A TALENTED Bathurst teen will take to the stage at the Tamworth Country Music Festival next week after finishing runner-up in a prestigious music competition.
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Luke Furbank, 14, entered a video of himself playing an original song, called Lose It All, in the Fretfest competition, which aims to discover new young singer-songwriters.
As the runner-up, he has won a new acoustic guitar, a three-month mentorship package and the chance to showcase his music during three performances at Tawmworth.
Luke will play on the Peel Street Stage next Thursday morning, on the Fanzone Stage next Friday night and at The Pub next Saturday morning.
“I reckon that it’s a really big opportunity for me to get my name out to the public a lot more,” he said. “I’m just really excited to have the opportunity to play up there.”
Luke was part of the Local Emerging Artists Program (LEAP) which is run alongside the Inland Sea of Sound Festival in Bathurst and heard about the Fretfest competition through local arts identity Kylie Shead.
Lose It All – a song about being away from a friend – was Luke’s first original song and was written by him over two days.
He said writing a song begins for him with a riff.
“I get down a guitar riff and then get some chords together. Once I think they sound good together, I put together some lyrics,” he said.
“The first line is always the hardest. Once I get the first line right, I know how the rest of the song will go.”
Under the three-month mentorship package, Fretfest director Al Buchan will be available for professional advice to Luke and help if the need arises.
Luke, who does solo work and is also the lead singer in local band Crimson Royale, wanted to thank those venues that had allowed him to play: the O'Connell Hotel, Paddy's Hotel, Tarana Hotel, Webb and Co Bar, Banjo's Cafe, 2BS/BROCK, Bathurst Regional Council, the Fish River Festival, Bathurst Memorial Entertainment Centre and Mayfield Garden.
