by Dana Schwartz
Coming up on Sunday, May 21 is Lewis Watson, a London-based singer/songwriter with a smooth and soulful voice paired with a mellow acoustic sound. Watson began uploading covers of songs by artists such as Bon Iver, Bombay Bicycle Club, and the Knife to a Youtube channel which received little attention back in 2010, yet his music career did not fully take off until he started posting videos of his original songs. These original compositions received great responses from listeners, and it wasn’t long until he recorded his first EP, “It’s Got Four Sad Songs On It BTW,” produced by his former music teacher, Joe Porter. The buzz that the 2012 EP generated was enough to attract several record labels to Watson’s music, and he eventually decided to sign with Warner Bros. As he began performing at larger festivals, Watson’s fanbase grew, and another EP titled “Another Four Sad Songs” followed months later. I can appreciate the rawness of both EPs- they are not overproduced or written to fit a mainstream mold. Each feature Watson, who sings the melody as well as additional background harmonies, his acoustic guitar, and occasional extra instrumentation that compliments his performance. Watson’s lyrics are honest, original, and very relatable. His third EP, “Wild,” was made possible with the help and collaboration of artists and producers such as The Arctic Monkeys, Florence and the Machine, Richard Wilkinson, and Mr. Hudson. The EP, which was released in 2013, contains a heightened confidence from Watson, as well as a more polished production value than the previous two. After releasing two more EPs in 2013, Watson created his first full length album, “The Morning,” which debuted in July 2014. Watson then parted ways with Warner Music in order to focus more on his songwriting, which is exactly what he did! “Midnight,” his next full-length album, was released in early 2017, and he signed with Cooking Vinyl, a well-established indie record label. Watson’s sound is the perfect blend of relaxing indie and upbeat acoustic pop. His powerful voice will undoubtedly fill our downstairs room- grab tickets here!
