The Lucksmiths are an independent pop band from Melbourne, Australia who formed in 1993 and have been associated with the genres of indie pop, anti-folk and retro-pop.

The members are Martin "Marty" Donald (guitar), Taliesyn "Tali" White (vocals, drums), and Mark "Marky" Monnone (bass) and in 2004 they acquired Mid State Orange's guitarist Louis Richter on second guitar. In the early 90's, they met Chris Crouch, who informally 'signed them' to his record label, Candle Records. Crouch consequently began releasing their records, and they began to play the Melbourne indie circuit, most notably the Punters Club and later expanded to other Australian venues such as Sydney's The Annandale Hotel or Brisbane's the Troubadour.

In May of 2009, the band announced on their website that they would be breaking up after a series of live shows in Australia that coming August.

The majority of songs are written by Marty Donald, although Tali and Mark also contribute songs. The band's most widely played song on radio, "T-Shirt Weather" was written by the bass player Mark Monnone.

Songs by the Lucksmiths are mostly about love and relationships, but also deal with other everyday issues such as notable friends or warm weather. There are also recurring themes of Melbourne culture (especially that of inner city Melbourne) in songs such as "Under the Rotunda", "The Sandringham Line" and "Transpontine".

Use of language

The Lucksmiths are renowned for their creative and witty use of language. ^{[citation needed]}Especially in songs written by Marty, lyrics will often feature puns, wordplays and draw upon literary references or Australian English idioms.

The themes of weather, geography, and seasons appear often in the songs of the Lucksmiths.

The Lucksmiths were one of the first bands on Candle Records, and quickly became one of Candle's biggest acts. When Candle closed down on 31 March 2007, the band relocated to Melbourne label Lost & Lonesome.

Outside of Australia, The Lucksmiths' albums and EPs have been released on Drive-In Records (Later Microindie Records) and Matinée Recordings in the United States, Fortuna Pop! in the United Kingdom, Clover Records in Japan, and Boompa! Records in Canada.

Some of their influences include The Simpletons, Billy Bragg, The Housemartins, The Magnetic Fields, Belle & Sebastian, The Smiths, Aztec Camera, Lloyd Cole, Orange Juice, and The Trash Can Sinatras.

Albums

• First Tape (1993)
• The Green Bicycle Case (1995)
• What Bird Is That? (1996)
• A Good Kind of Nervous (1997)
• Happy Secret (1999)
• Why That Doesn't Surprise Me (2001)
• Where Were We? (2002)
• Naturaliste (2003)
• Warmer Corners (2005)
• Spring A Leak (2007)
• First Frost (2008)

EPs

• Boondoggle (1994)
• Staring at the Sky (1999)
• A Little Distraction (2003)
• The Chapter in Your Life Entitled San Francisco (2005)
• A Hiccup in Your Happiness (2006)

• The Lucksmiths' official site
• The Lucksmiths' Myspace page (fan-based)
• The Lost & Lonesome Recording Co
• Candle Records
• Reviews of The Lucksmiths
• Interviews with The Lucksmiths
• The Lucksmiths complete discography
• Lucksmiths guitar tabs