Luke

Led by Bordeaux-born Thomas Boulard, Luke (named after the legendary Paul Newman film Cool Hand Luke) was a French rock band that, from the late nineties onward, had great success and were a formidable live act. Formed after Boulard's time in previous band Spring had come to an end, Luke convened in 1998, and went into the studio the following year to work on demos. The resulting 7 track offering was good enough to attract indie label attention, and the band signed up with Le Village Vert. The original line-up of the band (it would go through some pretty drastic changes over the years) consisted of Boulard (vocals), Stephane Bouvier (bass), Cyril Guillaneuf (keyboards), Ludovic Morillon (drums), and Christophe Plantier (guitars), and would record Luke's debut album, La Vie Presque, in October of 2001. 2002 was a busy year for the band, which saw three single releases, as well as Boulard's preparations for the next album. The follow-up had to be created without the services of three of Luke's members, however, as Bouvier, Morillon, and Plantier had decided to leave the fold. New members were recruited (Damien Lefevre on bass and Romain Viallon on drums) and recordings commenced on La Tête En Arrière, which hit shelves in April of 2004. The band embarked on a long tour (with Bayrem Benamor taking up guitar duties) and made appearances at many of the season's rock festivals. To celebrate the success of their live shows, Luke released a DVD from the tour, but was followed with the departure of guitarist Benamor and Guillaneuf. Jean-Pierre Ensuque was recruited, and after a break, Luke got back on the road, and spent much of 2005 and 2006 there. The extensive touring allowed Luke to write on the road, and when the band entered the studio in 2007 to work on album number three, the process was fairly speedy. The first single, "La Terre Ferme," was released in June of that year, and the album, Les Enfants de Saturne, followed in September. Now officially a foursome, Luke embarked on yet another tour, that was continued into 2008. ~ Chris True, Rovi