A couple of weeks back, we caught awesome new band Lawson at North London's Water Rats and were suitably impressed, but if you didn't manage to see them then or on any of the dates they spent supporting the Wanted on their arena tour, you can now see the lads on their very own UK headline tour. The dates are as follows, and you can expect both a rousing performance of excellent new single When She Was Mine and a top night out in general:
14th May - Glasgow O2 ABC2
15th May - Leeds Cockpit
16th May - Nottingham Stealth
18th May - Sheffield Leadmill
19th May - Manchester Deaf Institute
30th May - London KCLSU
31st May - Birmingham Temple
The video for Lawson's rather excellent debut single When She Was Mine is out and we reckon it does a top-notch job of emphasising the whole 'band' aesthetic we were going on about so much in our review of their live show at Water Rats last week. Our favourite bit of the video has to be one minute in though when the girl of the song's title takes a massive swig of wine straight out of the bottle - nice one!
So, last night we went to see exciting new four-piece Lawson at Water Rats up in King’s Cross and it’s fair to say we came away pretty impressed. You see, more than any of the lads-who-play-guitars style boy groups that have come before (I’m looking at you McFly and Busted), Lawson genuinely feel like a proper band. There’s a remarkable fullness to their sound that seemed only emphasised in the tight confines of the North London venue (basically a rather decadent old pub with a stage strapped on), and across their forty minute set, the band delivered again and again on a collection of songs that not only felt highly consistent, but which reached for new levels of maturity for a band of their type too.
At their heart, Lawson are still fundamentally a pop group, and come with the poster-ready looks to go with it – debut single When She Was Mine shines with a classic, almost timeless chorus melody; the kind of thing equally at home on the radio or shouted along to by the press of frenzied teen girls at the gig. But beyond that, what really makes Lawson special is the proficiency and depth of the music itself. Of course, an element of that comes from the fact they all play their own instruments – but it’s more than that; songs like Waterfall and Stolen resounded with a scale that seemed brimming with the promise of everything the group will surely go on to achieve. More than just the sum of their songs, Lawson sound like a group easily worthy of staking their claim as an accomplished contemporary pop-rock outfit.
The rest of the set was comprised of a rousing cover of Ed Sheeran’s The A Team (more upbeat and arguably better than the original), fan favourite Standing In The Dark and Gone, which sounds a little like The Wanted’s Lose My Mind, replete with arena packing chants. Amongst all this, there was a continued air of respect from the band to their music, an innate understanding that these were their songs, their gift to their fans – and as such, they played them all the better. Supplemented with cheeky Northern banter, chatter with the sound crew, and a sort of subtle, assured confidence, Lawson already very much feel suited to their role. Even the black jackets, leather and New Romantic quiffs they were attired with had the touch of a band content in offering something far more uniquely ‘them’ than chasing trends. Come the end of the gig, we wanted more, to dive into the studio versions of the songs and really appreciate the production and well-roundedness of the tracks, and that – for any up and coming band – must surely be an accomplishment.
So – Andy, Ryan, Joel and Adam – we’re impressed, very impressed.
Lawson’s single When She Was Mine is released on the 27th May.
A lot has been made of how Lawson are the next 'Busted or McFly', but to be honest, one listen of new single When She Was Mine highlights how, at heart, they represent something far more. While the vocals and well-rounded pop hooks might be standard boy-band far, the music itself shows a group of properly accomplished musicians pushing to bring real substance to their sound. Whether it's the Cure-esque guitar, or the dreamy middle-eight, When She Was Mine isn't just great pop, it's mature pop too. There's a depth and weight to the production that really emphasises the 'band' feel of the track, a collective of talent that when combined brings forth prodigious results that feel allied to a wiser, smarter aesthetic than many of their contemporaries. It bodes well for the guys' debut album, that's for sure.
They're the boyband with a difference. Looking to follow in the footsteps of teen-girl-ecstasy-inducing groups like The Wanted and One Direction, newcomers Lawson bring a more mature, soulful brand of pop to the table. They not only play their own instruments, but going by tender acoustic number Standing In The Dark, they're a dab hand at emotional tissues-at-the-ready balladry too.
But why have one boyband when you can have two? The Lawson lads will be taking to the road with The Wanted for a tour of such unparallelled boybandery that it might through the Earth out of alignment. Or something like that.
Running through February and March, the arena tour will no doubt be setting teenage hearts a fluttering everywhere - and in the meantime, there's always a free download of Lawson's rather lovely track Red Sky to enjoy.
Catch both sets of boys on the following tour dates!
FEBRUARY
15 - Nottingham - The Capital FM Arena
17 - Manchester - Arena
18 - Sheffield - Motorpoint Arena
20 - Brighton - Centre
23 - Cardiff - Motorpoint Arena
24 - Liverpool - Echo Arena
25 - Newcastle - Metro Radio Arena
27 - Glasgow - The SECC
28 - Aberdeen - AECC
MARCH
01 - Birmingham - LG Arena
02 - Bournemouth - International Centre (BIC)
03 - London - The O2 Arena
05 - Brighton - Centre
06 - Bournemouth - International Centre (BIC)
08 - Belfast - Odyssey Arena
09 - Dublin - The O2
A few weeks ago we featured Lawson's cover of Marry The Night on the blog, now for some original material from the boys!
We're loving their song Standing In The Dark - it really sums up in one track what they're about, strong pop-rock melodies and a maturity befitting a band many years their senior. In this stripped-back, acoustic setting, the band manage the tricky feat of remaining vital and engaging, projecting a polished, well-rounded sound.
And while we're on the subject of well-rounded performances, they've even come up with a rosy-cheeked emotional Christmas song! Lushly produced, it's another standout performance from the band that we reckon will be really making waves in 2012.
We've been paying quite a lot of attention to up and coming group Lawson recently and previously featured their taster track Red Sky on the blog. Today, we just happened to be browsing through our inbox and landed on the cover art for the track - we reckon it's pretty damn beautiful.
You'll be hearing a lot about Lawson in the coming months. They're one of the UK's most excited up and coming boy bands, pushing a more mature brand of rock-pop - they play all their instruments too.
But don't be mistaken in calling them 'just another McFly/Busted', their tracks speak of a far greater level of musicality, and even on this Lady Gaga cover version, their talent speaks for itself.
Now, I'm not much of a fan of the original, but this cover sounds brilliant - throwing some elegant little bluesy guitar licks in and the husky vocals of lead singer Andy Brown into the mix, it transforms the track from disco stormer into gentle campfire classic.
The band are fresh from supporting the likes of Avril Lavigne, The Wanted and Will Young, taking to LA to finish off recording for their debut album, and judging by tracks like Red Sky - which we featured on the blog last month - we should be in for a treat upon its completion.
The band are also set to play a number of live dates early next year:
JANUARY 2012
Mon 16TH BRIGHTON THE HAUNT
Tues 17TH BRISTOL FLEECE
Wed 18TH LONDON ISLINGTON O2 ACADEMY 2
Thurs 19TH BIRMINGHAM RAINBOW
Fri 20TH MANCHESTER SOUND CONTROL
Sat 21ST GLASGOW KING TUTS
They've already racked up impressive support slots with the Wanted and Avril Lavigne and November will see new Polydor-signed group Lawson touring with Will Young.
From across the UK, the assorted twenty-somethings - Andy, Joel, Adam and Ryan - make for an impressive combo; their YouTube page is packed with tender acoustic material. The band's songs tremble with a delicate intensity underscored by soulful, radio-friendly vocals sure to set the hearts of girls across the country alight.
14-Nov-11 Manchester Apollo
15-Nov-11 Llandudno Cymru Theatre
17-Nov-11 Brighton Centre
18-Nov-11 Cambridge Corn Exchange
20-Nov-11 Birmingham Academy
21-Nov-11 London Shepherds Bush Empire
22-Nov-11 London Shepherds Bush Empire
24-Nov-11 Southend Cliffs Pavilion
25-Nov-11 Plymouth Pavilion
26-Nov-11 Cardiff St Davids Hall
