Eight years on from their first single, Cheshire indie rockers The Luka State have released their long-awaited debut album Fall In Fall Out. The band have also announced that they will take songs from the new record out on the road later this year, with fifteen dates pencilled in across the UK and Europe in September.
WERE GOING ON A REAL LIFE TOUR. Tickets are on sale at https://t.co/Nz7wo4yJDH. We can’t wait to get back out on the road to play ‘Fall In Fall Out’, which is out NOW at https://t.co/U7WUxLa9YR pic.twitter.com/Okqbtn1NbB
— The Luka State ‘Fall In Fall Out’ (@TheLukaState) January 29, 2021
Early reviews for the new LP have been broadly positive, with Kerrang‘s Jake Richardson complimenting a “charmingly rough-around-the-edges style that sets The Luka State apart from the swathes of indie bands that love to do pretty bad Arctic Monkeys impressions.” Richardson adds “It’s not the smartest record you’ll hear this year, but ‘Fall In Fall Out’ is a bloody fun listen, and you’d suspect that’s exactly what its creators were shooting for all along.”
The Luka State released their first clutch of singles back in 2013 under the tutelage of Sam Williams (best-known for his production work with Supergrass in the 1990s) and dropped a first EP, The Price of Education, in 2015. The group have been fairly prolific ever since; even managing to release six singles in the lockdown-blighted soundscape of 2020. Their latest single – the melodic titular track from Fall In Fall Out – demonstrates the band’s knack for anthemic, radio-friendly indie in the spirit of The Enemy, Ocean Colour Scene and Starsailor.
Last year the Winsford outfit achieved a significant breakthrough in being to a major record label, Shelter Records/BMG. In a press statement, Shelter Records Chairman Carl Stubner said: “The feeling you get when you listen to The Luka State is just like being in a sweaty underground club, feet stuck to the floor from the spilt beer and your ears ringing from the guitars. When you throw in the stadium size hooks on this record, we couldn’t pass up the chance to be a part of reminding everyone the magic of that awaits when bands like this hit the stage again. This record and this band are that reminder.”
The group have been undertaking a ‘virtual tour’ of online gigs through January, but are itching to get back to the real life live shows. In an interview with TotalNtertainment.com, lead singer and guitarist Conrad Ellis said of the online shows: “It’s just been great to get back on stage again and make some noise. The pros are that online we can reach a mass audience, and reach out to as many people as possible which is quite incredible. I suppose the downside is we miss the human connection that we all so much rely on; something that we’re all craving at this moment in time. Connecting with an audience when everyone is going a bit mental at your gig is a special moment for us so I guess you miss that element.”
Asked about what fans can expect from the new LP, Ellis added: “We’re very proud of this record and we hope people enjoy listening to it as much as we enjoyed making it. We’re four lads from a working class town in Northern England, where there’s not much to do. This record encapsulates a time in our lives and where we are from. It’s about passion, escapism, love, lust, sex and being proud of where you are from. I suppose it’s a love letter to our home town Winsford.”
The Luka State’s confirmed UK tour dates this September are as follows:
01/09/21 – Sheffield – Record Junkee
02/09 – Leeds – Lending Room
03/09 – Manchester – Night & Day
04/09 – Newcastle – St Doms
05/09 – Glasgow – King Tuts
07/09 – Birmingham – Sunflower Lounge
08/09 – London – Camden Assembly
10/09 – Nottingham – Bodega
11/09 – Southampton – Joiners
21/09 – Worthing – The Factory Live
