Jamie Lawson, Kentish Town Forum, gig review: Soulful balladry is just fine as background noise
Though it’s not difficult to see why he was signed by Gingerbread Man Records
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.There’s an endearing sense of optimism in Jamie Lawson’s music and the unabashed way he bares his soul to an audience.
Unfortunately in his performance at Kentish Town Forum he fails to inspire; the soulful balladry is just fine as background noise, but live Lawson falls short of the earthy, natural charm that his label boss Ed Sheeran possesses.
It’s not difficult to see why he was signed by Gingerbread Man Records: Lawson’s voice and sentiment are not miles away from Sheeran’s idol Damien Rice, and the simple instrumentation accompanied by equally simple lyrics is pleasant enough.
Since his opening slot at the 02 Arena for the definitely-not-broken-up One Direction at the end of 2015, Lawson’s stage persona has improved in leaps and bounds; he cracks some decent jokes and knows when to ignore heckling from the crowd.
The Plymouth-born troubadour has an undeniably pleasing voice that threatens to crack with emotion on “Cold in Ohio”, while “Ahead of Myself” is a gig-saver: Lawson suddenly stands straighter, projects energy into his voice, and the band seems more alert.
And as sickly-sweet as it is, Lawson’s No. 1 track “Wasn’t Expecting That” still manages to hit home in the most sceptical of audience members.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments