Music Q&A: Lawson

Desperate to not be pegged as a boyband, Lawson are making waves with their debut album of pop-rock, Chapman Square. Andy (vox, guitar), Joel Peat (lead guitar), Adam Pitts (drums) and Ryan Fletcher (bass) get ready to play at Echo Two, Liverpool on 5 October.

You’ve definitely moved up in the world in the last few months with B.O.B appearing on your last single and now having Kelly Brook appear in your video – is that the effect of working in LA?

Adam: Not really. We were lucky that B.o.B just really loved the song. Kelly was actually our management’s idea but we were delighted she took part. She was fantastic and really down to earth.
Andy: We recorded the first album in LA and it’s definitely a great place for meeting creative people but London is just the same. Plus, the internet has made the world a much smaller place. You can track down anyone using Google if you look in the right places.

You’ve been playing material from Chapman Square now for a while. Are you incorporating potential second album material into your new sets?
Joel: We are, yes. We kick off our tour at the end of September and we’ll definitely be playing some of the new songs. They’re some of our best material to date we’re excited to play them live.

Ryan: Playing live is where we’re most at home. These are the biggest venues we’ve played to date and when we were writing these songs we were already thinking of how they’d sound at a live show.

Has working with other artists spurred you to be more adventurous in your writing and how do you combine your influences?

Andy: I think the music is always evolving. It just depends on what mood you’re in when you’re writing. I’m looking forward to writing a massive ballad next. Something really big and epic.

Ryan: We’ve all got really eclectic music tastes. We all love country music, but then I’m a massive Guns n Roses fan but then I just bought Drake’s album. So we’re all very varied.

Which band did you grow up with, who are still going now, that you’d be honoured to share a stage with?

Andy: The Beatles (er?? Ed.) No surprise as I’m from Liverpool.

Adam – We’re all massive fans of Kings Of Leon and have had the privilege of being on the same bill at festivals a couple of times.

Would you ever consider being filmed for a reality TV show like your mates The Wanted did?

Ryan: Not really. They wouldn’t be able to air half the things we get up to. We’d quite enjoy doing a making of the album type documentary maybe next year. Adam’s best mate George has been with us from the start and is always videoing us. It’s fun to look back on all that stuff. Even in the past year things have changed so much.

What bad habits have you picked up on when on the road that really annoy family and friends when you’re back home?

Ryan: We’re all pretty good at keeping in touch via Skype and things now. It’s difficult for our families sometimes but they’ve always very understanding.
Andy: Our parents are the biggest fans of the band, so they’re just so happy for us that things are going well for us. I remember when Joel and Ryan told their parent’s they were both quitting college to concentrate on the band. Even then, they were really supportive. We couldn’t have done this without them.

How do you balance that very mainstream pop appeal with a desire to be seen as maybe a little bit more in the bracket of The Script or Coldplay?

Adam: I think the key thing is for people to see us play live, then they normally get it. The comparisons people make of us with certain other bands used to get on our nerves but now we’ve learnt to just deal with it. People will make their own judgments and that’s fine. We’re in this for the long run so all in good time.

Lianne Steinberg