Decided to investigate Lawrence of Felt/Demim...fame? Fame with the question mark, which he has always sought but never achieved in any meaningful way. Listened to some Felt stuff. My initial verdict was: um....maybe. I quite like Primitive Painters, especially because it has Liz Fraser giving vocal assistance:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sCRdY7ZH7xo
If Andrew Eldritch had aged to look like, rather than that guy out of Breaking Bad, an old version of young Andrew Eldritch, with an even stranger sartorial style than he currently sports, he might have ended up looking like Lawrence does these days.
https://www.loudandquiet.com/interview/ ... HNkf5zxyoI
The conclusion that I'm coming to, having admittedly explored only a small fraction of his output, is that no matter how great a lyricist and/or conceptualist he may be (I've no reason to believe either but assuming that he is) he seems to be nevertheless a consistently crap singer. So that's that, unless anyone can persuade me otherwise.
Any love for Lawrence?
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Mothra
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Big love, for the man if not the output.
He is one of the oddest artist out there. The first 4 Felt albums (the ones with with Maurice Deebank on guitar) I really like, after that, Deebank leaves, and the music is hit and miss at best, but the myth keeps my listening.
I can't stand Go Kart Mozart, but end up listening to them in session whenever they’re on 6Music or Boogaloo Radio just to hear the Lawrence interviews in between the terrible songs.
The film that came out a few years back (Lawrence of Belgravia) is a good look at the man and his strange, strange life.
Vocal wise, he's doing the best Tom Verlaine/Lou Reed that he can, but he's saddled with a pretty full-on Birmingham accent, which doesn't exactly scream New York cool
I always thought Lawrence's career from 1979-1990 echoes that of Eldritch.
1979 - records and self-releases a DIY single that is later disowned
1980 - teams up with a guitar player and officially starts the band
1981 - gets a bass player, starts gigging and releasing records, all sleeves self designed, zero compromise on finished product, band aesthetic solidifies.
1982 - starts to see comings and goings in the band, people leave, some come back, but the relationship is increasingly strained
1983 - starting to pick up decent coverage in the music press, but legend and mystery grows
1984 - leaves the label that has so far released all the albums and 'proper' singles
From 1985-1990, the band has disintegrated, but Lawrence continues with a different sound, and new members. First release is a wilfully obscure album that bears little resemblance to anything before.
He is one of the oddest artist out there. The first 4 Felt albums (the ones with with Maurice Deebank on guitar) I really like, after that, Deebank leaves, and the music is hit and miss at best, but the myth keeps my listening.
I can't stand Go Kart Mozart, but end up listening to them in session whenever they’re on 6Music or Boogaloo Radio just to hear the Lawrence interviews in between the terrible songs.
The film that came out a few years back (Lawrence of Belgravia) is a good look at the man and his strange, strange life.
Vocal wise, he's doing the best Tom Verlaine/Lou Reed that he can, but he's saddled with a pretty full-on Birmingham accent, which doesn't exactly scream New York cool
I always thought Lawrence's career from 1979-1990 echoes that of Eldritch.
1979 - records and self-releases a DIY single that is later disowned
1980 - teams up with a guitar player and officially starts the band
1981 - gets a bass player, starts gigging and releasing records, all sleeves self designed, zero compromise on finished product, band aesthetic solidifies.
1982 - starts to see comings and goings in the band, people leave, some come back, but the relationship is increasingly strained
1983 - starting to pick up decent coverage in the music press, but legend and mystery grows
1984 - leaves the label that has so far released all the albums and 'proper' singles
From 1985-1990, the band has disintegrated, but Lawrence continues with a different sound, and new members. First release is a wilfully obscure album that bears little resemblance to anything before.