Deluxe Editions of the Jack L back catalogue now available on iTunes

"A joy to listen to, a delight, majestic, melancholic beauty.. You're left with no doubt that Lukeman, and his producer Martin Clancy, have treated these classic songs with care and devotion". Hot Press

"Beautiful melody lines originality and invention a definite for Newman and Lukeman completists alike". The Irish Times

"It's bloody brilliant". State Magazine

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30.08.2010 - Jack wins Best Music award in Edinburgh

Jack won the 'Best Music' award as voted by Edinburgh Spotlight for his 'Month of Monday's shows. Click here to read the full article

28.08.2010 - Latest 5 Star Review from Edinburgh..

The heavens opened in Edinburgh on the day of this Jack L show and failed to close again. The bar area of the Spiegel Garden, situated outside The Famous Spiegeltent, both of which have taken up temporary residence in George Square, Edinburgh for the duration of the Edinburgh Fringe, looked a distinctly sorry and soggy site as the punters attempted to shelter from the elements before the doors to the Famous Spiegeltent opened for tonight’s performance.

Once inside this atmospheric venue, you leave the outside world and the bad weather. behind. The Famous Spiegltent is a venue of magic and a unique performance space. A circular, circus like structure of mirrors and stained glass, where you can almost feel the ghosts of a thousand memorable performances past, transporting you to a world of cabaret, torch singers, vaudeville and endless possibilities. It is unlike any other venue at the Edinburgh Fringe.

Jack L, dressed top to toe in black, walks onto the stage holding up a battered and worse for wear looking black umbrella, accompanied only by Dara Munnis on piano. The reason for the umbrella becomes clear as the plaintive opening chords of ‘I Think It’s Going to Rain Today’ strike up. Perhaps the umbrella is a too obvious link to the lyrics of the song, though it certainly pays tribute to the grim conditions of the day, but this much covered, soulful rumination on human loneliness is enriched by the sparse solemnity of the musical arrangement as is well suited to Jack L rich and powerful baritone voice. The audience, seated around cabaret style tables in front of the stage, are immediately drawn in and stay that way for the rest of the evening.

Jack L is then joined on stage by the rest of the band for a stomping version of another Randy Newman classic, ‘Lonely at the Top’. He has already told us that this performance will contain songs from some of his favourite songwriters, such as Randy Newman and Jacques Brel, as well as some of his own material. Jacques Brel tale of randy, drunken sailors, ‘Amsterdam’, is then given a heartfelt interpretation.

It’s immediately clear that part of the appeal of a Jack L live performance is the way that he lives and breathes every song. The antithesis of a stand and deliver vocalist, he is a showman in every sense of the word. He comes down off the stage for some of the numbers weaving his way through the audience and round the auditorium, stopping every now and then to deliver a line to someone, as he does on his own number ‘Bedsprings’, which segues into Peggy Lee’s ‘Fever’ and later on another song, ‘Starburst’, which he performs walking around the Famous Spiegeltent with just a cute miniature accordion for accompaniment . This is followed by a song he introduces about a boy who has gone wrong, which he self deprecatingly refers to as “my hit…..in Outer Mongolia”. ‘Georgie Boy’ is a soaring number whose chorus sticks in the brain long after the gig is over, and this is followed by ‘Rooftop Lullaby’, which does what it says on the tin, a meditative lullaby which he performs with just him and his guitar.

He gets the audience on their feet for the call and response number, ‘Little Man’ and they stay there for the mischievous ‘Wicked Way’ before encoring with an acapella version of a favourite song of his Father’s growing up, ‘Old Man River’, his voice filling the venue with its resonance alone, before closing with a Frank Sinatra type take on another Jacques Brel number, ‘Jackie’. As with all great shows, it feels over too soon.

The band are uniformly excellent, but there is no doubt that a Jack L gig is a showcase for his amazing voice. He is as accomplished at breathing new life into other songwriters classic material as he is in delivering live interpretations of his own songs. He deserves to be heard by a much wider audience outside his native Ireland than he has at present and it is to be hoped that promoters out there feel the same way.

25.08.2010 - Another 5 star Review for Jack in Edinburgh

There are Fringe favourites who return, like clockwork, every year, and whose fans eagerly await their chance to buy their annual tickets. In a world where this is true, it seems a travesty that there is even space for a humble reviewer (who had never heard of Jack Lukeman until this month) to attend this gig. With only five performances at the Famous Spiegeltent this month, Jack L's "Month of Mondays" should have long ago sold out.

Stalking round the Spiegel Tent like a deranged elf, Jack L oozes a unique blend of menace and charisma. The woman swoon, the men sigh: this is what cool looks like. And indeed sounds like- Lukeman’s voice fills every corner of the Famous Spiegel Tent, wrapping his audience in a swirl of silken sound til they sit, hypnotised in the face of this most elegant aural assault.

In this state of rapture, the audience are powerless to resist Jack L's requests. When we are asked to clap, we clap. When Lukeman urges us to let loose any primal noise lurking in our depths as part of the chorus, we wail and stamp our feet and scream ourselves hoarse. When Lukeman bids his audience to gather close so he can whisper the secret of life, every member of the audience and the bar staff press forward to the centre of the tent, surrounding the singer who is perched on a chair. When the show finishes, we stumble into the rainy night, slightly stunned at what we have witnessed, knowing we have been part of something very special indeed.

It is to this reviewer's eternal shame that Jack Lukeman has stayed under her radar until now, but the good news is that he still has one more Monday left at the Spiegel Tent, and there is still a chance to close your Fringe with this most magnetic and talented of performers. Buy your tickets now, if there is any justice in the world they will not be easy to come by in future.

(by Julie Dawson - http://www.edinburghspotlight.com/2010/08/fringe-review-jack-l-a-month-of-mondays/)

15.08.2010 - Five star review for Jack in Edinburgh

"As a virgin to Jack L’s music prior to this engagement I found myself lured instantly by the charm of the occasion and this smooth charismatic performer, supported by an equally compelling band. His voice and alternative bluesy style offers a unique musical tool to revisit some of the classics like The Port of Amsterdam, which he performed last night to perfection to a captivated audience. Lukeman performed to an almost full crowd of movers and groovers, who all enjoyed a mixture of his original songs as well as soulful interpretations of tunes by musicians like Randy Newman.

For me the show climaxed in a moment of pure performance magic when the lights dimmed and Lukeman left the stage armed with only an accordion to serenade the audience. Another one of my favorites was his performance of Little Man, where his sing-a-long style injected the audience with fun and energy. The standing ovation he received was much deserved as he had the audience in the palm of his hand for over an hour. Defiantly worth a watch!"

(Written by Ramsay McBean - http://www.edfestmag.com/fringe/music/1677-fringejackl)

08.08.2010 - Jack Performs Month of Mondays in Edinburgh

Roll up Roll up. Catch Jack in the famous Spiegel Circus Tent at the Edinburgh Theatre festival 2010 for a month of Mondays starting this Monday August 9th!!

Check out www.spiegeltent.net/ for more details

28.07.2010 - Jack performs in Edinburgh Ffestival

Catch Jack at the world famous Spiegel Tent every Monday for the month of August, part of the Edinburgh Theatre Festival starting from August 9th and running each Monday 16th, 23rd and 30th. Tickets on Sale Saturday July 31st from the Official Spiegel Tent website or the Offical Edinburgh Festival Site

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