Live Review: Jamie Lawson – 16th April 2016 – Metro Theatre, Sydney, Australia
2 min read
Jamie Lawson took to the stage of Sydney’s Metro Theatre exactly the way you would expect him to: with humility, grace and that beloved British charm. Possibly a reflection of his signature relaxed genre, the singer-songwriter appeared almost out of nowhere to a relatively low build up between his set and that of support act Ryan Keen. Despite this slight awkwardness, and the fact Lawson’s set was running just over half an hour late, when he stepped on stage, a warm reception met him from the diverse audience spanning from teenage lovebirds to mature parents.
The Only Conclusion opened with a cascade of lovely strings and uplifting vocals that radiated throughout the venue. Given the Metro Theatre’s layout, the show was destined to be one that felt quite intimate and the combination of sweet ballads with deeply personal folksy numbers reinforced this. Lawson easily commanded the attention of the room armed with only a simple stage set up, three instrumentalists and his charismatic stage presence, however a few rowdy teenage girls yelling distracting comments/laughing throughout slower numbers proved a little off-putting for the audience. Cold In Ohio, But Love Me and The Last Time stood out as favourites amongst many other little ditties, which had the room swooning.
The recent Gingerbread Man Records signee effortlessly led the audience through a set of songs from The Pull of the Moon to his self-titled 2015 release, along with bits and pieces of covers between such as Sheeran’s Thinking Out Loud. Jamie Lawson’s signature delicate, melodic sound was nicely complimented by his warm banter with the audience, including the cheeky “when I was number one [on the album charts], Ed [Sheeran] was number two. I say that pretty much every night and I don’t get tired of saying it.” A serious love vibe floated through the venue, capitalised by a very nervous/very sweet onstage proposal, to which Lawson then broke into ‘their’ song Don’t Let Me Let You Go.
The night came to a close with the singer’s most famous single so far, Wasn’t Expecting That, complete with an uplifting crowd singalong. Jamie Lawson’s soulful performance rang loud and clear across the audience briefly before being complimented by fans singing word for word along with him. It was a moment of unity between everyone in the venue, which proved the impact of Lawson’s music to be felt so deeply on the other side of the world. A cover of Justin Bieber’s Love Yourself, followed by latest single Ahead of Myself, only kept spirits high and was the perfect way to end a soothing yet captivating night.
