Interview with Joe Luke Bailey
What got you into music, and if you had not gotten into music what would you be doing today?
My family are all very into music, but none of them are particularly ‘musical’. I’m the only one who really plays an instrument and really stuck with it, but I grew up listening to some cool stuff because of them!
If I wasn’t a musician today I honestly have no idea what I’d be doing! I’m very into gaming and cooking, so maybe I’d have pursued something in one of those areas.
What do you like to do when you are not playing music and how does that influence your creativity?
I love playing games and cooking - trying out new recipes and winding down on the Xbox decompresses me. That may sound really boring to some, but I’m a real homebody! Not sure what it is exactly in my life that influences my creativity. Probably just the music I listen to and discover.
How long have you been making music?
For as long as I’ve been playing it, more or less! I started learning drums at age 8 and then guitar at 12. I taught myself to sing because nobody else in the bands I was in at school wanted to. So, all in all, about 18 years, but only recording music since 2014 or so!
My first project under my own name, Joe Luke Bailey, was the album, Home for Christmas in 2021. The next was a soul-crushing Radiohead-inspired album that me and my producer made for a library music company. Christmas bangers or indie art rock — at least I’ve got range!
Where are you based and how did that influence your music?
I’m Cambridgeshire-based these days, and I live in a nice little village. Very quiet and peaceful. Not too many distractions around me so it’s easy to be creative.
I’m lucky to know a lot of musicians around east anglia and I learn a lot from working with them.
Tell me about your most memorable shows.
Playing at a sold out Cambridge Junction a few years ago for one of the Fiver nights they put on. The band I was in are no longer together, but it was cool at the time!
What is your favorite venue to play at, and do you have any places you want to play that you have not already?
Maybe The Junction — such a great team there. Wonderful room with incredible sound.
If you could play any show with any lineup, who would be on the ticket?
It would probably be a Christmas show with all the classics — Elton John, Paul McCartney, Michael Bublé, etc! I’d love that. Maybe Jools Holland could throw it all together like a Hootenanny. I’d probably be tasked with loading the equipment for the stars!
What is some advice that you would give to someone who is just getting into making music?
Don’t write what you think you should be writing, just write what makes you feel something. Have fun with it. Play some open mic nights and gigs, even if it makes you sick with nerves! It’s all great experience.
If you could go back in time and give yourselves advice, what would it be?
Don’t obsess about what other people think. Be true to yourself and the real ones will stick around.
Of your songs which one means the most to you and why?
‘Ain’t Missing Christmas’ because it was the first original Christmas song that I came up with and it practically wrote itself. All the best songs are like that!
Which songs are your favorite to play and which get requested the most?
People love my version of Step Into Christmas! And it’s super fun to play.
What is your creative process like, and what inspires you to write your music?
I don’t really have a process. No two songs are written the same way. I’m inspired by core childhood memories, nostalgia for old Christmas songs and TV specials. Just basically letting my inner child take over!
What kinds of messages do you like to get across in your music?
I’d like to think the lyrics in the songs are really relatable, especially to UK families who do Christmas… so hopefully there’s that. Otherwise, just positivity, energy, happiness and fun, with a sprinkle of nostalgia.
What are your plans for the future, and do you have anything that you want to spotlight that is coming up?
I have a brand new EP called ‘This Time of Year, Vol. 1’ out on Wednesday 7th December this year, so stay tuned for that! I’m aiming to get volume 2 out next year, and then eventually I’ll put it all together as an album.
I probably should write more non-Christmas songs at some point too. At the moment though, I think I’ve found my niche.
We’ll see…