Taking a seat in the warmth and comfort of the Student Union whilst raging winds and torrential rains hit Loughborough outside, it is easy to put your feet up and relax with a coffee whilst enjoying the acoustic set from upcoming party-animal turned musician Johnny Lucas.
Having the opportunity behind the scenes to personally film and edit his set for LSUTV, I immediately got the impression that he is an upbeat, down to earth sort of guy. Add to his charismatic personality a dash of musical talent and the image that goes with it; messy long hair, torn and battered t-shirt and leather jacket to match, Johnny has the package and is now looking to take his career to new heights.
Multitasking is a skill that Johnny excels at; whether it be beat-boxing on-top of his song or even playing acoustic and interchanging with the bass guitar seamlessly which he demonstrated in his live performance of ‘Lilo’. ‘Lilo’ is a song that fast-forwards the listener right into the middle of a warm summer’s day. Johnny’s guitar solo in this song is not only rhythmic and catchy but it moreover displays his raw talent, which if he were given more exposure, as the Coffee House Sessions is achieving to an extent, would allow himself and other artists of his ilk to forge a bigger mark in modern music today.
His latest song which lucky hung-over students from Hey Ewe had a sneak preview of, soon to be released on iTunes is ‘UFO’. Johnny’s voice in combination with his guitar is hauntingly powerful in this song, while still maintaining a stripped-down raw Indie vibe. Members of the crowd included ECB women’s wicketkeeper Sarah Taylor, who was seen (on the eve of Valentine’s day bear in mind) chatting and smiling with an ecstatic Lucas after his performance.
Lucas effortlessly created superb harmonies on ‘It Keeps Me Alive’ with himself via the use of a loop pedal. Such work with the loop pedal has earned Lucas praise from guitar God Jimmy Page, from Hall of Fame band Led Zeppelin, who claimed that Lucas’ performance, is like “a 5D experience”. Lucas was lucky enough that the accompanying video for the song features soap-star Alan Fletcher from Neighbours, better known as Dr Karl Kennedy. With all these celebrity icons surrounding this young prospect, it is now time for Lucas to emerge as one himself.
Mike Silva
