Lawson throws us a life-saver
Surfing over a sea of pop come the guitar-heavy hits of a UK rock band
Feeling like you’ve overdosed on “Gangnam Style” pop? Don’t worry – British rock outfit Lawson has emerged on the scene with a powerful antidote. The quartet’s melodious and catchy-yet-substantial guitar sound has propelled tracks like “When She Was Mine”, “Taking Over Me” and “Standing in the Dark” from their debut “Chapman Square” into charts all over the world.
Drummer Adam Pitts and singer Andy Brown took time out to chat with us about their new-found fame and their trip to Bangkok next year.
What are you guys up to now?
Pitts: We’re in London at the moment. We performed a show last night with [English singer-songwriter] Olly Murs. He’s a good guy and a good friend of ours. We’re doing some recording this week, and we’ll be off to Ireland this weekend.
How did Lawson start?
Pitts: It was about four and half years ago that we first got together. I was in a music school in London. I contacted Andy after hearing his acoustic songs on MySpace. I sent him a message, saying that I wanted to start a band. And he got back to me. We all got together in London, and that’s how Lawson started.
Brown: We call the group Lawson because I had quite a big operation about five or six years ago. The doctor who was operating on me was called Dr Lawson. He saved my life basically.
Did you take the talent-show path?
Pitts: No, we never actually tried talent shows because we were a playing band. In England, all the talent shows are for solo singers, boy bands or girl bands. We were a playing rock band – there’s no talent show we could have gone on.
You toured with boy band the Wanted. How did that happen?
Brown: I am friends with [The Wanted’s] Max George, and he invited us. We toured with them for about a month. It was fun. They were nice guys, and we had some successful moments together. It’s always going to be inspirational for a new band to tour with one of the best UK bands. We learned a lot from them.
What music do you listen to?
Brown: We listen to a lot – Kings of Leon, Maroon 5, The Script, instrumental bands and bands that write their own songs. We also love John Mayer, Taylor Swift and some of the country music. We’d like to collaborate with a big, international female singer in the future. Someone like Katie Perry, Taylor Swift or Jesse J would be cool.
So how do you like the rock star life?
Pitts: The best part is travelling, meeting new people and going places we’ve never been before. It’s also great to spread Lawson’s music all over the world. Be we do get a bit tired sometimes. Apart from that it’s a great experience. We hope to come to Bangkok in April next year.
Brown: Yeah, it would be awesome. And we’ve never been to Thailand before so it will be brilliant.
Many people think the golden era of British music is long gone. How do you see the scene now?
Pitts: I think the music scene right now is great. What’s missing is that there should be a few more guitar bands in the charts. In general, I think the music scene is in a great place. British music is doing well all over the world. It’s a proud time to be British.
What’s next for Lawson?
Pitts: We’ll have a little time off before Christmas, then we’ll starting touring again. This time we’ll go around the world. We’ll be in Southeast Asia, a UK tour and some cities in the US. We’ll also be releasing a few more singles next year. We just can’t wait to come and see everyone in Thailand.
