It is often difficult to track the moment when you move from being a great admirer of an artist too when you completely fall in love. Often this will take the form of emotional significance if a particular artist or particular song holds values because they remind you of a particular time of your life or a particular person. However, sometimes the moment you fall in love will be when you see them perform live and something inside of you just clicks. This is something that has happened to me on three distinctive occasions before, seeing Jamie Cullum as my first ever concert, seeing The Strypes rock in Brighton and seeing BearÔÇÖs Den in Portsmouth on the advice of a friend, having never really listened to them before. I am overjoyed to report that the same momentous occasion occurred on Saturday 18th November at the Tramshed when I saw Lucy Rose and fell in love.

Lucy Rose has always been a thoughtful, emotional and mature artist. However, since the release of her new album, SomethingÔÇÖs Changed she seems to have reached a new level of maturity, moving towards a tighter more minimal sound as opposed to the indie rock influences which were clearly apparent on her last album Work It Out. The clearest signifier of this move away from a rougher sound to a more cultivated and elegant one is the decision to introduce chairs to her concerts. This fundamentally changes the dynamic of the performance and is something I was initially sceptical about. I have always valued the ability to get involved with the music when at a gig, and for me, part of that has always been the ability to move with the music. Therefore, the loss of this ability was something which played on my insecurities leading up to Lucy RoseÔÇÖs entrance. After all, how could I truly get involved with the music without the ability to move? It turns out I could get involved on a new level. The respect Lucy Rose demanded from the audience was second to no artist at any gig I have been to (and trust me thatÔÇÖs a lot). While much of this derived from her pure talent I got the feeling it wouldnÔÇÖt have quite been the same had it been a standing gig.

While her fantastic band, soulful vocals and masterful guitar playing all contributed to this being one of the best live music experiences of my life, it was Lucy RoseÔÇÖs unbelievable stage presence and mastery of the crowd which truly made me fall in love. Lucy RoseÔÇÖs music is the epitome of happy/sad, the lyrics are often heartbreaking but she is also so charismatic, down to earth and caring that she canÔÇÖt help but make you smile. Throughout the performance, Lucy had a smile on her face even when she had a tear in her eye. The fact she loves to perform and lives for the music was clear and infectious. I smiled so hard the whole evening that my jaw was sore by the time I went to bed. Yet despite this went she sang Shiver I felt a tear run down my cheek. Live music has never affected me this way before and IÔÇÖm so glad that Lucy Rose did.

If you get the opportunity to see Lucy Rose live or just to listen to her music I implore you to do so. Whether you go for the great musical experience, tight band, raw song-writing or pure charisma of Lucy Rose she will deliver in spades and youÔÇÖll leave the venue a happier more emotionally intelligent person. Plus, if you do have an urge to move and are frustrated by the limitations that the seating enforces just get up and boogie, I couldnÔÇÖt help myself when she closed with Like an Arrow.┬á

 

Max Modell