Laura Evans and Band at the Tuesday Night Music Club, Coulsdon

By Ken Jackson

The older I get, the faster everything seems to move; weeks pass so quickly. It’s frightening, but somehow Tuesdays still manage to take their time. Which is frustrating, because they’re easily my favourite night of the week. I’ve been going to the club for around ten or eleven years now, and in that time I’ve met more people than I could possibly count. Not just there, but across all the gigs I end up at and It’s got to the point where no matter where I go,

I’m almost guaranteed to bump into someone I know, which is half the fun of it all. Last night I took my seat to see Laura Evans, a Welsh singer/songwriter and accomplished actress who first played the club back on the 12th April 2022, and it reminded me of the last time I saw her, which was at the UK Blues Challenge in 2025, where she went up against five other top acts for the chance to represent the UK in Detroit and Poland. She put in a great performance that evening, even if it didn’t quite go her way.

This time she was joined, as usual, by Daisy Pepper on bass, Joe Hazell on guitar and keys, and AJ Rousell on drums, who’s a newer addition to the lineup but fits in nicely. Once the band were in place, Richard Dunning stepped up to welcome everyone and give a quick reminder of what the club’s all about before introducing Laura to a packed and enthusiastic audience. There’s something very special about sitting in a room full of people, all there for the same reason, properly listening!! No chatter, no distractions, just the music.

It’s a rare thing these days, and for anyone in the audience who hadn’t seen Laura before, or maybe wasn’t even sure this was their kind of music, I’d like to think they left very pleased that they had taken the chance. The band kicked things off and, for a moment, you could sense they were adjusting to the room. The “no talking” rule creates a silence that’s almost unnerving at first and great for listening, but it must feel a bit like playing to a room holding its breath.

Still, they quickly settled in, opening with “Wherever You Are” from Laura’s Out of the Dark album. From there we got a mix of blues, soul, and country rock across the two sets, much of it drawn from her recent work. Laura’s songs are clearly personal, touching on life, love, heartbreak, and everything in between, and that honesty really comes through. One moment that stood out for me came towards the end of the first set, when she sang “I Will Be the One” with just Joe on guitar. Stripped right back, it was a lovely, quiet highlight in an already strong set.

There were plenty of standout moments across the evening, but for me it always comes down to how it all feels in the moment, and judging by the standing ovation at the end, I wasn’t alone in thinking it was a great night. All in all, a thoroughly enjoyable evening, and hopefully it won’t be too long before Laura Evans and her band are back again. Thanks, as always, to Richard Dunning, Mike on sound, John on the door, and the bar staff who keep everything running smoothly behind the scenes.