As the March 10th release of their eagerly anticipated second album ‘More Than This’ approaches, The Luka State have gone from strength-to-strength with every track. Their latest single ‘Matter of Fact’ received its first play on Daniel P Carter’s Radio 1 Rock Show, building upon their recent momentum established with support spanning Spotify, Apple Music, Deezer,Kerrang!, NME, Sunday Times Culture, The Line of Best Fit, Daily Star, BBC Music Introducing, 6 Music, Absolute Radio and Soccer AM.
The Luka State’s next step towards the album comes as they share the new track ‘Two Worlds Apart’ with its official video. Set upon a blaze of chugging riffs and gritty melody, vocalist/guitarist Conrad Ellis narrates an unorthodox love song in which personal anxieties and small-town claustrophobia threatens a couple’s otherwise promising relationship. Listen HERE. Watch the official video HERE.
Conrad says, “‘Two Worlds Apart’ is about the battle that we all find ourselves having with our own minds. Sometimes we can feel like two completely different people. This song is about that feeling, it’s about grabbing life with two hands and trying to take control of it in a much more positive way.
In working class towns like Winsford you don’t always get the same opportunities as others so you have to battle with yourself to find the positive. It’s that kind of experience that shapes us and the lyrics on our album”
The official video was directed by Jim de Whalley, who explains, “Having worked with the Bassist Sam on the album sleeve we really wanted to bring the story behind the boy to life. Frankie, a close friend of the band, a young boy nervously walking through one of the estates in Winsford really juxtaposes the innocence with the harsh.”
‘Two Worlds Apart’ joins the tracks ‘More Than This’, ‘Stick Around’, ‘Bring Us Down’, Oxygen Thief’ and ‘Matter of Fact’in previewing the album. While those songs span the sonic spectrum from fiery full-throttle punk to anthemic indie-rock, they’re united by an uncompromising DIY spirit and themes which are unafraid to tackle issues – whether personal or political – head-on. Collectively the ‘More Than This’ album into a snapshot of an alternative guitar band looking at the society around them and channelling their anger and frustration into a set that will resonate with fans of Arctic Monkeys, Biffy Clyro and Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes.
The band – completed by lifelong friends Sam Bell (bass, vocals), Lewis Pusey (guitar) and Jake Barnabas (drums) – recorded the album with producers Dan Austin (You Me At Six, Pixies) and the Grammy Award-winning Adrian Bushby(Foo Fighters, Muse) at The Motor Museum in Liverpool.
The Luka State will celebrate the release of ‘More Than This’ by embarking upon an intimate record store tour, which starts at The Electric Church in their hometown of Winsford, Cheshire. Later in March they will embark upon a Europeanheadline tour, highlights of which include a London show at Camden Assembly and their biggest Manchester show to date at the Academy 3. Any remaining tickets for both the headline shows and the in-stores are available HERE. Expect their summer festival plans to be revealed soon.
MARCH – RECORD STORE TOUR
10th – Winsford, The Electric Church
11th – London, Banquet Records
12th – Nottingham, Rough Trade
13th – Leeds, Crash Records (signing only)
14th – Sheffield, Record Junkee
15th – Liverpool, Jacaranda
MARCH – HEADLINE TOUR
23rd – Birmingham, Rainbow
24th – Bristol, Crofters
25th – Southampton, Heartbreakers
30th – London, Camden Assembly
31st – Leeds, Hyde Park Book Club
APRIL – HEADLINE TOUR
6th – Aberdeen, Tunnels
7th – Dundee, Church
8th – Glasgow, King Tut’s Wah Wah Hut
12th – Hamburg, Hakken
13th – Cologne, Helios37
14th – Berlin, Maschinenhaus
15th – Amsterdam, Paradise Bitterzoet
18th – Paris, Supersonic
21st – Manchester, Academy 3
