Jamie Lawson – The Tuning Fork (Concert Review)

Manchester singer-songwriter Jamie Lawson opened to an attentive full house in the Tuning Fork with All Is Beauty, the first of an uninterrupted string of catchy and often achingly beautiful acoustic pop songs, hitting his stride quickly and confidently. His lovelorn serenades are reminiscent of Damien Rice, although not as dark in content and tone.  Indeed Lawson has supported Rice amongst other luminaries on his rapid rise over the last few years.  He spoke of coming here supporting Ed Sheeran on his last tour down under and how much his life has changed in the months since.  Although breaking no musical boundaries, he works effectively within the troubadour paradigm, with lyrics that are at times heart on sleeve confessional, at times buoyant expression of love.

He followed the opener with Cold In Ohio, a poignant tour-diary type lyric with the ubiquitous cold harsh world contrasted with the warmth of his lover’s bet. No attitude or pretentiousness here, just direct emotion-laden songs.  His honesty is refreshing at a time when deliberate obfuscation is often the order of the day for trendy indie acts.  These lyrics would not work on paper as poetry, appearing overly simplistic.  But delivered with his hovering emotive and tuneful voice, they have a symbiosis with the chords and melody that at times is genuinely moving.

Lawson explores his beguilingly simple narrative and anecdotal songs with “extroverted introspection”- that clarity of expression which is achieved when a thoughtful lyric is played out by this confident Mancunian tunesmith, avoiding the overly introverted bedsit neurosis of many of the contenders in the genre.  Perhaps the reason for Lawson’s rapid rise is that his high level of musicality on the guitar serves the song rather than vice versa, and his often stripped back rhythms carry the chordal structure without hampering it with showmanship or noodling.  His timing is impeccable, holding pauses in the song masterfully or muted strums in the quiet verse sections before full chordal volume tumbling back in at the chorus.

An intro to a song about “loving someone so much you kill them” is met with nervous laughter form many – apparently unaware this death is metaphorical rather then literal – and one of the strongest songs of the set The Darkness holds a promise of darker veins of Lawson’s muse.  The echoing refrain hung in the air after the song with a haunting nature worthy of Damien Rice or Neil Finn.  The surprising cover was a successful reimagining of Rhianna’s Umbrella, which did what all good cover versions should – revealed a new aspect to the ubiquitous hit.  This seamlessly segued into a few lines from Don’t Dream It’s Over – a crowd pleaser and evidence of a man aware of his audience’s musical heritage.  He is the second Mancunian muso to proclaim Finn as his hero, as Johnny Marr did at his show in NZ last month.  Although Lawson did not have Finn in the flesh waiting in the wings, as Marr indeed did, the spirit was in the room as the crowd sang along to the coda.

This was followed by his big breakthrough song Wasn’t Expecting That which he had saved to last in predictable but necessary modus operandi. In a few seemingly prosaic couplets Lawson has created a clever evocation of the surprises and joys of falling in love, and he deserves the fame and recognition he is rapidly garnering.

This is followed by an encore of Ahead Of Myself, a charmingly vulnerable lyric about taking new connections at the right speed. Melodic guitar lines deftly introduce the song with subtlety and skill.

Lawson allegedly paid his dues busking for years on the streets of London, and now that hard work is coming to fruition for this charismatic Brit. Sceptics will always be naysayers and complain of him being formulaic or MOR, but open your heart and your ears and you will be rewarded.  If you get that chance to see Lawson live take it. He won’t be in such intimate surrounds for long.

Stephen Allely

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