SHOWBIZ: Lawson rocks!

Catchy music, talent and good looks drove the crowd wild at Lawson’s recent performance. Bibi Nurshuhada Ramli was there

IT is rare to find a boy band with the complete “package”.   Lawson is a perfect example, and that was what drove its fans wild at its recent Chapman Square promo tour showcase at Avenue K in Jalan Ampang, Kuala Lumpur.

Hailing from the UK, Adam Pitts, Andy Brown, Joel Peat and Ryan Fletcher are relatively new in the mainstream music industry.

Making up the band Lawson, they only began recording songs in 2010, but made their mainstream debut in 2011 after opening for several acts including UK’s own band The Wanted.

The four boys’ catchy music, impressive talents and most importantly good looks, helped pull in fans, who enjoy their chart-topping singles off their debut album, Chapman Square, released October last year.

After undergoing their fourth tour in the UK and Ireland in February and March, Lawson began its Asian tour on April 1 in Bangkok. That was followed by Singapore, the Philippines and then Malaysia.

When the 75-minute show began at Avenue K, the four members entered the dimly lit stage wearing trousers and very thin tops, already knowing that they were bound to get sweaty.

Lawson began with Everywhere You Go, Gone and Taking Over Me — three rocking numbers that warmed up the capacity crowd of 1,200 screaming fans.

The boys gave their all to the performance, especially Pitts, who hit the drums so hard and made the beats blast through the speakers strongly.

Brown lived up to expectations. He wowed the audience with strong and clear vocals, with Peat and Fletcher backing him up.

In turn, the fans sang along at the top of their lungs and danced and jumped. For the slow song, Waterfall, they clapped along to the rhythm.

“KL, how are you doing?” Brown shouted to the audience, getting a loud “wooooo!” in reply.

“You guys can certainly sing live!” he noted, gazing at the sea of screaming fans.

Next were Make It Happen and the band’s most recent hit, Learn To Love Again, which were performed with equal fervour. Brown’s falsetto was impressive as well.

“Do you want to party with us?” Peat asked the crowd, as Brown put down his acoustic guitar and the familiar opening tunes to Maroon 5’s Moves Like Jagger was heard.

The fans screamed as Brown began to show his “moves” while singing the song. They went into a frenzy when he and Fletcher neared their faces very close together to share a mic.

“That was insane!” said Brown of the audience’s reaction. “Let’s take you back to Chapman Square now.”

Lawson then performed its first single, When She Was Mine, which the fans sang along to. It began with some guitar strumming by Peat and Brown and ended with a big finish.

“This has been a great night for us. Thanks for singing with us in the background,” Brown said, before the band played a cover of Swedish House Mafia’s Don’t You Worry Child.

“This has been incredible!” Peat said. “I’m 100 per cent sure I want to come here again. I think Malaysia is the best place I’ve ever been.”

For the encore, the band performed its third single, Standing In The Dark. Although the song was rather slow, the fans sang along loudly.

Unfortunately there wasn’t enough room in Avenue K for all the fans who came to see Lawson that night, but this certainly had given the boys an excuse to come back.

(From left) Peat, Brown, Pitts and Fletcher thank their fans.

SHOWBIZ: Lawson rocks!