Spotify superstar Charlotte Lawrence showcases her star quality with an extraordinary headline show at Manchester’s Deaf Institute

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Manchester’s Deaf Institute simultaneously embodies elements of grandeur and intimacy, making it undeniably the perfect venue for emerging artists to delight their devoted fans. As the venue rapidly filled with a predominantly young female audience, the anticipation was palpable for Charlotte Lawrence’s first Manchester show.

As the crowd rushed into the venue, London’s Petire captivated with their music that draws influence from the likes of hip-hop and RnB to create an excitingly innovative sound that’s unpredictable and mind-blowingly intoxicating. Next up was Mae Muller, whose distinct vocal tones were perfectly complemented by her guitarist’s masterful playing. Her brutally frank lyrical honesty is perhaps best exemplified by her latest single release “Leave It Out”, which chronicles her defiantly rebuffing someone’s affections.

Opening the show with her break-out hit “Sleep Talking”, which also opens her debut EP Young, Lawrence took the stage along with her two-piece band, and from that moment on it was impossible to not focus on her magnetic, spirited performance. From the outset, she revelled in entertaining the crowd, who sang her words right back to her in a beautiful harmonious fashion.

Illuminated by both the venue’s lights and an apparent sea of phone flashes, Lawrence then launched into her debut original track “Seventeen”, with unbridled, impassioned energy. It’s a testament to her awe-inspiringly talented band that they seemingly effortlessly manage to expand and broaden the sonic horizon of her tracks to magnify their excitement, energy, and unpredictability. The familiarity of tracks coupled with this revigorated energy served to create an atmosphere of infused excitement and tension that beautifully reminds you of the palpable tangibility of live music.

Although Charlotte Lawrence may have accumulated the vast majority of her devoted fanbase through her effervescent pop hits, it’s the more understated tracks such as “Everybody Loves You” and “Bloodstream” that showcase where Lawrence’s finest qualities lie. The emotional resonance of both the tracks’ brutal, affecting lyrical honesty is amplified in a live setting, with the entire audience utterly magnetized by every single syllable that Lawrence sublimely sang.

With the audience still spellbound by her emotionally devasting performance of “Bloodstream”, Lawrence swiftly launched into an excitingly exuberant performance of The Killer’s “Mr Brightside”, dedicated to her father, TV producer Bill Lawrence. Given her Los Angeles upbringing, her on-stage banter surprisingly evidences her overwhelming gratitude and charming humbleness.

Following her astounding cover with two of finest songs, “I Bet” and “Just The Same”, Lawrence truly has the crowd in the palm of her hand with every single person in the audience being entirely enraptured by her subversively catchy hooks and lyricism, which interweaves playfulness with a deliciously dark-edge.

As the night drew to a close, Lawrence unleashed “Want You To Want Me”, an unreleased track, providing fans with a tantalizing glimpse of what to expect from her in the near future. Closing the show with “Stole Your Car”, Lawrence’s beaming grin shines brighter than ever before as fans roar in a wonderfully harmonious fashion.

Charlotte Lawrence’s debut EP showcased her innate ability to craft endlessly enthralling and euphorically energetic pop music, signalling her as an exciting artist to watch. Her show is both astonishingly euphoric and stirringly poignant, sometimes both simultaneously, while the deep connection that her fans have with her music is astoundingly evident. With new tracks likely on the horizon, it’s an extremely exciting time for this talented pop star, who’s already mastered the difficult art of interweaving intimate, affecting emotion with powerful pop hooks.

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