Finger On The Buzzer Q&A - Jack Lukeman: "By Glastonbury, I was basically wearing a pair of trousers entirely made of gaffer tape"

Where are you now and what are you doing?
I’m rehearsing in Somerset – I’m doing two nights at the Stables in Milton Keynes.

What was the first record to send a shiver up your spine?
Nat King Cole’s ‘Nature Boy’: I had the old vinyl at home and used to put the two speakers up to the ears and listen to it. The string arrangements are really good.

What was the first gig you ever attended?
In our sitting room in Athy, Co. Kildare when I was about five or six. There was a session one night and we were all brought down to sing along – and to enjoy the music.

What was the first gig you played?
That’s a tough one. There’s so many moments – I mean, it could also be singing into the handle of a broom! Officially, myself and two friends used to play for about two or three hours on Saturday evenings, in a pub near my hometown of Athy. We did a bunch of covers.

What was your most memorable gig?
I was lucky enough to support Sting in Germany last month. To be able to stand side-stage and see a musical genius play the bass – and do all those amazing songs he wrote – I just thought: ‘Wow, this is a privilege’.

What’s your favourite Spinal Tap moment?
Falling over on stage is, like, a given.  And getting lost in kitchens on the way to the stage. But I remember one year in Glastonbury when I used to wear PVC trousers a lot – they were falling apart. We’d been gaffering my PVC trousers back together on the way to gigs for a while, but by Glastonbury, I was basically wearing a pair of trousers entirely made of gaffer tape.

Drunk or sober, what’s the most embarrassing thing you’ve done?
The most embarrassing thing I’ve ever done sober is answering questions about what’s the most embarrassing thing I ever did drunk or sober! Otherwise, waking up in, shall we say, strange places...

What was the last record you bought, borrowed or blagged?
I just got the vinyl of Revolver by The Beatles, which I had given away. You know what I mean, you lend records! So I just re-bought that one. I always like to have Revolver on vinyl.

Who would be in your dream band?
It’d probably be The Beatles backing me. On BVs, you could have Ella Fitzgerald, Janis Joplin, Sinatra and Elvis. Vaughn Williams doing the string arrangements. Jimi Hendrix could make a guest appearance.

What shite jobs have you had in the past?
Somewhere in the early 90s, I was working on the conveyor belt, in a fish factory in Antwerp. And that was all day putting fish into a gutting machine. That was pretty cool. And then sweeping up the blood and guts at the end of the day. A very odd job...

Who is the sexiest musician on the planet?
At the moment, Samantha Fish. She’s an amazing Kansas guitar blues guitar player. Look her up!

What song would you like to have played at your funeral?
‘Movin On Up’ by Primal Scream. Actually it’d be ‘Amazing Grace’ going into ‘Movin On Up’. Try it – it’s’ basically the same song!

• Jack Lukeman’s new album Echo On is released on September 19. He plays 3Arena, Dublin on November 25. How smartly can you answer these 12 teasers?

Read more interviews in the new issue of Hot Press, starring The 1975 and Kneecap.