West Australian songwriter|singer !an L!lburne crafts classic songs in the key of Cohen―acoustic songs for sensitive souls. His lyrics are reflective and poetic while his musical influences range from The Beatles, Bowie and Dylan through the avantgarde pop|rock of Laurie Anderson and John Cale to American minimalism.

In recent times, L!lburne has been working in close collaboration with singer|sound artist Sam Ray, a classically trained soprano renowned for her authentic tone and sensitive interpretations. Under the title L!lburne|Ray, they have developed a performance repertoire of more than a hundred songs, a combination of L!lburne originals and adult-alternative covers: the Classic American Songbook and Delta Blues through to C21st pop.

L!lburne’s third album, Mystery of the Rose, was completed during the Covid shutdown. Produced by Lee Buddle (Crank Recording), this primarily acoustic set mixes L!lburne’s warm baritone and Ray’s sublime soprano with an outstanding ensemble of acclaimed classical, new-music and jazz musicians: Cathie Travers (accordion and piano), Steve Richter (percussion), Tristen Parr (cello), Pete Jeavons (bass), David Edwards (piano) and Lee Buddle (sax, flute, clarinet). L!lburne’s deft guitar underpins the arrangements while actor Murray Dowsett completes the album with a recitation, (The silence of) Sylvia’s Pines. The fifteen tracks mix memes from minimalist composer Steve Reich with tropes from the worlds of pop, folk and avantgarde rock. Thought-provoking and sophisticated songs of love and the human conundrum, sly in their humour, eerily relevant to the Covid world. The album can be purchased from the Shop page or through Bandcamp.

A first single from the collection, Creepy Thing, a stoic song for dark times, was released during lockdown.  (See Clips and Shop)

L!lburne|Ray premiered a paired-down version (vocal|guitar) of Mystery of the Rose at Six Degrees in Albany. A trio rendition with Lee Buddle’s haunting horns was presented at the Waterwheel Gallery, Bedfordale, for the Armadale Arts Festival. See Prominent Past Shows for details of both. Other airings are planned. Stay tuned.

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L!lburne has been honing his songwriting skills since his late teens. After a tentative start on piano he found his true instrument, the acoustic guitar. Although initially a steel string, his preferred axe now is a Spanish classical. An adept finger-picker, over time he has extended his chops to include electric guitar and bass while maintaining his keyboard skills with the occasional sortie on piano and synthesizer.

Meticulous by nature, L!lburne built a repertoire of more than a hundred original songs and instrumentals while pursuing a successful career in the arts. Prominent among his professional achievements are his tenure as founding director of the Perth Artrage Festival, a former incarnation of the Perth Fringe (now FringeWorld), and artistic director|manager of The University of Western Australia’s centenary celebration LUMINOUSnight.

Since shifting his focus to music, he has worked with professional producers to record his material and performed (solo and in ensembles) at various venues in and around Perth, Fremantle and now the Great Southern.

Under the guidance of Pete Grandison (Shanghai Twang Studios), he has recorded two albums, an EP and a single: Ghosts (later remastered and melded with it’s cousin, the EP Against the Odds, to form Ghosts 1|2); !ns!de Out + Back To Front (a mix of live and studio recordings); and Ludwig (a single co-written and performed with long term collaborator John Harris).

Ghosts|Against the Odds was launched at Kulcha in Fremantle (Prominent Past Shows). For Stills and Clips of this and other performances see the Gallery page.

In late spring 2020, !an L!lburne was interviewed on film by artist Julie Fearns-Pheasant for her series Creatives in Isolation and Beyond. He spoke at length about his artistic practice as a songwriter, musician and photographer as well as his extensive career in the arts. The interview can be viewed in full in the Clips section of the Gallery page.

For other musical anecdotes, notably the comic composition of Ludwig, see News.