Category: Artist Reviews

For those that don’t know, Lucy Spraggan is a singer songwriter who was first on the radar (for me at least) after being on X Factor in 2012 performing some of her own songs (and owning them!) Getting a top 40 single and album independently before the show. Now on her 4th album, Lucy released the single Dear You which I heard on her tour last year. The first time I heard Dear You no one knew what to expect and the conclusion to the song sent everyone into a silent stun. Honestly, it’s an incredibly moving and powerful song that you should listen to here: This time round the venue was much bigger! From a couple hundred to 1,500 capacity Manchester Ritz! EVERY song the crowd was singing and really getting into it. The sold out show filled out VERY quickly which is always good to see for the support acts! So why is this called The Lucy Spraggan Effect? Lucy has enabled her fans to be bold, happy and real through music. That in itself is amazing but for them then to all sing EVERY word on EVERY song is just so good to see. Lucy allowed a fan (I think called Becca?) to propose to their girlfriend, it was cuuute! I loved the mix of new and old songs it was just a shame I couldn’t stay till the end (damn you Manchester trains!) Lucy has songs about hard hitting topics like Dear You and Tea and Toast. Go on, get on Spotify and check her out. 😉

Last night I went to photograph an artist where I only knew a couple of their songs. I came across Lucy Spraggan due to Spotify, where I selected an artist and asked it to make a playlist with similar artists and it added Lucy. I wasn’t too sure what to expect last night but it soon became apparent Lucy wrote about things she experienced and didn’t hold back. From songs like Tea & Toast, Uninspired and Dear You. Dear You, is a song that starts off writing a letter to someone you’ve not heard from in a while. As you start to realise there is no reply, Lucy hits you with: “I got the worst feeling when I heard your dad cry, when your mum took the phone and went outside, Man, she told me how hard you tried, that it didn’t work out with your kids and wife, I nearly dropped the phone and had tears in my eyes, when she said, you took your own life last July.” This is something Lucy does time and time again, writing about subjects others steer clear of. Later on she describes an elderly couple who were walking past her as she was busking and the woman collapsed and was unconscious. The elderly man kept hold of her hand the entire time and Lucy felt inspired to write the song “Tea and Toast”. I ended up realising though she has been on X Factor that she was not the typical artist from that show. She’s a genuine and honest person who isn’t afraid to speak her mind. I can’t find a version of Dear You anywhere online, whether audio or video. Which has led me to this point, Lucy I invite you to our studio for a live session half an hour from Manchester! Everyone should definitely give her a listen and tell me they aren’t singing along in no time!

When you hear that the Fratelli trio are heading out on their ‘Eyes wide, tongue tied’ UK tour you can’t help but start to hum to “Chelsea Chelsea I believe..” but there is much more than their infamous hit Chelsea Dagger to this band. Jon Fratelli’s slick look and his buttery smooth performance show just how tight these are as a band. Now on their 4th Album ‘Eyes Wide, Tongue Tied’ they are still producing tunes with catchy lyrics and stomp your feet and clap your hands beats. I think most people went away from the gig last night with tired arms from clapping away throughout, many took to their friends shoulders for a better view and to have a little boogie. Now I’ll give you a word of warning, they’ll play Chelsea Dagger in the middle of their encore. While talking about encores, why do they still happen? We all know artists save some huge songs for the encore, they aren’t just going to not play them. It’s an old tradition that probably could be phased out in my opinion. For this, I’d recommend getting near the front if you actually want to see the band as a sea of phones will be held aloft to capture their moment of Chelsea Dagger. In addition, this can also be the case throughout as many people clambered on their friends shoulders obscuring the view of the fans behind them, so could be pot luck if you get a good view or not. In all, The Fratellis seemed to have gotten tighter since I last shot them in 2013 and Jon seems to have gotten fashionably cool. If you love great indie tunes that will get you dancing and singing along then I recommend you go see The Fratellis on their tour, check out if they’re playing near you here.

I’m not sure how you’d describe Amber Run, like who do you compare them to? You don’t, that’s the point. You will start comparing other bands to them like “XYZ are like Amber Run with less talent”. They are currently taking the music scene by storm, the momentum is totally with Amber Run right now. I heard of Amber Run as other musicians I follow on Twitter were saying how great they are, and naturally I was intrigued. Their performance is full of anthems, catchy lyrics and butt load of atmosphere. I’m glad I was intrigued. As the crowd cheered/clapped/whistled between songs Joe would laugh with his other band mates out of what seemed excitement for the sheer fact they were performing for their fans. I particularly loved their song ‘Noah’ as I often think “would this be good to listen to on a long journey?”. I’ll tell you now, on my train journey home I bought their album 5AM. I spend a good chunk of time on trains going to gigs in a city on my own listening to music for hours on end. This album is absolutely perfect for this and has been added to my main playlist that I listen to for about 3/4 hours a day. If you get the chance I honestly think you should go see these guys live, especially as you will be kicking yourself when you here they are playing stadium shows in just a few short years.