It’s a Monday November night in London, and it’s utterly freezing. There are so many ways one could kick the winter blues, like head to a cosy pub, or watch some trash reality tv. But for a few thousand punters, they’ve chosen to venture out into the cold, and head down to Brixton O2 Academy for, arguably the best feel-good band around – Lawrence.
Lawrence is a music collective from the one and only New York City, comprising sibling duo Clyde and Gracie Lawrence, alongside a bunch of childhood friends-turned music masterminds. They bend the boundaries of so many genres – pop, soul, funk, you name it, to their will. This is my second time seeing Lawrence live, so I already know everyone is in for such a treat.
The theme surrounding both the tour, as well as their latest studio album which has inspired it, is called Family Business. It’s an adorable framework for the band to poke fun at the corporate world, with the show including several Video pieces filmed like cheesy 90s corporate instructional videos.
The show started off with a stellar opening act from upcoming name Maya Delilah, who easily warmed the crowd up with her dreamy voice and incredible guitar skills.
As soon as it hit 9pm, the Lawrence collective hit the stage with such an infectious force of energy, not a single attendee was in their seat. The band were dressed in 90’s corporate attire, like ugly brown blazers, large retro reading glasses, slacks and suspenders.
With Clyde firmly in place behind the keyboard, while Gracie commanding the stage with the very theatrical chops that have placed her firmly in Tony Awards territory on Broadway, we were in for a treat. The duo were joined by the worlds’ grooviest Saxophone trio, Guitarist, Bassist, and Drummer. I don’t think there was a single moment where the whole band wasn’t dancing in step.
The band pumped through their latest album, with several interactive crowd moments in between. They got the VIP audience members to choose some throwback tunes from their first 3 albums, and they played, quite possibly the funkiest cover of Britney Spears’ ‘Dangerous’ that no-one asked for, but clearly needed. They brought Maya Delilah back out for a special Beatles cover, which was actually a teaser for their very special intimate pop up show on Tuesday at the iconic Cavern Club in Liverpool, where they’re playing Beatles Covers.
One particular highlight was their Acoustic-ish rendition of ‘Something in the Water’ which was just nominated a few days ago for a Grammy. In recognition, they played this cover live, which has only been heard on their YouTube channel until now. It translated to the stage immaculately.
Minus the exciting Cavern Club pop up, tonight was Lawrence’s very last show of an almost 2-year tour spanning 110 shows across those 12 countries. It was clear that emotions were running high, and that the band was excited to be getting back home. But that didn’t stop them putting on one hell of a finale. For the encore, they came back to play not one, but three more songs, and not a single soul was ready to leave the room. Confetti rang out, Saxophone solos were delivered, and it’s safe to say the blues were kicked and stomped out by the absolute joy that Lawrence brought to London once more.
For a look at how Lawrence brought the same unstoppable energy down under, check out our review of their Australian tour stop.
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