Last week, on an early-March night, LA-based rising pop princess Charlotte Lawrence took to the stage at London’s Bush Hall in the glistening light of the many shining chandeliers of the beautiful venue. This headline stop came as part of her support tour with Sombr, which has so far taken the young artist and her band all across Europe and the UK, and seen her perform in front of thousands of people every evening. The night in Shepherd’s Bush was a quiet one compared to the enormous, sold-out arenas, but in no way any less magical.
Having TV producer Bill Lawrence and actress Christa Miller – who could also be seen in the crowd loudly singing along to every song in support of her daughter – as her parents, Lawrence has never been a stranger to the spotlight. Walking onto the small stage, the singer immediately demonstrated the range of talents she has to offer, jumping into the bouncy ‘Morning’, her angelical voice trailing across the room. From there on, the concert was a ride across Lawrence’s discography, with a distinct focus on her most recent full-length record, the starry ‘Somewhere’, with older hits like ‘Why Do You Love Me’ and ‘Slow Motion’ given way to newer fan-favourites such as the heartfelt ‘Us Three’ and ‘Ophelia’.
Amidst the musical marvels, Lawrence used every second with the audience she could gather to highlight her gratitude for everyone who had come to see her live, while always throwing in the one or other joke – many of which also included continuous apologies to a young fan at the front row for Lawrence’s affinity to cursing (“Sorry, I talk like a trucker!”). And when the moments came to let the music do the talking, surprises like a marvellous cover of Depeche Mode’s ‘Enjoy the Silence’ as well as an improvised version of the stellar ballad ‘Bodybag’, which had to be changed on the spot and performed on an acoustic guitar instead of keys due to technical difficulties, while the enthralled audience made up for the missing piano notes.
Other highlights of the night included the uber-catchy ‘Dog’ and the closing song ‘Somewhere’ to which Lawrence left the stage to tumultuous applause and cheers. A star still in the making, but firmly grounded in who she is and what she can offer, we’re sure that Lawrence’s name will be written in the top ranks of headliners and festival performers in no time.
Written by Laura Weingrill
GEM Magazine 