This film was completly self-produced and self-funded, and in the spirit of the gift economy of house concerts, if you enjoyed the film you are welcome to pay what you want/can afford to support all the work put in to create this piece. https://paypal.me/malaurievellay

In January 2018, Luke made an open call for a filmmaker to come along on his England and Ireland summer tour and make “A wee documentary of life on the road”. By this time I had already seen him live quite a few times, both on his own, and with Nizlopi back in the days. But except for a few exchanges at the merch table, we’d never really met before. I pondered for a good three hours before putting myself forward, doubting my abilities and qualifications for the job at hand, even with my seven years’ background in filmmaking. “How could I do justice to the work of someone I’ve admired for so long?”

Well, let me tell you I’m so glad I shut that voice up and I didn’t throw away my shot. A few emails back and forth, and a video call later, I was booked to come along for two weeks at the beginning of July.

We were thrown in right away with a first house concert in Bristol where we tried to find our footing around each other. We were both very polite and careful and I kept a respectable distance at first when filming. I am very aware at how bizarre it is to have someone following you around with a camera and it takes a bit of time to get used to the process. But we quickly found a rhythm that suited us in order to tell the most honest story possible. Luke was very generous with his time both on and off camera. And so were everybody else we met during those two weeks.

Thank you again to Steph, Laura, Amber, Leander, Polly, Dean, Julie, Simon, Josie, Bethan and Laura G for their hospitality and kindness during that tour.

The two weeks flew by, Shipston, Whitwell, Liverpool, Northampton, each concert better than the last. And at the same time it felt like we’d been on the road for months, and had known each other for years. I came away with my fill of good vibes, warmth and energy from the kindness of our hosts and a wonderful friendship with Luke. And a LOT of footage.
You might already have seen some of it on Luke’s channels in the past three years, live songs and teasers from that time on the road.

As for the movie, the more the story took shape in the edit, the more I realised I had more than just a “wee documentary” anymore. I took my time to let the story come to light and it is now a 45 min film about those house concerts, and it’s coming out for free on YouTube on Friday 12^th November!

I am so excited for you too see it and share in the magic of house concerts, The Music of the Hearth.