We had a chat with Lawson bassist Ryan Fletcher about their new single Juliet, playing live and their debut album Chapman Square. The band have just released a repackaged version of the album, including five new songs and a bunch of great acoustic versions of fan favourites from their debut album – the album is available now.
Your new single Juliet is flying high in the midweek charts – do you think you can still make the number one spot?
There are only a few thousand copies in it, so if people just keep downloading it…
You’re releasing an extended version of your debut album Chapman Square – was it easy for you to write and record?
Yeah, definitely. I mean, it’s never totally easy for us to record a song, because we always put a lot of work into making sure we get it right, but this time it was fairly easy for us. Andy, who writes everything, is a genius – he locked himself away and came out with all these new songs and they’re definitely the best songs we’ve ever put out. We’re very excited to get it out there!
You’re just finishing off a massive UK tour – how’s it been?
It’s been really good! It’s a dream come true to be playing the same venues that we’ve been coming to since we were kids, so to be headlining there is absolutely crazy.
What’s your favourite song to play live?
It’s probably Juliet right now. It’s just really rocky and we do a really cool live version of it, so it’s always fun to play live.
What’s the best thing about playing live?
You just get this instant reaction from the crowd… When you start playing a song you can tell straight away whether the fans love it or hate it, and there’s always just such an amazing atmosphere at the gigs. People singing back the lyrics is always amazing too.
What made you want to start making music in the first place?
I think it was actually because my brother started playing the guitar, and I just used to watch him play and think it was the coolest thing in the world. I then got a guitar as a hand-me-down, and I guess it all just spiralled off from there.
Who’s your ultimate musical icon?
That’s hard… I really like a lot of the Motown stuff, so guys like Marvin Gaye and the Four Tops were always a big influence on me… I then got into a lot of rock stuff, before getting into guys like John Mayer when I was sixteen or seventeen. I just love a load of different singer-songwriters and bands… Kings of Leon are a particular favourite of mine.
Which song do you wish you’d written?
Hmmm… That’s hard! I’d probably say something like Sweet Child O’ Mine.
You’re releasing a bunch of acoustic tracks with your new album – would you ever consider doing a wholly-acoustic headline tour?
We have a lot of fun playing rocked-up versions of the set live with a full production, but we also pride ourselves on our acoustic shows, so… Yeah, I guess we’d like to do that.
Out of all the acoustic songs on the new album, which one is your favourite?
Urm… I really like the acoustic versions of Stolen and Brokenhearted, so I’d say that those two are my favourites.
Can you talk us through your songwriting process?
It works differently from song to song. Usually Andy will bring an idea for a song in, and then we’ll all sit around and figure out our parts and just generally turn it into a Lawson song. There’s just so much energy in the room when we know we’ve got a good one, it’s just such a good feeling.
How did you guys first meet?
Well, about six years ago I got in touch with Andy on MySpace – I already knew him from gigging around London, and I guess that’s where it all really started.. I’ve known Joel since I was about fifteen from playing around in bands at home. When we all got together we just started playing more and more gigs, and we gradually got better and better and kept touring in a battered old van. The gigs kept getting a tiny bit bigger, and then we found that we were actually doing alright.
What’s the best thing about being in Lawson?
Touring, definitely. It’s just amazing… You get to see so many cool places, meet so many amazing people… It’s crazy…
What’s the weirdest thing that’s ever happened to the band?
A lot of weird stuff happens! Whenever we go over to Asia it’s always absolutely crazy. We’ve got a huge fanbase over there – we’ve had number one albums there, number one singles, everything. When you get off the plane and so many people are there to meet you at the airport, that’s always crazy.
Do you get given many weird gifts by fans?
Yeah, we get a few! I remember over in New York there were fans waiting outside our hotel with all these sex toys, which was quite weird…
Describe yourself in three words?
Umm… Tall, disappointing and blonde!
