West Australian, Luke Fox, is an exciting new name on the WA music scene and this year could well be the perfect time for him to smash out some killer tunes.
WA born and raised Luke Fox is a guy going places and could well be our state's next big thing. A professional fire fighter by trade, Fox travels back and forth between his hippy-style caravan in Margaret River and work in Perth and, in between his busy schedule, writes really good music.
Luke's lyrics are raw and relatable, seemingly speaking to all of us and this, coupled with his laid back, iconic style, are a star combination. Think Jack Johnson and Vance Joy thrown in with a whole lot of love and some Portuguese sexiness, not to mention the coastal vibes straight from our south-west. It was his uniqueness that saw him as one of the winners of Triple J Unearthed, 2017. Previous winners have been Tash Sultana, Meg Mac, and Mosquito Coast who have each gone onto make a significant mark in the music industry.
"I entered Triple J Unearthed and I guess they liked my sound and what I was doing," he said.
As part of his win, he scored a gig at the nationally recognised music festival, Groovin' the Moo in his home town, Bunbury.
"Since winning Triple J, it has been life changing."
Last year was a tough year for Luke, going through a messy break up and his father being diagnosed with terminal cancer. But he has used the pain and growth and produced music which is real with all of his emotions on display. It was his way of coping.
As a child, Luke never thought of a career in the music industry. Despite his mother encouraging him to learn guitar as a child, his family are not particulary musical. However, at the age of 17, something seemed to click and Luke started applying himself more and more to his music and using it as a medium to release and express emotion. It was only in March of this year that his family saw him perform for the first time and he says, that they were surprised that he had 'a bit of talent'.
After working and chasing waves abroad, Luke played a number of acoustic gigs across Europe. During this time, he was discovered by STA travel who wanted to sponsor him to represent their company.
"STA is all about encouraging that kind of lifestyle and I was just in the right place at the right time," he said.
"My music is pure, honest and natural, I wouldn't want it any other way."
Believe it or not, Fox has only performed a handful of gigs in Aus so far. We checked out a recent one at Scarborough's tequila bar, El Grotto and can confirm his and the rest of his band's sound is on point. They've got a quirky, cool back-and-forth banter with each other and the audience, leading to an intimate and fun show. Luke loves to hype up the crowd, with his crew getting as much acknowledgement as he does.
"The music is not just about me, but my mates as well. I couldn't have done any of this without them," he said.
In August, Luke teamed up with friend, Chris who he met 3 years ago whilst doing some charity work. They have been busy working at Rada Studios with Matt Gio on some new sounds. Matt Gio has worked with a number of successful artists such as San Sisco, Katy Steele and Birds of Tokyo so it is easy to see why he wanted to work with Luke.
Luke hopes to have a 6 track EP complete by the end of the year. He is also currently chasing a female guitarist to collaborate with as he believes a feminine touch will go perfectly with his style of music.
"I'm not going to put an ad on Gumtree or anything like that, I'm just hoping to find someone naturally," he said.
Making it in the big smoke isn't Luke's main focus, it is purely to continue doing what he loves and sharing that with others. He loves the music voyage, but won't be giving up fire-fighting any time soon.
"It's all part of the journey."
Keep a look out for this guy and check out his music - you'll be adding some Fox to your 'Summer Vibes' and 'Sunday Sesh' playlists in no time!