Luke Thomas and the Deserters

Luke Thomas and the Deserters have been warming Melbourne crowds for a few years now with their diverse range of melody-soaked pop/rock. Echoing influences from the likes of The Beatles, Neil Finn / Crowded House, The Pixies, The Stone Roses, Wilco and Ryan Adams to name a few, Luke’s songwriting aptitude emerged while cutting his teeth with Brisbane band Lavish in the late ‘90’s. Soon moving to the ‘00’s and penning some rockin’ ditties with Melbourne band The Pictures with whom Luke is currently still playing with alongside his partner in crime, Davey Lane (You Am I). Leading to Deserters, the four piece band, formed roughly three years ago by Luke and Xain Milke (bass guitar). Luke Thomas and the Deserters recently consolidated their line-up with Nick Fraser on guitar, Zac Anthony (The Wellingtons) on drums & vocals and part-time member Mal Pinkerton (The Anyones) on keyboards. Luke’s attempts to reveal his softer side have resulted in a self-produced eight-track album, Distant Tales (2007), recorded with a little help from his friends. Distant Tales is the follow-up to Deserters’ debut self-titled EP (2006). The band are currently mixing their debut long player to be released early 2009 and preparing for the usual spate of summer gigs.