It’s been 4 years since Irish singer Luka Bloom has visited Tasmania. but not for want of doing so. Luka has a particular affinity with Australia and Tassie too. In fact there is a certain similarity between Luka’s soon to be home in The Burren, County Clare, Ireland and Australia and Tasmania.
The Burren is an area in Ireland that is filled with rare fauna and flora unique to it’s special landscape. This place is very fertile rock and there it’s a suitable metaphor and an apt description for the home of a man who has a fertile song writing tradition. Luka’s own name, self chosen is also apt and translates in a number of languages as ‘light’ or ‘bringer of light’ and many would agree Luka has brought light and illumination to audiences with his always meaningful lyrics.
With his enthusiasm for The Burren as a place of inspiration I put it to Luka that our own Tassie wilderness might also be a place that might offer similar inspiration. This time round there won’t be enough time for him to explore that possibility and other touristy things but Luka doesn’t dismiss it as a future possibility. Luka has fond memories of Tassie, and the beautiful city that is Hobart, the University of Tasmania, where he has previously performed, and the ‘fantastic’ casino venue where he performs in March.
With a love of performing at the university I ask Luka about his own university days when he studied Russian and European Studies. He saw these years as something to occupy him while he waited for his real calling, the life of a musician.
Luka has proved a musician equally well versed (pardon the pun) in his own poetic songs and in his beautiful covers of other songs including Aussie ones like ‘Put your arms around me’ by the Hunters and Collectors. He’s also performed pop songs like ‘Kylie Minogue’s ‘Can’t get you out of you out of my head’ and admires Midnight Oil’s ‘Blue Sky Mining’ and would like to do something from ‘Not drowning Waving’.
Knowing Luka’s commitment to causes his song choices are clearly thoughtful but Luka’s quick to add he’s not in possession of a flag waving guitar and doesn’t assume to be knowledgeable on these topics. Instead his words of wisdom are not to pertain to be an expert on any topic but to be true to oneself.
In spite of his wisdom Luka isn’t keen on writing his biography and believes that all autobiographies should be balanced by a chapter written by someone else. To Luka his songs are his biography. There are however other keen biographer in the family and recently Luka’s nephew Donnacha Rynne, who has faced many challenges throughout his young life and has never complained through many trials, wrote his autobiography ‘Being Donnacha’. Luka says Donnacha is one of the most inspirational person in his life. He also muses on biography saying that it amuses him that those that achieve a degree of fame are necessarily considered worthy to write their story. Luka tells me that his mushroom farmer neighbour is a more worthy candidate of a biography than he!
Another person that has inspires Luka is his father, who passed away when luka was very young. When I ask of all his songs which is his favourite the answer comes quickly, it is the song he wrote for his father ‘The Man is Alive’.
I have one last question for Luka, a fan has asked if he could choose where in Australia would he like to ride around on a bike. Luka’s reaction is ‘wow’ its a difficult question and he says he doesn’t have the energy he had 12 years ago, but would like, if he could manage to do so in that small window of opportunity before the ‘crazy weather’, like to bike around Broome a place he has yet to visit.
But before Broome, it’s definitely a case of a Bloom in The Burren!
You can see the lovely Mr Bloom at Wrest Point Casino on March 22nd.
Luka’s album ‘This New Morning’ is out now.
You can visit Luka’s official site to learn more and keep updated
http://www.lukabloom.com/
Paula Xiberras
