Luke Johnson (musician)
Encyclopedia
Luke Anthony Johnson is a British
rock
musician, drummer
and songwriter
currently a member of Lostprophets
. He is most commonly known as 'Jocko'. Johnson began his music career in the late 1990s drumming for a spree of small local West Midlands
- punk
and metal
bands. In early 2003 Johnson was approached by California punk
band Amen
to join the ranks. After his departure from Amen
in 2005, Johnson formed Beat Union
as drummer and songwriter with Dave Warsop, Dean Ashton and Mark Andrews. Johnson has also been involved in other musical projects, including working alongside Producer John Feldmann
(Good Charlotte
, The Used
, Kelly Clarkson
) and has performed session work for a variety of bands, including The Wonder Stuff
and Foxy Shazam
. He currently resides in California
with his girlfriend, musician Jennifer Goodridge
, along with other members of Lostprophets
.
At the age of 5, Johnson started to join his father on tour with the band he managed The Wonder Stuff. Johnson was then given his first pair of drumsticks by Martin Gilks and would often even get to soundcheck the drums. '“All my life I’ve been around music. I’d go to shows and soundcheck the drums for the Wonder Stuff and get to play kits on these big stages during soundcheck and hearing the sound of a drumkit through a PA I thought, ‘Man I really want to do this!’”', says Johnson. With the support of his parents, at the age of 6, Johnson started taking drum lessons . At this point, there was no looking back and Johnson was already inspired to one day having a band of his own.
, Bromsgrove
and Redditch
, United Kingdom
. They were formerly known as Shortcut to Newark. The group has garnered comparisons to Elvis Costello
and The Jam
, as well as pop punk
groups like Green Day
.
In 2006 the band toured the UK with Bedouin Soundclash
and Zox
.
Their debut full-length album, Disconnected
, was released on Science Records in April 2008. It was produced with the help of John Feldmann
, producer and frontman of Goldfinger
. Rolling Stone
named their song "She Is the Gun" Song of the Day on 17 July 2008. The song also received rotation on BBC Radio 1
, where it rose to #5 on the station's airplay charts.
After releasing the album, the group toured with Goldfinger and then played the 2008 Warped Tour
in the U.S. A U.S. fall tour has been announced with Flogging Molly
, followed by UK dates with Less Than Jake
.
, this work was shelved in favour of material they later recorded and produced themselves, with recording sessions for what would later be known as The Betrayed
beginning in November 2008. Consequently the album was not released until 13 January 2010, where it reached a peak of 3 on the UK Albums Chart
.
Throughout the earlier part of 2008, the band performed several dates, including Download Festival
which they headlined on the Sunday night, V Festival
and Rock am Ring and Rock im Park, as well as a small amount of performances around the UK. They also headlined the NME/Radio 1 tent at 2009's Reading and Leeds Festival.
The band have claimed that The Betrayed is "by far the finest, darkest and most real album" of their career. Originally, Ian Watkins stated he wanted the new album to be "nastier" and "darker" than previous efforts, with more energy and vibe than before. In a blog post, guitarist Mike Lewis suggested that Ilan Rubin
(who subsequently left the band to join Nine Inch Nails
) was very much a large part of the writing/recording process. Following Rubin's departure, Luke Johnson of Beat Union
was officially announced as the band's new drummer in August 2009. During this time, Kerrang!
magazine published a "world exclusive" article on Lostprophets, revealing the album's title, and its release date of January 2010. In a latter interview with Kerrang in early 2009, Watkins stated that the record was "the most honest album" the band has ever done, and that overall the record was "a lot grittier and sleazier", while also stating that did not mean "it won't be catchy", but that it would not be done "in such a twee way". When speaking about what the record would sound like, Jamie Oliver stated that he felt it had "the bite that Start Something
had, with the song-ability of Liberation Transmission
but personality of The Fake Sound of Progress
."
The first single from the new album, "It's Not the End of the World But I Can See It from Here
," was aired for the first time on BBC Radio 1
on 19 August. It was subsequently released on the 12th October 2009 and reached #16 on the Official UK chart. This was followed by "Where We Belong
", which was released on the 4th January 2010.
The band commenced their UK tour with support from Kids in Glass Houses
, Hexes
, We Are the Ocean
and Sharks, in February 2010.
The Doncaster date to the UK tour was cancelled and refunded, but no reason was given for the cancellation. The Port Talbot date of the tour has been postponed and moved to a different venue due to a fire at the Afan Lido Leisure Centre. The show took place on 1 May at the Cardiff International Arena
to a sold out crowd of 7,000 people.
The band also has confirmed that they will tour Australia. The tour will take place on 27 March 2010 at The Roundhouse, NSW
, Sydney.
The band are confirmed to play in the 2010 Reading and Leeds Festival.
Lostprophets have also announced that they plan to release a singles album in autumn which will include two unheard new tracks and hope to have a new album out by next summer.
The band are currently recording with producer Ken Andrews
.
The band are confirmed to play in the 2011 V Festival.
Shell Color: Black Diamond Dust & Chrome Hardware
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
rock
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
musician, drummer
Drummer
A drummer is a musician who is capable of playing drums, which includes but is not limited to a drum kit and accessory based hardware which includes an assortment of pedals and standing support mechanisms, marching percussion and/or any musical instrument that is struck within the context of a...
and songwriter
Songwriter
A songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...
currently a member of Lostprophets
Lostprophets
Lostprophets is a Welsh rock band from Pontypridd, formed in 1997. Founded by vocalist Ian Watkins, bassist Mike Lewis, drummer Mike Chiplin and guitarist Lee Gaze, they were originally a side-project to hardcore punk band Public Disturbance. To date, Lostprophets have released four studio...
. He is most commonly known as 'Jocko'. Johnson began his music career in the late 1990s drumming for a spree of small local West Midlands
West Midlands (county)
The West Midlands is a metropolitan county in western central England with a 2009 estimated population of 2,638,700. It came into existence as a metropolitan county in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972, formed from parts of Staffordshire, Worcestershire and Warwickshire. The...
- punk
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
and metal
Heavy metal music
Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States...
bands. In early 2003 Johnson was approached by California punk
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
band Amen
Amen (band)
Amen is a hardcore punk-influenced band formed in 1994.The band has an almost constantly rotating lineup, with founder Casey Chaos remaining as the only constant member throughout...
to join the ranks. After his departure from Amen
Amen (band)
Amen is a hardcore punk-influenced band formed in 1994.The band has an almost constantly rotating lineup, with founder Casey Chaos remaining as the only constant member throughout...
in 2005, Johnson formed Beat Union
Beat Union
Beat Union was a pop-punk band from Birmingham, Bromsgrove and Redditch, United Kingdom. They were formerly known as Shortcut to Newark. The group has garnered comparisons to Elvis Costello and The Jam, as well as pop punk groups like Green Day....
as drummer and songwriter with Dave Warsop, Dean Ashton and Mark Andrews. Johnson has also been involved in other musical projects, including working alongside Producer John Feldmann
John Feldmann
John William Feldmann is an American musician and producer who is the lead singer/guitarist of the band Goldfinger. He is known as an animal rights advocate.- Music :...
(Good Charlotte
Good Charlotte
Good Charlotte is an American rock band from Waldorf, Maryland that formed in 1996. Since 1998, the band's constant members have been lead vocalist Joel Madden, lead guitarist and back-up vocalist Benji Madden, bass guitarist Paul Thomas and rhythm guitarist and keyboardist Billy Martin...
, The Used
The Used
The Used is an American rock band from Orem, Utah. The band was founded in 2001 and signed to Reprise Records the same year. They rose to fame in June 2002 after releasing their self-titled debut album. They followed up with their second album, In Love and Death, in September 2004 and their third...
, Kelly Clarkson
Kelly Clarkson
Kelly Brianne Clarkson is an American pop rock singer-songwriter and actress. Clarkson came into prominence after becoming the winner of the inaugural season of the television series American Idol in 2002 and would later become the runner-up in the television special World Idol in 2003.In 2003,...
) and has performed session work for a variety of bands, including The Wonder Stuff
The Wonder Stuff
The Wonder Stuff are a British alternative rock band, originally based in Stourbridge, West Midlands, in the Black Country, England.-Origins:...
and Foxy Shazam
Foxy Shazam
Foxy Shazam is an American rock band from Cincinnati, Ohio, formed in 2004. The band is composed of lead vocalist Eric Sean Nally, guitarist Loren Turner, pianist Sky White, and bass player Daisy. Later, trumpeter and back-up vocalist Alex Nauth joined, and Aaron McVeigh became the band's permanent...
. He currently resides in California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
with his girlfriend, musician Jennifer Goodridge
Jennifer Goodridge
Jennifer Goodridge is the former keyboardist of Your Enemies Friends. She is a current member of Seaspin where she is a songwriter and provides lead vocals and rhythm guitar. She provided background vocals on Blaqk Audio's album CexCells, on the song "Again, Again, and Again".-References:...
, along with other members of Lostprophets
Lostprophets
Lostprophets is a Welsh rock band from Pontypridd, formed in 1997. Founded by vocalist Ian Watkins, bassist Mike Lewis, drummer Mike Chiplin and guitarist Lee Gaze, they were originally a side-project to hardcore punk band Public Disturbance. To date, Lostprophets have released four studio...
.
Early life
Johnson was exposed to music at the very early age of 2. Beginning with his father, Les Johnson, who was a Birmingham promoter for such bands as New Order, Killing Joke and New Model Army.At the age of 5, Johnson started to join his father on tour with the band he managed The Wonder Stuff. Johnson was then given his first pair of drumsticks by Martin Gilks and would often even get to soundcheck the drums. '“All my life I’ve been around music. I’d go to shows and soundcheck the drums for the Wonder Stuff and get to play kits on these big stages during soundcheck and hearing the sound of a drumkit through a PA I thought, ‘Man I really want to do this!’”', says Johnson. With the support of his parents, at the age of 6, Johnson started taking drum lessons . At this point, there was no looking back and Johnson was already inspired to one day having a band of his own.
Beat Union
Beat Union was a pop-punk band from BirminghamBirmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
, Bromsgrove
Bromsgrove
Bromsgrove is a town in Worcestershire, England. The town is about north east of Worcester and south west of Birmingham city centre. It had a population of 29,237 in 2001 with a small ethnic minority and is in Bromsgrove District.- History :Bromsgrove is first documented in the early 9th century...
and Redditch
Redditch
Redditch is a town and local government district in north-east Worcestershire, England, approximately south of Birmingham. The district had a population of 79,216 in 2005. In the 19th century it became the international centre for the needle and fishing tackle industry...
, United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. They were formerly known as Shortcut to Newark. The group has garnered comparisons to Elvis Costello
Elvis Costello
Elvis Costello , born Declan Patrick MacManus, is an English singer-songwriter. He came to prominence as an early participant in London's pub rock scene in the mid-1970s and later became associated with the punk/New Wave genre. Steeped in word play, the vocabulary of Costello's lyrics is broader...
and The Jam
The Jam
The Jam were an English punk rock/New Wave/mod revival band active during the late 1970s and early 1980s. They were formed in Woking, Surrey. While they shared the "angry young men" outlook and fast tempos of their punk rock contemporaries, The Jam wore smartly tailored suits rather than ripped...
, as well as pop punk
Pop punk
Pop punk is a fusion music genre that combines elements of punk rock with pop music, to varying degrees. Allmusic describes the genre as a strand of alternative rock, which typically merges pop melodies with speedy punk tempos, chord changes and loud guitars...
groups like Green Day
Green Day
Green Day is an American punk rock band formed in 1987. The band consists of lead vocalist and guitarist Billie Joe Armstrong, bassist and backing vocalist Mike Dirnt, and drummer Tre Cool...
.
In 2006 the band toured the UK with Bedouin Soundclash
Bedouin Soundclash
Bedouin Soundclash is a Canadian band currently based in Toronto. Their sound can be described as reggae and ska.-History:The band's current lineup consists of vocalist and guitarist Jay Malinowski, and bassist Eon Sinclair with Sekou Lumumba on drums. Their debut album, Root Fire, released in 2001...
and Zox
ZOX
ZOX is a band from Providence, Rhode Island that is self-described as "violin-laced Reggae rock." The band consists of four members: namesake John Zox , Eli Miller , Spencer Swain , and Dan Edinberg ....
.
Their debut full-length album, Disconnected
Disconnected (Beat Union album)
Disconnected is the debut album of the band Beat Union. It is produced by John Feldmann, producer and frontman of Goldfinger.-Track listing:#Disconnected - 2:33#Pressure Zone - 3:05#My Heart Starts Beating - 3:29#Dancing In Our Sleep - 2:35...
, was released on Science Records in April 2008. It was produced with the help of John Feldmann
John Feldmann
John William Feldmann is an American musician and producer who is the lead singer/guitarist of the band Goldfinger. He is known as an animal rights advocate.- Music :...
, producer and frontman of Goldfinger
Goldfinger (band)
Goldfinger is a Los Angeles pop punk/ska punk band that formed in 1994. Currently, the band is composed of vocalist/guitarist John Feldmann, guitarist Charlie Paulson, bassist Kelly LeMieux, and drummer Darrin Pfeiffer...
. Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
named their song "She Is the Gun" Song of the Day on 17 July 2008. The song also received rotation on BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation which also broadcasts internationally, specialising in current popular music and chart hits throughout the day. Radio 1 provides alternative genres after 7:00pm including electronic dance, hip hop, rock...
, where it rose to #5 on the station's airplay charts.
After releasing the album, the group toured with Goldfinger and then played the 2008 Warped Tour
Warped Tour
The Warped Tour is a touring music and extreme sports festival. The tour is held in venues such as parking lots or fields upon which the stages and other structures are erected. The BMX/skateboarding shoe manufacturer Vans, among others, has sponsored the tour every year since 1995, and it is...
in the U.S. A U.S. fall tour has been announced with Flogging Molly
Flogging Molly
Flogging Molly is a seven-piece Irish-descendant band from Los Angeles, California, that is currently signed to their own record label, Borstal Beat Records.-Early years:...
, followed by UK dates with Less Than Jake
Less Than Jake
Less Than Jake is an American ska punk band from Gainesville, Florida. Originally formed in 1992 as a power pop trio, the band evolved into a hybrid of ska punk. Less Than Jake have also been cited as showing influences from a wide variety of genres including post-grunge, heavy metal, alternative...
.
Lostprophets (2007-present)
Writing and recording the band's fourth studio album began in early 2007. Originally the band stated that they wanted the album released in 2007, however due to both touring and being unhappy with the results of their work in the studio the band did not keep to their original release plan. Despite recording an entire album's worth of material with producer John FeldmannJohn Feldmann
John William Feldmann is an American musician and producer who is the lead singer/guitarist of the band Goldfinger. He is known as an animal rights advocate.- Music :...
, this work was shelved in favour of material they later recorded and produced themselves, with recording sessions for what would later be known as The Betrayed
The Betrayed
The Betrayed is the fourth studio album by the Welsh alternative rock band Lostprophets, released through Visible Noise and Sony Music Entertainment on 13 January 2010. Although the band initially wished to record a quick follow-up to 2006's Liberation Transmission, problems with labels and...
beginning in November 2008. Consequently the album was not released until 13 January 2010, where it reached a peak of 3 on the UK Albums Chart
UK Albums Chart
The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart...
.
Throughout the earlier part of 2008, the band performed several dates, including Download Festival
Download Festival
The Download Festival is a three day rock music festival held annually at Donington Park, England . It usually takes place in June...
which they headlined on the Sunday night, V Festival
V Festival
The V Festival is an annual music festival held in England during the penultimate weekend in August. The event is held at two parks simultaneously which share the same bill; artists perform at one location on Saturday and then swap on Sunday. The sites are located at Hylands Park in Chelmsford and...
and Rock am Ring and Rock im Park, as well as a small amount of performances around the UK. They also headlined the NME/Radio 1 tent at 2009's Reading and Leeds Festival.
The band have claimed that The Betrayed is "by far the finest, darkest and most real album" of their career. Originally, Ian Watkins stated he wanted the new album to be "nastier" and "darker" than previous efforts, with more energy and vibe than before. In a blog post, guitarist Mike Lewis suggested that Ilan Rubin
Ilan Rubin
Ilan Rubin is an American musician, best known for being former drummer of Lostprophets & industrial rock act Nine Inch Nails during their last tour...
(who subsequently left the band to join Nine Inch Nails
Nine Inch Nails
Nine Inch Nails is an American industrial rock project, founded in 1988 by Trent Reznor in Cleveland, Ohio. As its main producer, singer, songwriter, and instrumentalist, Reznor is the only official member of Nine Inch Nails and remains solely responsible for its direction...
) was very much a large part of the writing/recording process. Following Rubin's departure, Luke Johnson of Beat Union
Beat Union
Beat Union was a pop-punk band from Birmingham, Bromsgrove and Redditch, United Kingdom. They were formerly known as Shortcut to Newark. The group has garnered comparisons to Elvis Costello and The Jam, as well as pop punk groups like Green Day....
was officially announced as the band's new drummer in August 2009. During this time, Kerrang!
Kerrang!
Kerrang! is a UK-based magazine devoted to rock music published by Bauer Media Group. It was first published on June 6, 1981 as a one-off supplement in the Sounds newspaper...
magazine published a "world exclusive" article on Lostprophets, revealing the album's title, and its release date of January 2010. In a latter interview with Kerrang in early 2009, Watkins stated that the record was "the most honest album" the band has ever done, and that overall the record was "a lot grittier and sleazier", while also stating that did not mean "it won't be catchy", but that it would not be done "in such a twee way". When speaking about what the record would sound like, Jamie Oliver stated that he felt it had "the bite that Start Something
Start Something
Start Something is the second studio album by the Welsh alternative metal band Lostprophets, released on 2 February 2004 through Visible Noise in the United Kingdom and South Korea. The album was released internationally on 5 February 2004. The band began work on the album in 2003 after touring for...
had, with the song-ability of Liberation Transmission
Liberation Transmission
Liberation Transmission is the third studio album by Welsh alternative rock band Lostprophets. The album was released in June 2006 and became the first Lostprophets album to enter the UK album chart at number one . The album peaked at number thirty three on the Billboard 200 album chart with 27,000...
but personality of The Fake Sound of Progress
The Fake Sound of Progress
-Personnel:* Ian Watkins – lead vocals* Lee Gaze – lead guitar* Mike Lewis – rhythm guitar* Stuart Richardson – bass* Jamie Oliver – synth, turntables, samples* Mike Chiplin – drums, percussion-Chart positions:-External links:*...
."
The first single from the new album, "It's Not the End of the World But I Can See It from Here
It's Not the End of the World But I Can See It from Here
"It's Not the End of the World, But I Can See It from Here" is the twelfth single by Welsh rock band Lostprophets, and the first from their fourth studio album The Betrayed. It was released on 11 October 2009 in the UK, the first time they had released anything since April 2007. The release also...
," was aired for the first time on BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation which also broadcasts internationally, specialising in current popular music and chart hits throughout the day. Radio 1 provides alternative genres after 7:00pm including electronic dance, hip hop, rock...
on 19 August. It was subsequently released on the 12th October 2009 and reached #16 on the Official UK chart. This was followed by "Where We Belong
Where We Belong
"Where We Belong" is the second single from the album The Betrayed, the fourth studio album by Welsh alternative rock band Lostprophets. It was released on 4 January 2010...
", which was released on the 4th January 2010.
The band commenced their UK tour with support from Kids in Glass Houses
Kids in Glass Houses
Kids in Glass Houses are a Welsh rock band from Cardiff, and are considered a significant part of the Cardiff music scene. The band's name is inspired by the lyrics "not throwing stones at you anymore" from Glassjaw song "Tip Your Bartender". The band achieved success on the strength of the singles...
, Hexes
Hexes (band)
Hexes is a British hardcore punk band featuring the former A bassist, current guitar player for Bloodhound Gang and presenter of BBC Radio 1's Rock Show, Daniel P. Carter...
, We Are the Ocean
We Are the Ocean
We Are the Ocean is a 5 piece post-hardcore band from Loughton, Essex, England.The band has played hundreds of shows since their formation, including several festivals during 2008 such as Slam Dunk, Offset Festival, Middlesbrough Music Live, and Taste of Chaos...
and Sharks, in February 2010.
The Doncaster date to the UK tour was cancelled and refunded, but no reason was given for the cancellation. The Port Talbot date of the tour has been postponed and moved to a different venue due to a fire at the Afan Lido Leisure Centre. The show took place on 1 May at the Cardiff International Arena
Cardiff International Arena
The Cardiff International Arena was opened on 10 September 1993, by Shirley Bassey, in front of 5,500 fans. On 1 March 2011, the Cardiff International Arena was officially renamed Motorpoint Arena Cardiff, after the car sales company with a branch in Newport bought the naming rights to the Cardiff...
to a sold out crowd of 7,000 people.
The band also has confirmed that they will tour Australia. The tour will take place on 27 March 2010 at The Roundhouse, NSW
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
, Sydney.
The band are confirmed to play in the 2010 Reading and Leeds Festival.
Lostprophets have also announced that they plan to release a singles album in autumn which will include two unheard new tracks and hope to have a new album out by next summer.
The band are currently recording with producer Ken Andrews
Ken Andrews
Ken Andrews is an American musician and producer, based out of Los Angeles, California.Andrews was born in Seattle, Washington, and attended film school in Los Angeles before his band Failure received a record deal from Slash Records.He was the co-founder, lead vocalist, guitarist, and...
.
The band are confirmed to play in the 2011 V Festival.
Drum Kit
Tama Starclassic Performer Bubinga/BirchShell Color: Black Diamond Dust & Chrome Hardware
- 18'"x22" Kick Drum
- 6"x14" Starphonic Brass Snare Drum
- 10"x14" Rack Tom
- 16"x16" Floor Tom
- 16"x18" Floor Tom
- Iron Cobra Rolling Glide Twin Pedal
Cymbals
Zildjian- 19" A Custom Crash
- 20" Medium Crash
- 20" A Custom Crash
- 20" A Custom Rezo Crash
- 21" Sweet Ride
- 15" Mastersound Hi Hats