Lawson - Tread water but are still good on Adam Lambert shows!!!

April 14th / 16th 2016

Tour, UK

***

Need to up their game again live!!!

Lawson *** have been on a bit of a downwards spiral recently, and have been ending up more as a support act than a headline act these days. Playing venues six months ago, would have Sold Out!!! on their own as a headline act. Lawson were originally called The Groves but changed their name in 2010, whenDr. David Lawson performed life saving brain surgery on the lead singer Andy Brown.

But here Lawson are again needing a life saving career moment, and who is going to perform the surgery. Enter Adam Lambert, who has kindly let them join him on the bill, for his two highly anticipatedUK concert dates. Lawson in the early days had a lot of hits off their first album 'Chapman Square',but the more serious direction they brought to 2015's 'Lawson' EP didn't see them winning any new fans... actually losing them.

Even though the new songs sound so much better on the CD, than they do live when they don't sound soPop orientated. Their forthcoming album 'Perspective' has been taking far to long to come out, four years from their successful first album.

With the band releasing extended plays of 'Chapman Square', instead of actually bringing out a new album. This is a great delay tactic but I don't think really works for any band.The majority of the bands set today comes from that EP, rather than their brilliant debut album.

Which I can understand, but I think is a big mistake for them. Especially when they only playing two songs off it the singles 'Standing in the Dark' and 'Juliet' the second of which is a odd choice for me. Because you get no 'Learn to love Again, When she was Mine, Taking over Me' or even 'Brokenhearted'and new single 'Money' is just a little bit two simple and bland compared with some of these great numbers.

Also singer Andy Brown doesn't seem to have the flamboyancy he once had, I remember seeing them at the Oxford, o2 Academy and the venue was electrifying and you found yourself singing every word. Ok!!!'Standing in the Dark' does get a few people singing but it is just not enough. He seems to have added a more Indie / Reggae vibe to the songs on the live stage, which is in a way a little bit away from what they were doing before.

I think the band have been watching Coldplay and Mumford and Sons a little too much, and with a desire to be more creditable have changed their sound. But what they forgot is a lot of people liked their sound before, and it is very hard to change your audience. Bands take a longtime to build a fan base, and if your not careful you can loose it in a moment.

The thing is if the formula is not broke... then don't fix it. They had great Pop melodies on the first album, and everyone that goes to see them... just wants more of that. Also the fact that the most interesting person in the band at both of their performances with Adam Lambert in London and Manchester. Adam James Pitts is just great to watch out shinning every member of the band... and he is the drummer.

I just think the desire they had to succeed and be the best at what they do, has gone and the band have got a bit too musical and depressed and this comes across in their live performances at the moment. I think this could be because of the decrease in ticket sales and their places on bills. I know when bands get into this mood or position, they find it hard to move out of it.

I also think they are playing a new sound that does not appeal so much to their fan base, and because they started off as a Pop band it would be very hard for them now to move into the Indie genre and be taken serious. But I do think if they changed their attitude a bit they could get it all back, they have the ability to write good well written Pop songs, and every member Andrew, Adam, Joel and Ryan are all great musicians.

I look forward to the new album 'Perspective' and hope they go back to form on it. I don't want Lawsonto disappear without a trace, so I hope they are back to their full Pop glory very soon. They are so close to hitting the big time, and I am one person that doesn't want to see a Pop band that writes their own songs disappearing.