Gig review: LUKE JAMES WILLIAMS – Wax and Beans, Bury, 15 May 2026

This is the second time I’ve been to this venue, and I would highly recommend it for anybody in the Bury/Rochdale/Heywood area. Get to see an artist in an intimate setting whilst drinking coffee or alcohol.

The first time was for Elles Bailey, and it was rammed, this time there were a few less people there, but a great intimate atmosphere ensued. It was a bit like somebody playing a gig in your front room. And mentioning front rooms, the support was a local poet Col Anderson who did a poem about front rooms, or parlour rooms, which nobody goes into and everything sits pristine and untouched. He also read about twelve other poems with pithy observations of modern day life, including one a bout getting his dad stones for the first time in Amsterdam. All good stuff.

So, Luke James Williams, who has a new album out, Limes Hotel, which I fell in love with and reviewed recently, played about twelve songs mostly on his acoustic classical guitar with one on a uke. I think four were off his first album, and the rest from his new one. These included Strange Things We Are, Ready, Full Moon, Seeds, Flicker Of Light, Still In Bed and Punchbag, starting with Knocking For Reasons and finishing with Hollows and Branches. Every one a winner and every one received warmly. I couldn’t name a favourite, I loved them all, even the four I didn’t know.

Luke has a very amiable stage presence and pulls you into his seemingly quite forlorn world, but with a laugh on the side. I remembered whilst watching him, that I had meant to mention in my album review that he has a Yoda kind of way of saying sentences the wrong way round, which is quite intriguing as you have to listen to the second part of the sentence to realise where is was going with the first half.

He looked unassuming, a bit like a bank clerk, or a receptionist from a hotel, as on the front of his album. He sounded exactly like he did on the record, the songs delivered in an relaxed, unhurried sort of way. His voice carries a lot of emotion, and live doesn’t have as much as the Billy Bragg accent as I heard on the record.

A thoroughly enjoyable evening with a very unique artist.

Review by Andy Sharrocks

Featured Artist: JOSH TAERK

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Power Plays w/c 11 May 2026

BREITLER Sentinel (El Puerto Records)
FIRE IN HER EYES Too Late To Change (indie)
KING FALCON Wait (indie)
BEAUTIFUL SKELETONS Come What May (indie)
KARIN PARK Shadow (Size Records)
HARSH Don’t Mess With Me (indie)

Featured Albums w/c 11 May 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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