The Celturian ( Acoustic Warrior )

The Celturian ( Acoustic Warrior )

The Celturian is the performance name used by Birmingham-based musician Martin Lucas, a self-taught acoustic guitarist known for Celtic and Gaelic-themed music. He begins experimenting with the Celtic format in the 1990s and develops a style built around fast reels, open tunings, and extended use of the full neck of his Takamine guitar, sometimes with three or more capos. He is also described as the “Celtic Jimi Hendrix” for his continuous solo playing, which moves between melodic passages and rapid flurries.

Background

Lucas grows up in the 1960s and starts out with music in the family background: his father plays banjo in a George Formby-style pub setting and his mother plays piano in church. As a child, after his father leaves, he is left with a banjo, which he swaps for a Mickey Mouse watch because he does not know how to use it. He later begins learning trombone on a school-loaned instrument. His interest in guitar starts at 13, when he listens outside a local pub to a live band and looks at the instruments in a music shop run by the same band.

His family cannot afford to buy him an instrument, but this changes when his elder brother Paul buys a guitar that eventually passes to Martin after remaining unused for nearly a year. The guitar is missing two strings, and he teaches himself using simple one- and two-string tunes before moving on to music books and replacing the strings. After leaving school in the 1970s, he works first as a driver for a pet charity and later as a builder.

Development as a guitarist

Lucas makes early mistakes buying guitars, then begins choosing instruments by looking at what well-known players use. He buys an Eko Ranger six-string acoustic guitar, later a 12-string version, and after seeing Glen Campbell play an Ovation Balladeer in 1976, he buys one for £600. That guitar remains one of his favourites. He visits Dublin in the 1980s, where he first takes an interest in Irish music, and this develops further in the 1990s as he studies Celtic acoustic guitar more seriously.

He gains performance and recording experience as lead guitarist in a band formed by his brother Lee, then joins another band also formed by Lee, which gives him the chance to play Celtic acoustic guitar solos. Using a Takamine limited-edition 1996 acoustic guitar, his solo work brings him to the attention of Trevor Burton, formerly of The Move, for whom he provides gig support.

Recordings and collaborations

Lucas releases his first album, Inspirations, at the start of the 2000s. The album places acoustic guitar at the centre of the music rather than treating it as backing for vocals, and it showcases his use of open tunings and layered melodic playing. His second album of original material, Stages, follows in 2002, and Earthly Elements appears in 2004. By that point, he is performing to audiences of 5,000 at Celtic festivals across the UK.

He later records Samurai Rose with singer-songwriter and martial artist Fay Yvonne, also known as Fay Goodman. The project is produced with musical backing from Rick Wakeman and studio support from Louie Nicastro, who produces The Stranglers. Lucas is also credited with 12 albums in total, and his music reaches the United States in 2006 after a concert at Sidewalk Cafe in New York receives a strong response.

Style and significance

The Celturian is Lucas’s own term for the music he makes, which combines Celtic acoustic guitar technique with original instrumental playing. His approach emphasises concentration, finger strength, and an expansive use of the instrument’s range, with the guitar functioning as the main lead voice rather than accompaniment.