Bandcamp [Release date 17.04.26]

Some people want to be Kiss, some people Queen, some, Kyle Minogue Marvin Gaye or Britney Spears, the list is endless, fame, fortune and formula with capitol F’s .But some people have no other choice than to put their art out into the universe as it first entered their heads. Cambridge born Luke James Williams is one of these artists, he just wants to be himself, as he declares on track five of this new album Limes Hotel – “Don’t be anyone else, don’t be afraid of yourself”.

This is such a unique, quirky and magnificently English collection of very original acoustic songs. Apparently he has been dubbed, The James Taylor of The Fens, which does a disservice to Luke in my mind. Literally from the start, you can tell it’s something different and special. Seconds into the first song the chord changes in the wrong place, then changes back again in the wrong place, but so in the right place too, it makes you sit up and listen. What have we here you think.

His pronunciation is quite Billy Bragg, with a tone of that chappy from The Arctic Monkeys, but that is about the only comparison you’ll get. The songs run through highs and lows. The wonderful self help lyrics of Knocking For Reasons, where he declares “its not my fault, and if I can convince myself of all of this all of this, all of the time I’ll be alright“, with a trombone boning away in the background It makes me want to skip down the street singing this at the top of my lungs, whilst engaging strangers to dance. But of course I’d be arrested, so I hope I can refrain from doing that.

The lows include Village Green, a heartbreaking song about the loss of a friend , with the opening line “It’s a sight no mother should see – a child lifeless amongst the leaves” Set to a lone strummed guitar, reminiscent of Lennon’s Working Class Hero, it really conveys the pain he and the mother feel. Clever stuff.

Elsewhere he covers the consumerism in us all (Milk And Medicine), greed (Full Moon), which features an amazing raga esque outro by Dear Wife, a Hertfordshire based folk singer. The last song, Hollows and Branches is a tribute to a friend who turned Luke on to the wonders of nature.

In his own words he says -“I hope this album shows a songwriter unafraid to lay bare and confront the questions and emotions that make us all human. I’m a big swirling mess of ugliness and beauty, light and dark, just trying to make sense of it all,”

“These songs have lived in my head for a long time, so I can’t wait to set them loose in the world for people to hear, interact with, and make their own. Especially at the moment, I hope the rawness of these songs acts as a bit of a salve for what’s going on in the world.”

Limes Hotel really is a unique album, and one which I have to keep listening to, even though it is out of my sphere of preference. It reminds me of days of my youth discovering new mystical artists like Kevin Ayers, Keith Christmas, and John Martyn. Not that he is like any of these artists although he may carry an essence of them all. And that is the fantastic thing about music – it keeps giving, even when you least expect it.

Luke is playing some live dates in May – see date sheet, and get out to see him if you like your music served alternatively. *****

Review by Andy Sharrocks

WEDNESDAY 6 MAY London, The Harrison

FRIDAY 8 MAY Sheffield, Mary Street Live

THURSDAY 14 MAY Coventry, LTB Showrooms

FRIDAY 15 MAY Bury, Wax & Beans

FRIDAY 12 JUNE J3, Cambridge Junction

THURSDAY 23 JULY Bishops Stortford, South Mill Arts

THURSDAY 27 – MONDAY 31 AUGUST The Great Vegan Gathering 2026, Gilwell Park, London

SATURDAY 5 SEPTEMBER Bellingham All Acoustic Music Festival 2026

Featured Artist: JOSH TAERK

Since early 2020 Josh has been entertaining us with exclusive monthly live sessions,

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David Randall presents a weekly show on Get Ready to ROCK! Radio, Sundays at 22:00 GMT, repeated on Mondays and Fridays), when he invites listeners to ‘Assume The Position’. The show signposts forthcoming gigs and tours and latest additions at getreadytorock.com. First broadcast 19 April 2026.

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Power Plays w/c 27 April 2026

SELF-DECEPTION Don’t Belong (Napalm Records)
THE DEVIL WEARS NADA Elephant In The Room (Eonian Records)
blacktoothed Monsters (Arising Empire)
BANKS ARCADE Severance (Arising Empire)
SULLY ERNA & BILLY MORRISON Becoming (TLG/Zoid)
SWEET GORILLA Give Them What They Want (5000 Records)

Featured Albums w/c 27 April 2026

09:00-12:00 The Best of 2003 – 2025 (Melodic Rock)
12:00-13:00 The Best of 2003 – 2025 (Melodic Hard Rock)
14:00-16:00 The Best of 2003 – 2025 (Singer Songwriter)

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