Laura Evans—Live—Queen Margaret Union—Laura Evans Music

Review By Darren McIntyre

Laura Evans is a singer/songwriter/performer from Aberdare, Wales, who is going from strength to strength since the release of her country-inspired EP Remember When. Laura brought us singles Running Back To You & Drag Me Back In and followed that with her stunning debut album State Of Mind, which brought great reviews from audiences and industry folk from far & wide. Laura has been busy on the road with Robert John & The Wreck and Robben Ford, performing all over the world on cruise ships to thousands of people every night. She has also been busy writing and recording, and on the 17th of October, Laura brings us her brand new album, Out Of The Dark. To celebrate the album release, Laura headed out on tour with Scotland’s own King King, and tonight they stop off in Glasgow on the last night of the tour. Please join me as I take in the subtle, melodic flavors of not only my friend but also a phenomenal musician as she ‘Slays The Dragon’ in Scotland tonight. The place is filling up nicely, and I am pleased Laura has a really good crowd to perform to. She saunters onstage complete with a tartan skirt to a huge roar from the crowd. As she and Joe take their rightful places, we kick off with Laura telling us she wore this for us, but she isn’t Scottish; she is, in fact, Welsh. ‘Oohhh’ comes from the crowd as she says, ‘Let’s get on with it.’

Solo—The track comes to life as Joe bellows out incredible tones from his trusty guitar as Laura takes the stage to rapturous applause as she bursts into the track with cool, melodic, soulful vocals that fill this fantastic venue and really let the crowd know that she has arrived. We really feel the emotion from this track as Laura takes us on a journey of heartbreak that is wrapped in colossal guitar tones as she fills the air with her incredible range that has this audience feeling the journey with her. This is a real sweet, cool opener that just sets the tone for tonight’s musical performance. We have an added bonus as Joe delivers a cool bass kick complete with cymbal snaps that add depth to this fantastic opening number. The crowd shows their appreciation and are hollering loudly and showing her a real good Glasgow welcome. we settle in as we roll into—

Fire With Fire—The cool guitar chords let this track flow naturally as Laura brings her incredible vocals to the party. The twists and turns that are flowing through this arrangement are just letting this track breathe; we are clapping along to this rather uptempo track that just lets Laura sizzle and turn the volume up to 10 as she powers through this stripped-back uptempo number that just has us fixed on the stage as these two musicians show us their incredible talents as this track lets us feel the groove that they are bringing to this venue tonight. We have a chat with Laura as she thanks us for coming out to support live music and to support her on her journey as she tells us that she feels incredibly grateful to be here tonight, which draws a huge cheer from the crowd. She also thanks King King for letting her share the stage with them over the last 18 nights; this brings a huge cheer as Laura again thanks us for showing her some love tonight. we settle down as Laura takes us onto—

Arkansas—The crowd are just taken aback with the change in groove as Laura & Joe really up their game with the crisp, clean electric chords that echo through this fantastic venue. Laura’s incredible vocals ooze from the stage as she really opens up her pipes and glitters with ease as she really gives it to us. Joe is ripping through the track with incredible chords that really complement this cover track that is just building and building as we really dig this cool groove as we clap along and really make Laura feel at home. the crowd are just loving the smooth, sweet, melodic tones that are filling the venue as the crowd holler out and show Laura some love as we stroll into—

Superman—Laura kicks off by telling us that this track was written for her husband, as he looks like this superhero, which brings a cheer to Glasgow tonight. She says that it has been a brilliant tour but can’t wait to get back to Rich & her dog Bertie, as she has missed them so much. We get blues-filled vocals to really let us know that Laura has shifted her groove with another killer track that just catches our attention as Joe lets his fingers do the talking on this new offering. The groove is a mix of blues, country, and soul all mixed together to bring us a smoldering arrangement that fits this venue so well. The crowd are really enjoying the new material, and as I look around me, I can see that people are reacting well to someone that most of the crowd may not have seen before. Laura is just shining on stage as she delivers another incredible piece of music that has a twist, as it is just her, her guitarist, and a whole lot of new fans who will be remembering her name for a long time to come. as we settle down Laura brings us back with—

Nobody Loves Me Like You Do—There is a sultry blues start to this track that showcases the maturity that Laura brings to this incredible new offering as Joe lingers in the background with his awesome guitar picks. There is a real sense of depth, blues, and soul to this track that is holding the audience with every note that Laura brings to the QMU tonight as she pours her heart and soul into this sultry new offering. We are feeling a real shift in the whole track as Laura has just taken her songwriting to another level with this incredible blues-filled number.

The guitar work is just elevating the track as we feel the intensity in the new material; the place shows its appreciation with an outpouring of whooping and clapping as we stroll in to another new offering from the new record—ATM. A heavier, punchy groove comes at us as this toe-tapping track is unleashed as Laura lets the groove flow and really lets the tone tell its own story. Joe lets the rhythm section lean in and hit us with a real soulful, punchy groove that is flowing freely through the composition as sweet, bluesy, country tones add depth to this fast, soulful groover track that lets the slick guitar licks come at us and really deliver a fresh, punchy beat that is just uplifting for sure.

Laura has given her all for the new album, and these new tracks certainly show the maturity pulsing through the music, and it shows as the crowd have really taken Laura to their hearts. Up next—State Of Mind— A funky groove pours from Joe’s guitar as this slick, funky track comes to life and Laura hits us with her soulful, bluesy vocals. The tone of the track runs up and down as we feel the groove work well in this cool acoustic number that is just putting Laura out there as she lays bare her vocal range and songwriting ability that is just oozing class as she takes us along on her journey, and one that shows no signs of slowing down anytime soon. We are just whooping loudly, as we don’t want tonight to end, but sadly Laura bids us farewell and says a huge thank you for letting her entertain us tonight.