'Can I still play guitar?': Perth muso's stunning recovery

In a fateful instant, the world of Perth-based musician Laurie Luke fell silent.

One moment, he was living his passion, his guitar never leaving his side, creating music and living the life he had always dreamed of.

The next minute, everything was abruptly silenced by a brain haemorrhage that nearly claimed him.

For six days, Luke lay in a coma, “between realities,” fighting for his life until, somewhere in his subconscious, he chose to walk towards living.

When he finally opened his eyes, the multi-instrumentalist couldn’t walk, move, or coherently talk.

Yet, in a moment that speaks volumes about the human spirit and the power of music, Laurie slurred the words, “Can I still play guitar?”

The doctors could not provide an answer, but Laurie was determined to find one, and he did.

Next month in Margaret River, music lovers will have the opportunity to witness his response to what life dealt him as he takes to the stage to perform his latest single ‘Breaking the Chain’, alongside a solid rock performance that shows what a fighter he is and tells his story through his unique rhythms and riffs.

As humans, we exist through our five senses-sight, smell, hearing, taste, and touch. These ‘tools’ allow us to experience all that life offers.

As a musician, these senses are everything; they’re the basis for writing lyrics and creating music.

So, imagine if all this was ripped away in a second. No more sounds or sensory information to spur creation, just silence and darkness.

“It was a Saturday night, and my partner (at the time) was headed out for a girl’s night,” Laurie said.

“I got a phone call an hour later from her best friend to say she never arrived.”

“After about an hour of trying to find out where she was, I got a call saying, ‘Your girlfriend’s been in a hit and run accident’.

“I went to the hospital straight away, and to cut a long story short, I went and saw her, and I felt strangely faint.

“Then my brain haemorrhaged on the spot.”

As he is a musician, many joked this was a result of living a rock ‘n roll lifestyle.

“People would say …’are you partying too hard’?!

“But in fact, it was caused by arteriovenous malformation (AVM), something which I realised I’ve had since I was young,” he explained.

“I passed out a lot throughout my life, in all sorts of weird scenarios, and then I guess the stress of my partner’s accident triggered it to rupture finally.”

Luckily for Laurie, his guardian angels were present that day as he collapsed in the Emergency Department.

After an intense craniotomy that saw surgeons remove just under half of his skull and left Laurie with 50 staples in his head, doctors didn’t think he was going to survive.

As friends and family came to say their goodbyes, Laurie hovered between life and death.

“I was kind of living another life,” he said.

“I had no concept of time.

“In my world, I was sitting underneath a big old bridge with a group of Indigenous people.”

“I became aware of what was happening and felt ready to move on. I didn’t want to go a certain way, so I walked in another direction.”

“That was the moment I could’ve either passed away or returned, and I remember choosing to return.”

When he awoke, a nurse was holding a cupcake and singing ‘Happy Birthday,’ and he thought of his beloved guitar.

After picking up the guitar at 11 years old, Laurie became inseparable from his new best friend, often falling asleep at night with it in his arms.

Although he dabbled in a few lessons, he taught himself how to play through his love of music.

The Beatles, Jimi Hendrix, and 90s bands such as Silverchair and Stone Temple Pilots influenced the young musician’s chords as he nurtured his passion and worked toward his dream of becoming a recording and performing musician.

The determined young muso succeeded, gaining a steady following of fans, until it all fell apart in June 2021.

After 12 months of intense therapy, during which most days were spent “trying to hold a paper cup of water” and learning to walk, talk, eat, and live again, Laurie released his first single, ‘Long Wave Home,’ on the first anniversary of his medical episode.

An achievement which, during some of his darkest days, he didn’t think would ever be possible again.

“Music was a huge part of life. I’ve never gone a day without it,” he said.

“So, when I first heard it again after the accident, it was a really challenging moment, as the sounds were distorted and jumbled, kinda bouncing around my head.”

“It was hard to handle, and it was really deflating.”

As difficult as it was, Laurie’s new reality has led him to rediscover music and how he interprets it through his multi-instrumental language as a musician.

“My first live show back was at the Strings Attached Festival in Margs,” he said.

“A lady (a nurse) approached me and said she had heard about my story. She told me of two patients that had the same procedure, and neither one of them survived. And that I was a miracle.”

“It really brought home to me just how lucky I am. I’m so glad I kept going.”

While Laurie’s journey continues, rehab is now a lifelong reality for him, and so is music once again.

With the release of his latest single on September 20 and a string of live gigs, Laurie is living the beautiful life he chose.

On October 4 at The River, you’ll experience the passion that drives this musician in a display of raw rock and freestyle jamming, with Laurie’s melodic vocals laying the foundations amongst building walls of guitar sounds.

The road ahead is looking brighter for this remarkable fighter, and Laurie believes in all about the sunshine.

“Life isn’t a breeze, and you’ll have some really dark moments. But you know, life’s like the weather. It’s always going to evolve,” he said.

“It’s about your personal mindset and… the sun.

“Just get in the sunshine, away from all the noise, and take a moment to breathe and wait for the muddy waters to clear.

“They always do.”

Tickets will be available on the door at the River from 7 pm on October 4.

For more information visit: www.theriverhotel.com.au

You can follow Laurie’s journey on Instagram and his music on Spotify.