English folk artist Luke James Williams has released his second album, Limes Hotel. We asked him the BIG questions . . .
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Limes Hotel emerged from an intense period of grief following the loss of two close friends and traces "questions of mortality, belief, connection, and how you piece yourself back together after loss".
Luke says: "Grief is universal but it often feels very isolating. I hope this album, whilst having been born out of a very dark time, can give a little light and some comfort to people going through similar experiences."
He adds, "I hope this album shows a songwriter unafraid to lay bare and confront the questions and emotions that make us all human. I'm a big swirling mess of ugliness and beauty, light and dark, just trying to make sense of it all.
"These songs have lived in my head for a long time, so I can’t wait to set them loose in the world for people to hear, interact with, and make their own. Especially at the moment, I hope the rawness of these songs acts as a bit of a salve for what’s going on in the world."
Tell us three things about yourself . . .
I have a rescue dog called Aoife, I play drums in a 1950s Rock and Roll band and I speak Spanish.
How would you describe your music?
Acoustic-based indie-folk but weaving in a whole patchwork of different influences around poetic and emotionally-charged lyrics.
Who are your musical inspirations?
There are too many to name but some of my absolute favourites are PJ Harvey, Sufjan Stevens, Carlos Varela, Phoebe Bridgers, Massive Attack, and Beck.
What was the first gig you ever went to?
My Mum and Dad reliably inform me it was Chris De Burgh at the NEC with them when I was very young.
What was the first record you ever bought?
Alanis Morissette - Jagged Little Pill.
What’s your favourite song right now?
I’m currently hooked on a Chilean duo called Camila y Silvio and their song Neblina.
Favourite lyric of all time?
"Desde que existe el Mundo hay una cosa cierta unos hacen los muros y otros hacen las puertas/Since the world began, there’s one thing that’s certain, some people build walls and others create doors" - Muros y Puertas by Carlos Varela.
If you could only listen to one song for the rest of your life, what would it be?
Blimey, these questions are tough! You’d probably get a different answer every time but we’ll go with Insider by Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers and Stevie Nicks.
Where can people find your music/more information?
The best place to find everything is at my website.
Alan Corr
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