My Saturday with crooner Jack Lukeman: 'There is always something to do'

Critically acclaimed for his powerful voice and impressive range as well as his showmanship and humour, he has released multiple albums and has toured with Sting, Imelda May, Jools Holland and Aerosmith

Sat, 04 May, 2024 - 17:00

Ruth O'Connor

8.00

There are two Saturdays for me — the one when I’m gigging and the one when I’m not.

Normally the morning starts the night before. I try to go to bed around 1.30am/2am — anything after 3am hurts. I wake up around 8am but try to stay in bed until 9 or 10am.

If I’m in Ireland I like to get home after a gig but if I’m abroad I’m in hotels. I like the regimental nature of a hotel. I stay in Travelodges a lot.

I like knowing what to expect and not having to deal with blarney late at night.

10.00

I am mad into Ralph Vaughan Williams so the first thing I do is say to my phone: ‘Play me some Vaughan Williams’. Thankfully voice technology has advanced to the stage where it can understand a Kildare accent.

When I’m at home, I eat fried eggs and almonds. Refined sugar is the new nicotine — it can be hard to avoid when gigging but it kills me.

If I’m in a hotel, I might eat a full Irish breakfast without the bread.

Myself and my partner Rebecca Mack have a new baby boy, Seán, so every morning is like Christmas and birthdays rolled into one.

15.00

If I’m gigging I try to eat at around 3pm, which is an odd time because everywhere is usually closed.

I can’t eat before a gig — it’d be like eating before a football match.

There’s a nice place in Athy called The Green Barn. I don’t eat meat all the time but I’ll eat steak when I’m in a place like that.

I like sushi — I’ve always loved Yamamori on George’s Street in Dublin.

If I’m not gigging or on family duties, I’d be in the studio on a Saturday — there is always something to do. I like deadlines — otherwise, I can be like a sculptor who keeps tapping until the arm falls off.

I like walking and I also do yoga stretches to keep myself limber.

Singing for a couple of hours is a pretty unnatural thing to do. Frankly, it’s controlled shouting, so when I’m not singing I tend to be quite quiet and to mind my voice.

I love old movies and documentaries about film directors like Sergio Leone who held onto their artistic vision while being confronted with commerce.

We’ve never had so much good home entertainment, which makes it even harder to get people out for gigs, but just shows you that getting together to sing is still a basic thing in people.

20.00

Gigs are most fun when you run them in your head beforehand.

I have about 15 albums so I try to get the hits in, but also to mix it up. I play solo a lot, but I also have a band who can change up the set list easily.

I try to keep it in a state of flux because I’ve a lot of fans who travel to all the gigs. It’s a good way to challenge myself too.

If I’m doing a very long tour I will stick more to a menu of songs because it’s less taxing on my brain.

Gigging a lot is like an extreme sport — the physicality and the mental side of it. I enjoy the rigour — I think those things are good for us (if they don’t kill us).

People talk about the ‘flow state’ when you’re playing music – you’re in the eye of the storm. If you’re enjoying it yourself it translates to the audience.

Singing releases all those endorphins but you also have the whole psychological and spiritual side of it too.

Afterwards, you’re running on that energy. It usually lasts an hour or two and then you just want to crash and sleep.

23.00

Eating after a show is when you do all the bad eating. I try to avoid it because it zaps my energy.

I try to stick to proteins and vegetables but unfortunately, nightlife doesn’t provide a lot of that. I had a lot of fun in the early days but eventually, you have to learn what’s enough.

I love a pint or two of Guinness or a shot of tequila but I’ve seen too many people fall down the treacherous free drink route.

To sing you need to be hydrated all the time so I don’t really drink— the adrenaline from the gig is my buzz and it’s enough.

00.00

If I’m playing in Ireland I’ll chat on the phone while driving home. During covid, I stopped getting planes and I enjoy the idea of bringing my own car and having my own space.

I like travelling, I like boats. I find planes just too much now, especially when travelling with instruments.

I am lucky to have such a loyal fanbase who sing along to all the songs. I think we need that at the moment with all the doom and gloom going on.

Things are not good but there are also really good things going on. Life, love and death — people come to listen to music about these very old things.

It’s nice to be able to lift people up because music has always done that for me.