts, taking the No 2 spot in the independent album chart, and No 12 in the mainstream album chart.
The band is fronted by Walkinstown man Luke Thomas, who now lives in Tallaght, and his band is well-known for their up-tempo swing numbers and high energy performances.
Luke Thomas
Available exclusively from Golden Discs, ‘Live in Dublin’ was released last month, and on Friday, April 23, it was revealed that the album had reached No 2 on the official IRMA Chart for independent artists.
The album also reached No 12 on the mainstream album chart – as one of only two independent artists in the top 15 – among tough competition from London Grammar, Dermot Kennedy, Taylor Swift and Dua Lipa.
Explaining the context behind the release of ‘Live in Dublin’, Luke Thomas said: “We were looking at releasing a live album in 2020, however, Covid hit the world and plans had to be put on hold.
“Once we got over the shell shock of all our shows needing to be cancelled due to lockdown, we gathered our thoughts and decided the album needed to proceed regardless.
“It really was a situation of us needing to do this with an even greater sense of importance now than before and we are thrilled we took this step.”
Luke Thomas and The Swing Cats The Olympia Theatre
Initial stock of the album sold out in the first week of its release, so Luke Thomas and The Swing Cats are now putting the album back into production and preparing for its digital release later this month.
The band is hoping the campaign around this will also be able to include some Covid-friendly live performances.
The production and release of ‘Live in Dublin’ is partly funded by The Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sports and Media.
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