Warwickshire’s Lucy Rose returns to Cambridge in style to debut material from her forthcoming album Work it Out.
Waiting for support act, The Half Earth to take to the stage, I hear one punter ask “Is it a gig or the zombie apocalypse?” pointing to the enormous cloud of dry ice and haunting red glow on stage. His question is soon answered as frontman Conor Stephenson appears through the fog and his haunting falsetto vocals and electronic sounds ensue, filling the venue and drawing in punters from the bar. They are well received by the Cambridge masses but they know what they want! Lucy Rose is sure to be close behind.
Well warmed up and ready to go, Lucy and her band take to the stage to whoops and cheers and much to the delight of the crowd, launches straight into three well known tracks from Like I Used To; the rocked up Cover Up, reminiscent Lines and the beautiful melancholy of Place. She starts Place with a little slip of the fingers, but with a smirk, quickly recovers and from then out, it’s a belter! It’s a brilliant intro to her set and after thanking the crowd, Lucy announces a new song from her forthcoming album Work it Out titled Nebraska. It is a relaxed, piano fuelled number with some clever key changes and the pretty, melancholy vocals we have grown to love shine through like a beacon.
The remainder of the night is interspersed with material new and old, Lucy is as ever, a humble performer and impressed with the crowd who remain quiet and attentive throughout. She thanks them profusely, remarking that she always worries that her quieter songs get drowned out by a noisy audience. Later she recounts that a review in the Guardian said she was too polite, “Screw ‘em” she remarks. Gratitude is often lacking these days, so I couldn’t agree more!
Later in the evening, she descends into the poppy, happy notes her forthcoming single, Our Eyes, the crowd love it. She stops to talk to the crowd about the video; It is weird and funny and she tells us that she is just coming to terms with wearing suits made of dog-treats, grass and chips and that she can finally talk about it in public! Secretly, I think most of the audience were jealous of the chip suit… Myself included.
After closing the set, the crowd weren’t going to let her just leave! The ensuing encore dropped another a new track and finished with opening track from Like I Used To – Red Face. It’s a bril-liantly upbeat finish to a gorgeous set.
After the gig, Lucy spent time at the merch stall meeting and chatting with doughy-eyed fans young and old. She is obviously grateful for her fans and their continued support, but tonight has reinforced the fact that it is absolutely deserved for the Cambridge masses. A beautiful, intimate set from a class act that many seasoned performers could learn from and above all, entertaining from start to finish.
Her sound is evolving, there are hints of more electronic elements on their way but she’s staying true to her roots, mixing things up with stripped back acoustic tracks. If the new material from this evening is anything to go by, the new album is one to very much look forward to.
Lucy’s sophomore album Work it Out is set for release on 13th July 2015 via Columbia Records
Watch ‘Our Eyes’ video BELOW:
Words and Photography by Thomas Day http://tdpgigs.wordpress.com
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