Set to release his debut album ‘Sunny Sadness’ later this month, Luke Saxton’s youth has been pretty much building up and preparing from this release.
We caught up with Luke to chat about the album and his journey into making music.
At such a young age, you’ve got an incredible amount of material written and recorded. Tell us where it all started for you and how you came to start writing your own stuff.
I started writing songs when I was six or seven, I used to learn songs by ear and then realised I could write my own very quickly. I’ve not looked back since and haven’t gone a year without writing songs since then. I’ve just always loved doing it and it seemed to come naturally.
You’re now releasing your first album ‘Sunny Sadness’. Is that album coming out as you had written it originally or has it been re-jigged a bit for release?
Yes, they are as I had written it. Recorded in spring of 2013.
How does it feel to finally be getting your songs out there after perfecting your craft for so long?
A relief, I want people to hear my music.
Talk us through a bit of your writing process and how new material comes to you?
I sit down at my piano or with a guitar everyday. I usually just play over the songs I’ve written and develop them, and sometimes I’ll make a new melody, but the melody can come at any point, walking down the street or in the car, brushing my teeth. I get the melody down and write some temporary lyrics while I come up with two or three more parts, I’ll just add to the song as it develops, a lot of the time I’m rushing to get to the end as I get very into it and my mind starts racing, it’s after this, once I’ve got a demo down I can sit at the piano or guitar and go over the song and add little things here and there and just developed them slowly over the months. The writing of lyrics comes from things I think about, my life and some are just made up stories.
Obviously we premiered the video for ‘Song For Harry Nilsson’, loved the video. How was the experience for you of creating the visual aspect for the song?
Thanks, It was a great idea that my great friend Callum Scott-Dyson came up with and having being in a short of Callums called ‘Walter & Goose’ which I acted in and did the soundtrack to, it was just a day of fun really. I’ve always done stuff like that with Callum and my friends in York so it was no different really, just a bit of silly acting, not that I’m an actor.
Did you have a say and an input in what the video was gonna be?
Since we’re all friends it wasn’t really work, we were all open to ideas, but Callum’s vision for what he wanted shun through. I went over to Manchester to help edit it and get it finished too.
Have you plans for live shows following the release of the album?
Yeah I’ve some gig dates for November. (below)
Tuesday 11th – York @ Duchess
Sunday 16th – London @ Lexington
Wednesday 19th – Manchester @ The Night & Day Cafe
Saturday 22nd – York @ The Woolpack
Tuesday 25th – London @ The 12 Bar Club
What’s your biggest goal for the next 12 months once the album drops?
To get some recognition and get somewhere, but just to keep on trucking really.