Lucky Elephant - Reverend Tisley & His Magic Lantern

Lucky Elephant are united in a desire to provide warm, inviting, melodic, challenging, fresh music. The 4 dashing young blades armed only with a collection of high maintenance, but hugely loveable old synths, tape delays, Wurlitzers, harmoniums, drums, ukuleles and guitars stride proudly out to battle – confident that the truth will out, and that once again music can provide inspiration and comfort.

The listener can expect familiarity as the band love a tune with harmony, goosebumps and smiles, but they should also be prepared for some journeys into the melancholic and reflective side of music – the classic happy / sad combination that works so well for both highs and lows.

The foundation of any band should start from the drummer, and in the rhythmically named Laurence Clack, Lucky Elephant have a unique platform on which to build. The man plays drums like a piano – the beats become tunes. We think he was grown in a petris dish in a laboratory with equal parts Buddy Rich, Ginger Baker and a Roland 808. Expect fatness in unexpected places and a percussive light at the end of the long dark tunnel.

Providing the walls and ceilings are Sam Johnson and Paul Burnley. Between them they man the various bits of equipment that go to make up the Lucky Elephant sound. While Paul joyfully transforms a sample of the launch of an early 1960’s Russian Rocket into a tuneful lead line Sam can be found with one hand on a Harmonium and another on the Space Echo hanging on for dear life, attempting to steer the Elephant away from the pavement packed with school kids and back on to the road. The joy of the pairing is in the balance. Like all good partnerships they overlap in the middle but have wildly opposing extremes – this helps to contribute to the musical tension and the unique combination of darkness and light that make up the Lucky Elephant manifesto.

The furnishings, the lights and the garden are all tended to by the hugely charming Emmanuel ‘Manu’ Labescat. A man who fully understands that to sing a lyric you need to have felt it. No throw away lines leave this man’s mouth. He sings from that long forgotten organ – the heart. A true man of the South West of France, Manu brings passion, humour and a sense of integrity to the Elephant collective, as well as fine wine, ample tobacco and an ability to wear head scarves that no English man could compete with. His lyrics need time to unfold and reward the patient observer with new gifts after every listen. At last good people – you can believe a singer again. You can trust him. Not wanting to miss out on the multi instrumental nature of the band Manu also plays the harmonium, guitar and piano enabling the Lucky Elephant to mutate and flow from tune to tune whilst always steering a true and constant path.

Show more