Pete Lawrie

Supporting Turin Brakes
Shepherd’s Bush Empire
March 26, 2010

by Rowena Carter

pete lawrie does not look how he sounds. if you listen to his voice, you imagine a gruff old man who has been around the block a few times…when you see him he is boy next door cute to the point where you would be proud beyond words to bring him home to meet your mum…at shepherds bush, he appeared sporting a lovely chequered shirt and freshly spiked hairdo (which coincidently appears in every promo photo you will find online) and as the set unfolded i thought to myself, what a fitting support act for turin brakes – easy on the eyes and easy on the ears.

his sound reminds me a little of ray lamontagne, particularly the husky, raspy vocal delivery, with shades of david gray (especially when he joggles his head as he loses himself in his own little world). the songwriting holds its own, if not for the fact that it is nothing revolutionary in the world of singer/songwriter acoustic pop. the description on myspace as folk/blues/gospel implies something a little outside the arena i discovered, however with a face like his i would not object to being serenaded by mr lawrie anytime…this i was tempted to whisper into his ear as he passed next to me in the bar after his set, looking for a place to settle to see the band who have clearly done him a big favour, by opening the doors to a massive fan base…because lets face it- anyone who likes turin brakes could be easily wooed by the soothing sound (and vision) of pete lawrie. and if the music career doesn’t take off then there is always the option of modelling…have i focused too much on appearance.? oops