A wonderful, warm musical celebration with friends and supporters from around the country!
A new venue for me tonight; London’s Scala, which is a stone’s throw from Kings Cross station and not far from Euston Square, where Laurie Wright says he used to “beg for crack”. Today, he’s celebrating being almost 5 years sober, and the launch of his excellent second album ‘We’re Only Warming Up’.
For those unfamiliar with Laurie’s story, about which he is totally candid, this talented young songwriter (who first graced the Glastonbury stage aged just sixteen) has risen from the ashes of addiction with the help of music, his family and his great friend and bandmate Ciaran O’Keeffe. Laurie explains he was homeless on and off in London for eight years because of his addictions to crack cocaine and alcohol, and he busked to make money. “At the hardest times, when I couldn’t busk because the crack had worn away my vocal cords so much, I was begging as well,”
Now Laurie has two great albums under his belt, a fantastic live band, and a lot of friends and supporters. He’s also one of the most humble and personable chaps you could wish to meet; happy to chat with fans before and after shows, recalling those who have previously come along to see him perform – and he’s still busking with his band on the London streets – these days to raise support for addiction and mental health charities.
DJ Ant Buck (antzinthejam) was on hand to spin tunes from new and upcoming bands, while compere Tom McQ (and his ever-changing outfits!) made the introductions and led the applause. It’s a super early start, but there were plenty of people already in the room to cheer Super Swamp Jellyfish onto the stage. Led by singer / guitarist Jack, the band also included Laurie Wright playing bass tonight. Complete with another guitar and drums the quartet made a fantastic start on warming us up for the evening. Their fun, funky, guitar-driven indie rock had heads bobbing and feet tapping, I enjoyed their set immensely! Here’s their performance of current single ‘Nothing’:
A.R.T prepared for their set by unfurling huge painted backdrops behind the drum kit, and bringing out a gigantic cutout of the band name, flanked by two milkshakes. The latter being homage to their latest single ‘Milkshake!’ of course! Describing themselves as “a groovy circus of tasty funk goodness” their amazing attire was as bright and colourful as their music. Frontman Alfie Clayton never stood still, the bass and guitars were on fire, and the sax was a sublime cherry on top of a smooth and sensational set.
The Molotovs began during lockdown, formed by siblings Matt (guitar and lead vocals) and Issey (bass) Cartlidge. Now joined by drummer Will Fooks, they have played hundreds of gigs, including support slots for The Libertines and Blondie. Having collaborated with Laurie Wright earlier this year on single release ‘It Was All Part Of The Plan’, it’s no surprise to see them there tonight. They gave their usual dynamic and engaging performance, driving the crowd wild with their brilliant songs. If ‘New Mod’ is a thing, then this thing IS The Molotovs!
Security went OTT, blocking our view of the stage to shake their fingers at anyone who dared to get above head height, whether crowd surfing or sitting on one another’s shoulders. Quite unnecessary at such a friendly gig where everyone was there to enjoy the music. Fortunately this did not distract the band from putting on a fantastic show.
DJ Ant played one of Laurie’s favourite songs ‘Ogden’s Nut Gone Flake‘ (Small Faces), then the main band took their places. Switching to playing drums, A.R.T’s Alfie Clayton joined Laurie, Ciaran (harmonica) plus bassist Will Atkins and keyboard supremo Tom Monks (Nine Below Zero) with guest backing vocalist Ska / Soul singer songwriter Lucca Mae, for their headline set. They kicked off with the catchy-as-hell title track from the new album ‘We’re Only Warming Up’, and kept the pace going with several more, including ‘The Meaning Of My Life’:
After roaring through the first 10 tracks of the album with aplomb, Laurie enjoying the reaction from the crowd as we danced and sang along, they dropped in three older numbers ‘Butterside Up Boy’, ‘I’ve Cracked It’ and ‘Easy Street’ which amped up the crowd surfers even further! Ending the main set with ‘It Was All Part Of The Plan’, Laurie returned solo for a beautiful rendition of ‘Now I’m Not’, completing the last two tracks from the album.
The show wasn’t over, as the musicians came back out again to play ‘Wendy Mckenzie’ and the joyous ‘West End Lover’. An end of show stage invader tackled to the ground by security was promptly rescued by Laurie, he then had to protect another fan who climbed up shortly afterwards – neither fan deserved such brutality from security, as they certainly meant no harm. Laurie then took his usual stage dive to surf from the stage to the end of the room and back, at which point security gave up!
Heavy-handedness aside, this was a triumphant and joyful celebration of Laurie’s genuinely great second album. The 12 tracks take us on his personal journey over the last couple of years, where his happiness about still being here spills out infectiously, in both his music and lyrics. Make sure you get your copy of ‘We’re Only Warming Up’ from HERE (on CD or vinyl LP) or listen via streaming services!
Main Photo Credit / All Photos: RUTH RAE
- We’re Only Warming Up
- All Bad?
- Who’s Laughing Now?
- The Meaning Of My Life
- Nearly Man
- I’d Rather Be The Passenger
- On My Tod
- Boodaloo
- The Vicious Cycle
- Misbehaviour
- It Was All Part Of The Plan
- Now I’m Not
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