Luke Clerkin - Owl Compass (EP)
Luke Clerkin is an award-winning Irish songwriter and artist. He has been playing and releasing music for the last 6 years. His music has gained international airplay and support, whilst also topping the Irish Singer Songwriter Charts on multiple occasions. He has built a name for himself for his heart on his sleeve lyrics and emotion evoking live performances. Luke is known for playing over 250 gigs in a year at the beginning of his career, as a way of honing his craft. Since then, he has headlined famous Dublin venues such as Whelan’s, The Workman’s Club, and The Button Factory. His music has brought him all over the world, with multiple tours of Germany, as well as festival slots in America, The UK, and Ireland. Luke has also completed an apprenticeship with Ed Sheeran’s mentor and Nizlopi frontman, Luke Concannon.
Following a sold out headliner at the famous Cobblestone Venue, Luke Clerkin is set to release his highly anticipated Owl Compass EP. which was recorded remotely between Dublin and Berlin with producer jaako. This will mark the culmination of their work together, a partnership which began in late 2020. Three singles from the EP 'Lost in Translation', 'Normal People' and 'Fall in Line' have already gained critical and radio success getting support from Indie Buddie, Hot Press, Spin, RTE and BBC amongst others.
Luke will take part in Smithfield Creatives: Creatives For Ukraine Event in Sin É Dublin on the day of the release, April 1st. Joining Luke at Creatives for Ukraine are Anna Condron, The Accidental Rapper, Shiv Hickey and R V E. There was a little change in where the proceeds from the gig will be going and this is what Clerkin had to say: "Due to the current controversy with the Red Cross building a planned office in Russia's Rostov-on-Don, we have decided that it would be best for us to raise funds for a different organisation at this time.
Talking about the release of ‘Owl Compass’, Luke said ‘I can’t believe it’s finally coming out! We’ve been working on these songs and these releases since late 2020. SO much love has gone into this project, and so much growth has come from it! I’m also excited that people will finally be able to listen to ‘Catch Up’, it’s both mine and jaako’s favourite song, and possibly the most personal song I’ve ever written!’.
Talking about the Creatives for Ukraine show, Luke said ‘When the news of what’s happening in Ukraine spread around the world, I wanted to do something for the people affected by it. I got on to my good friend and founder of Smithfield Creatives, Adam Kelly, and I asked him if we could run an event. Adam jumped on board straight away and together we’ve come up with a night consisting of some of the best singer songwriters, poets, rappers, and comedians that Dublin has to offer.’
The listeners familiar with Clerkin's work have not only heard three out of the four tracks already but they also know that all these songs deal with relationships, in various stages, from all angles. He's known for putting the heart and soul in his music and it shows, especialy in the lyrics. And Catch Up is truly a standout track from this EP. It seems like he's not only sharing his point of view ("sometimes I can't wait around for life to save me") but the song itself has an optimistic message that with true kindred souls you always pick up where you left off.