Popping Up: Lawson

Sam Lansky | May 30, 2013 9:13 am

There’s been a recent surge of boy bands from the UK into the United States — not the least of which are One Direction and The Wanted — but the four-piece pop outfit Lawson aren’t your average boy band: They cite rock influences more than their pop contemporaries.

“I think with the influx of boy bands it’s really good because obviously they’re fighting the fight for British music,” guitarist Ryan Fletcher said. “But I wouldn’t put ourselves in the same category as them at all really, to be honest. We’re much more of a normal band lineup and I think that music really goes down well over here. So I’d like to think we kind of separate ourselves from bands like that.”

The stadium-sized pop anthems of their debut LP earned them serious critical and commercial recognition — including the support of noted fan Taylor Swift (no big deal) — and now they’re gearing up for a new era with their single “Brokenhearted” featuring rapper B.o.B, a Maroon 5-style funk-pop number with a huge chorus.

HOMETOWN: The United Kingdom (all over — but mostly Brighton and London)

SOUNDS LIKE: Maroon 5 at their most anthemic, with Coldplay thrown in for good measure

LEGENDARY TUNESMITH: The boys recorded their debut album with iconic pop-rock producer John Shanks: “I think doing the album was probably my favorite experience so far,” guitarist Joel Peat said. “He’s obviously a legend, like a major producer. He’s worked with Bon Jovi, Kelly Clarkson and Parachute. He was wicked. It was quite harsh, like he’s been with all the best musicians.”

THEIR STRONGEST EFFORT: Lead singer Andy Brown says that their big single “Standing In the Dark” is their favorite song from their debut LP: “It’s a song me and Ryan wrote before we were signed,” he said. “So it’s sort of doubly special when you hear a sold-out crowd sing it back to you — because when we wrote it, no one was really interested in the band. So to go from that to selling out shows — it’s a pretty special moment.”

A PRETTY BIG FAN: As drummer Adam Pitts explains: “We met Taylor Swift a couple months ago at the O2 arena in London. We just played a kind of Jingle Bell Ball and we didn’t know Taylor Swift was there. We came off stage after playing the O2 really hyped and walked backstage, walked up the hallway and Taylor Swift was there, standing on the side of the stage watching us. She was like, ‘I’m a big fan, I love you guys. I sing along to ‘Standing In The Dark,’ it’s one of my favorite songs.”

THE BEST PART: “We love touring,” Joel explains. “That’s the biggest part of this whole thing for us. If you can put us on a tour bus and just send us around the whole country, then we’ll be delighted!”

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