The new tour of LAST TRAIN who are defending a third album (soberly named “III”) is playing (and will return) in the southwest.
To this end, their opening act is THE LUKA STATE, an English combo with whom they performed 8 dates in October 2024 in the land of Shakespeare. This exchange of good practices allows the French public to (re)discover an exceptional group that accompanies them on 5 concerts before a set in Paris.
THE LUKA STATE
Praised by our friends at Rolling Stones Magazine for 5 years, THE LUKA STATE is an indie rock band formed in 2013, originally from Winsford and whose leader Conrad Ellis is particularly Charismatic. Football fans and Manchester United supporters, they had the opportunity to play in the Wembley Stadium fan zone during an England-Croatia match. With a few singles and two studio albums released in 2021 and 2023 respectively, the band is particularly renowned for their punk/rock performances, including a direct discourse on the state of their nation and the realities of their lives between Manchester and Liverpool. Birthplaces of Oasis and the Beatles, the English band had a very favorable preconception before their performances in France.
Both in Bordeaux and Toulouse, the shows will be tough and the songs will follow one another without compromise. From "Give Me a Reason" to "Bury Me", Sam, Jess, Lewis and Conrad move the crowd with a unifying fervor. The singer immediately imposes himself in the pit, does after-sales service for promotional t-shirts at 25 pounds and shouts his lyrics while raising the temperature of the concert halls. The stage performance of the guitarist (tall blond with a rebellious fringe) also pleases the women. "Conspiracy" is probably the most emblematic song and THE LUKA STATE manages to create a bond with the audience that makes them immediately endearing. A masterful set from a band to follow with your eyes closed!
THE LAST TRAIN
The Alsatians released a third album (if we don't count the orchestral interlude "Original Motion Picture Soundtrack") on January 31st, allowing Jean-No & Co to go back on tour. Once again, the striking power of the singles released at the end of the year ("The Plan", "Home") sets the tone for a very rock album that doesn't forget the calm and even vocal passages ("This is Me Trying"). Unlike "The Big Picture", this album was recorded in France and LAST TRAIN continues to favor "Do It Yourself" in order to control their entire production. The atmosphere is rigorously the same as in the previous deliveries with an additional touch of maturity all the more perceptible on stage.
Live, LAST TRAIN does LAST TRAIN and the result is convincing! Fans won't be surprised to see the singer carried by the crowd and granted "a moment to himself" during the concert. On the previous tour, he was at the piano, this time he starts "This is Me Trying" alone a few meters from the microphone to create the desired effect during the studio version. The lights are very well calibrated and certain songs take on a completely different magnitude. The enormous "On Our Knees", the calm "Golden Songs" or the burning "Fire" are among them. Even if bassist Timothée and drummer Antoine are never left out, there is a palpable symbiosis between guitarist Julien (who also shoots the band's videos) and singer Jean-No.
These 4 guys (also in the mood) have known each other since middle school and cohesion is one of their main strengths. We hug each other before and after the show without forgetting to generously thank everyone involved in the show, from the organizers to the spectators. 1 hour and 20 minutes of sweat later, they simply conclude by announcing "We are LAST TRAIN and this song is called The Big Picture." Probably the most beautiful painting of their current repertoire, this 10-minute track is a musical synthesis of the group. Despite my request during the interview conducted for the previous tour, they do not play "Fragile" but I do not despair that the young thirty-somethings will one day follow the advice of the old columnist that I am...
In summary: two superb, similar evenings in Toulouse and Bordeaux. Thank you, LAST TRAIN / THE LUKA STATE, and see you soon!
Diego OnTheRocks
Photos: Jessica Calvo
