West Lothian singer Luke La Volpe opens up on mental health, the past and the future

For centuries, artists have used music as the means to communicate the dark and sickly conditions of the soul. There is no finer medium to air that which cannot simply be uttered.

Indeed, for many musicians, it is more than a creative enterprise. For some, it is the only way to process feelings that would otherwise fester.

A trip through the releases from Luke La Volpe is an exhibition of such catharsis. There is an ache beneath the surface, but it seems to have been released.

The hidden pandemic in Scotland is most assuredly the prevalence of young men suffering from mental ill-health. Thousands, if not tens of thousands, battle such crippling inner turmoil every day with no outlet available to them and very little support on hand.

Singer Luke is a huge advocate for the sheer power of music and how it can heal. His writing process has been vital to his own well-being, and credits songwriting for pulling him out of some dark places in his life.

"Music is a therapy for me," he tells The Weekender. "It helps me to get all those bad emotions out of me.

"I'm a very different person in real life to the one when I am performing. When you see me in the street you wouldn't think I was the same guy that wrote those songs."

He adds: "I've found that speaking to people about my songs that they have felt the same way at some point. They realise that everyone gets that way – everyone can get down from time to time and that they are not alone in it.

"And that's the kind of music that I want to be writing – there are so many songs that I could say: 'If it wasn't for that song, I wouldn't be here'. And I'd love to write a piece of music that does that for even one person.

"Jeff Buckley's album Grace is one of those records. No matter what I'm feeling, I'll just put that on to listen to and it makes a difference. That's a guy that went through it all and he was using music as an outlet for it all."

Earlier this year, Luke released a three-track EP which featured the song Dead Man's Blues.

"Music is a therapy for me...It helps me to get all those bad emotions out of me."

The jarring ballad tells the true story of a young man who took his own life. Luke described him as a "life of the party" character with so much to live for.

It is a subject which the singer is keen to highlight, especially given events over the last few months. Social isolation has been rife during lockdown and human interaction has been at a premium.

The arts community is also suffering with events at a standstill. It's true that a lot of people need live music in their lives both as a release but also to socialise.

Luke says: "I worry about this second lockdown coming – I know so many people in the industry who were struggling over the last six months, unable to work. Another six months, if not more, will be quite scary.

"We all need human interaction. Zoom calls can only go so far.

"Not being able to socialise, for instance during lockdown, has had an effect on people's mental health and gigs are a huge part of socialising for a lot of folk. Gigs are all about coming together, standing with strangers and enjoying the show.

"It's been difficult, but just imagine the first gig back – it will be incredible; absolute bedlam."

Luke's rise to the stage has been well-documented. His older style of singing is mainly due to his grandfather's influence. The two have shared that bond throughout his life – studying the likes of Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin – though Luke has added his own modern tastes to the mix.

Those influences all come through in his work. Indie rock stylings from the likes of Arctic Monkeys; a touch of desert rock 'n' roll from Queens of the Stone Age, along with a dose of Jeff Buckley, Johnny Cash and a handful of other greats.

The fusion is a treat. Luke's voice – similar to American blues star Shawn James – is the vanguard of each song and a refreshing change of pace to pop radio's tired favourites. Despite his progression, the singer will never forget those informative discussions at home.

He looks back: "My papa was a singer in the military; he sang to the soldiers. He taught me how to sing when I was two years old, so I have the same voice as my papa.

"He taught me all about it – the shape of your mouth, how to use your throat differently and how to breathe. That's why I have an older-sounding voice, but to different music.

"It was Muddy Waters' album Electric Mud that changed the whole thing for me. I remember listening to it and thinking: 'Imagine you could sing like Frank Sinatra but play the guitar like Muddy Waters or BB King?' And that's basically what I want to be."

Being so close to his grandfather, Luke has seen the power of music at work on a regular basis. His papa was diagnosed with Alzheimer's and can have trouble with his memory. However, that which is ingrained – that love of music which makes who he is – is never too far from the surface.

Luke performing on stage. Picture by Simon M Scott

Luke recalls: "I'll go and play him old records – the same ones he played me when I was two years old – and he perks up and will tell me 'that music's amazing'. From there, he'll start telling me about night in the 1950s when he and his mate when for a pint. He can barely remember my name, but he'll be able to tell me about something from the 50s because of what music does to him.

"And during lockdown I had a pretty special moment with him," the singer continues. "I went to his house and was standing in the back garden, talking to him through the window.

"Now, he has this fancy cord bunnet that he always wears, and I've been asking for a shot of it for ages, but he's always said: 'No, never. That's my good bunnet'.

"But I went round to see him, and it was the day I got the Scottish number one and he said to me: 'I hear you got the number one!' I was thinking how does he even know about that?

"Anyone he came with a cheque for £100 and that bunnet, handed me it and said: 'There, you've earned it'.

"Honestly, I could have melted on the spot right in front of him. That bunnet is mine now – he's not getting that back."

To see the progress Luke has made this year, it is almost unbelievable to think that he almost gave up on his music a little more than 12 months ago.

The daily grind of long shifts in a warehouse and a few unpleasant experiences in the music industry left him feeling a little disenchanted. Thankfully, for all involved, he was to have a fairly dramatic realisation.

He explains: "It sounds ridiculous, but I've basically been a musician since I was nine-years-old. Obviously, I got older and started playing gigs and I had been doing it for a long-time and thought that maybe it wasn't really going anywhere.

"I had a really bad experience with a guy who was managing me and, outside of music, I was doing 12-hour shifts in a warehouse, every day.

"My girlfriend and I were going to move to Australia and that gig with Lewis Capaldi in Princes Street in Edinburgh was going to be my last gig. I hadn't told my band; I was going to say to them afterwards.

"But when I played it, everything changed. I was thinking: 'Why would I leave this?' Gigs like that – playing in front of 10,000 people – is what I'd wanted my whole life.

"So, I had to tell my girlfriend I wasn't going to Australia and she went there without me. She was very understanding, to be fair, and she's back here now – she must have missed me too much."

"But I couldn't give it up. If I could go back and speak to my young self, I'd give him a wee doing."

While 2020 has opened some doors for the singer, there are still major plans down the line. He has been buoyed by the guidance of his current manager and has been working with other songwriters in a bid to hone his craft.

"It's important to get out of your comfort zone and take risks in music. If you sit in your own little world, you will eventually just fade away."

An album may well be the ultimate goal, but he admits he is still a little way off the mark at present. For the time being, he is keen to pour as much time as possible into perfecting his direction.

He says: "I've been dancing around a good few genres for a while now, but I've started to find the sound I'm looking for. I reckon I have about ten decent songs at the moment, but I'd probably need more before we start thinking about an album.

"The boys I am writing with just now have all helped to write some big hits. They try and guide you towards the mainstream a wee bit, but I'd never go full pop star or anything like that."

The singer admits that the Luke of a few years ago might baulk at the thought of allowing other songwriters to meddle with his tunes. But as he has matured as an artist, he has grown more appreciative of the input.

He adds: "These sessions are pretty big thing for me. Years ago, I used to think that these where my songs – my deepest, darkest feelings – and I'm not having someone coming in here and trying to change them. They don't know what they are talking about and so on.

"But if you do take the time to sit and explain what the song is about, then they understand it and it's a completely different thing.

"If you think of any of the world's favourite artists… You might think they wrote that song you like but then you'll go on their Spotify and, nine times out of ten, it's been co-written with someone else.

"You have to hone these songs. You can have 90 per cent of the idea, but then you go into a session and that person can change that song from a good song into a tremendous, world-beating song.

"It's important to get out of your comfort zone and take risks in music. If you sit in your own little world, you will eventually just fade away.

"Even if you don't come away from the session with a new or finished song, these are some of the top songwriters in the country so you are learning something new and valuable each time.

"If music is like a therapy for me, then these sessions is me sitting with a therapist. I would recommend it to any young artist – you don't have to do it yourself."

LISTEN: Luke La Volpe - Dean Man's Shoes