In Conversation With Colin: Luke Morley

Thunder guitarist, songwriter and producer Luke Morley has also had a successful side career, either as a member of The Union or releasing his own solo work. After issuing his début album, El Gringo Retro in 2001, the East Sussex based musician would return, after two Thunder reunions, to his own material some twenty two years later with 2023’s Songs From The Blue Room and his new 2025 album Walking On Water.

Newport’s rock music fans may have caught Luke making a guest appearance at the Corn Exchange during the Quireboys recent tour having reunited with long-time friend and founding frontman Spike, helping to promote the release of their new album Wardour Street.

Colin Palmer chatted to Luke at his home in Hove for ‘The Rock Vault’ radio show.

With Thunder singer Danny Bowes slowly recovering from a serious health issue, Morley confidently returns to his solo career with a new album, setting the bar even higher.

The title track of the new album has an intro that pays homage to one of his early musical heroes, with an intro recalling ‘Get It On’. “Those Bolan guitar riffs are massively important and I never get tired of acknowledging that”, Morley says. “T.Rex was the first gig I ever went to see, it was July 1971 at Lewisham Odeon and I was lucky enough to see him as an eleven year old boy.

“I came home from there and said to my mum ‘right, I know what I’m going to do now’ and five minutes later I badgered my father into buying me a guitar and that was it, I never contemplated anything else really.”

Morley explains the concept behind the song ‘Walking On Water’. “I was asking myself the question if Jesus Christ ever returned what he would be like, and chances are he could be like any product of the modern world. He might come back like Donald Trump or Liam Gallagher, he might be a bit arrogant and a bit flash, so I was trying to assume the persona where he comes back and he is a bit like that. Then he suddenly realises that he’s got all these powers so walking on water to him is almost like showbiz. It’s not really a comment on religion, it’s more a comment on the modern world.”

When composing songs for his solo work Luke takes on a slightly different approach from writing for Thunder, he explains. “With the last album Songs From The Blue Room a lot of those songs were pulled together from demos and ideas that I had and I wasn’t sure what I was going to do with them, but with this new album Walking On Water I set out to write songs that suited my voice and were ideal range-wise, so it’s more of a considered thing this time. But it doesn’t really affect the process much, because I’ve spent a lot of my life writing songs for Danny’s voice, there are certain areas and keys that work great for him, but having said that he can sing anything.

“For my solo stuff it would be pointless me trying to make a Thunder album in a lower key, it’s just not worth it. With myself I’m trying to touch on the other influences that I like, singer/songwriters such as Tom Petty and west coast American music that I like, as well as English blues rock and it’s an enjoyable process because it’s only me whereas Thunder is very much a gang.

“It’s a funny thing writing songs, it’s very much a state of mind you have to get your head in the right place. Every time we made a Thunder album I would demo all the songs in my home studio and then send them out to the band. Nine times out of ten the first two songs that I wrote wouldn’t make the album, they came to be known as my pipe cleaners, but it’s not about the quality of the songs it’s about going through the process again and getting your brain in the right zone.”

Colin Palmer

Excerpts of this interview were broadcast on The Rock Vault, 29^th July 2025.