Lawson - One night at O2 Shepherd's Bush

Hi my lil' fairies,

Two posts in two weeks - what a shocker! But, I'm so happy to be writing this because I got to travel back to my 2nd home (London) to go and watch a band who's had so much of an impact on my life and, no matter how much I change, they remain a constant in my life. I got to go and see Lawson at O2 Shepherd's Bush and, even though it was the 6th/7th time I've seen them live, it was probably one of the best gigs I've seen in my life! It was also their first gig in two years which made it even more special! So, like I always do, here's a little review of the night!

After a long day of travelling to London, then to the hotel and then to the venue (which is beautiful by the way), it was so nice to finally get inside, soak up the atmosphere of the crowds and get ready for the show ahead with the support act - and what a support act it was! Having Max George (formerly The Wanted) was such an amazing way to start the show, firstly because it was almost like a full circle considering Lawson supported The Wanted on their tour and secondly, because you could tell that there were a lot of Wanted fans in the venue. You should've heard the noise when Max came on stage and the opening chords to We Own the Night started playing, I mean talk about #throwback (especially for me). He then played his own banger Barcelona, followed by a cover and finally Glad You Came! It was so sweet that Max accepted Lawson's offer to be the support act and it was the perfect way to start a night that was only going to get better!

After an amazing opening act, I was all hyped up and ready for the main show (which I had an amazing view of from the raised platform instead of the crowded main stalls). When the lights dropped and Boys are Back In Town came on *I know, how awesome*, I got pretty emotional as I watched all four of the guys come on together for the first time in what seemed like forever - I mean it felt like they'd never been apart! 

From the announcement of this gig being a Chapman Square Anniversary Tour, I'd sort of anticipated the setlist but it really exceeded all my expectations and I was blown away with how into the setlist the crowd were. Starting with When She Was Mine was such a blast from the past and it really set the tone for the perfect blend of tracks that they played from Chapman Square. We had the more high energy songs like Learn to Love Again, Taking Over Me, Juliet *my jam* and Brokenhearted which had the entire crowd jumping and singing (or screaming in my case) along. 

They also played some of the slower songs and I've always been a sucker for the more emotional and sad songs from Chapman Square. We had the songs that have been played on a lot of their tours like Everywhere You Go, Stolen and the crowd favourite The Girl I Knew, which have the crowd swaying along to the music and internally crying. But, Lawson even managed to put on some of the tracks that they've maybe only played once or twice on tour but happen to be my favourites. Hearing songs like You'll Never Know and You Didn't Tell Me made me really emotional because these were the songs that I'd listen too daily when I was a teenager. Even though it made me wish that they'd have played all these songs every single time, it made the night even more special because it felt like they were giving the fans something a bit extra! There was this crazy energy from both the fans and the band which made every song sound like its own show! It also was nice to hear the banter between the boys, because that's one of the things I love most about this band . 

It seems like the only fitting way to ever end a Lawson concert is by playing Standing in the Dark which will always be one of the best songs in existent. We had the crowd singing along with Andy and it made me feel like we'd never had a time where Lawson gigging wasn't a thing. I felt as if I was being transported into the past and suddenly all my worries were gone for the night. It was a night of pure bliss. They played this gig for us and playing this song was a fitting way to end such a perfect night! The funny this is that, even though Lawson always put on amazing shows, there was something about that night which was even more special. Maybe it was the near sold out crowd, or the nostalgic set or even the amazing lighting and effects throughout, but something felt different and it made the night even better than I could've possibly imagined! 

What's funny about writing this post all these years later is that Lawson was one of the reasons I started this blog, all because I wanted to share my experiences of gigs with the world and maybe get to interview some of my idols. I want to thank Lawson for another amazing night because they showed me again why they are one of my favourite bands in the world. I've been blessed to see them live, I've been blessed to meet them and I just want them to know that they'll always have a fan in me. I never thought that I'd ever love a band so much that, even after seeing them nearly every year since 2012, I'd still be in awe of their live performances. 

So, even though Andy, Joel, Ryan and Adam said they were all thankful and emotional, I have to say thank you to all four of you guys because I got to relive some of the best moments of my teenage years with a band that was there through it all! Lawson came back for one gig and I hope the love we gave them told them to not wait too long to play another one!

Thank you Lawson and here's to next time!

And, to all my musical chums, until next time!

Bye for Now

xx