One performer at LIVERPOOL SOUND CITY 2014 that I’m particularly excited to see is PAWWS – the alter ego for Lucy Taylor and her band. Having worked previously with Bloc Party’s Kele Okereke and MGMT, as well as being a classically trained pianist and flautist, Lucy’s now putting out her own tracks and the standard is very high indeed.
The poppy tunes go down very well with the crowd at Nation. Lucy works the room, and despite some rather unfortunate sound engineering glitches, the set is excellent from start to finish. With a silent yet sparkling charisma, Lucy Taylor has written a collection of very catchy and well-rounded songs – something most musicians struggle to master. Give You Love lingers and I want the album right now.
I’m impressed by this artist, both musically-speaking and performance-wise. Her long period of focus on her own work has paid off, and it shows tonight in spades. If she’s even a little bit shy on stage still, it’s extremely endearing rather than worrying, and her very chilled backing band are a perfect complement to her quiet presence. She checks in with them every so often with knowing glances, while they largely leave her to the crystal-clear vocals and dancing.
I feel like I’ve been waiting for this band for years. And I can’t wait to see them live again – good job for me that they’re doing more shows across the UK this year. Just watch that space – things should get very interesting for Ms. Lucy Taylor.