To the heart of Islington on yet another autumnal July evening. L.A. Edwards are on their first European tour as headliners. A previous support tour with Lucinda Williams is a fine way to bolster credibility and they expressly draw upon a wide range of musical sources for their diverse sonic palette. Tom Petty is one such, and there’s some more straight down ’80s rock a la Bruce Springsteen as exemplified by the opening song ‘Don’t Know Better’ with its thudding drums and clanging guitars. The gig has drawn the less than ideal coincidence of timing with the England versus Netherlands Euros semi-final, and as if to compensate for absentees the audience make enough supportive noise to cover for those who’ve opted for the football. To their credit the band eschew the coolest heights of rock and roll headgear and all wear St George’s Cross England hats in acknowledgement
The nucleus of the band is three brothers (they are from a septet of siblings) and the full band line up is Luke and Jay Edwards (guitar), Jerry Edwards (drums) and keyboardist Landon Pigg with bassist Jesse Dorman. The band’s USA locational links are as much a medley as their musical influences, with California, Seattle and Nashville all featuring in the Edwards siblings’ past and present. Their latest album “Pie Town” is a brand-new release and the title refers to an old-world hamlet in New Mexico which they liken to their rural Californian roots in atmosphere (there are no songs about pies, to be clear, so the Greggs tie-in may not materialise). The evolution of their sound from the country-Americana fold towards the more heartland rock vibe of the new album is embraced across the set.
They are light on stage banter and indeed the first half of the set passes without spoken interventions from the stage, with the band briskly seguing between songs to keep the music uninterrupted. ‘Now You Know’ has that jangling Petty influence and finely harmonised vocals, whilst ‘If I Had You’ is mellower and nods subtly to the Allmans’. ‘Comin’ Around’ is more anthemic whilst ‘Surrender’ dials back the pace and is a standout, the synth weaving around the guitars and the laconic vocals a la War On Drugs. Next up is ‘Little Sunshine’, another catchy song that chugs along swimmingly and the diehards at the front are rolling in enjoyment. The England hats are passed out to the crowd mid-set when the England winner and the final whistle follow in very close order and somehow the music assumes a celebratory note with the very next song called (honestly) ‘Good Luck’ swirling along with a sweet synth sound. The main set closes with ‘Let It Out’ which leans towards power pop rock or Dandy Warhols’ like earworm. The encore, ‘Day I Die’ shifts the dial down, hushing the drums for most of its duration with the three brothers singing in chorus in honour of their mother. It’s an 18-song set and they have let the music speak for itself
Support is Jade Jackson, playing solo acoustic and she is a classy performer, with her 2018 album “Gilded” picking up fine reviews at the time of release. She is given fulsome support during her thirty-minute stint. Opener is ‘Multiple Choice’ where she is torn between “following my heart or follow my dreams”. Luke Edwards produced her latest EP in Seattle so there’s a tight link with the headliners. Her third song ‘You’ is a stripped back number where the narrator tells why she is better off without the titular you, sung from a place of some despondency. ‘Bottle It Up’ is her “metaphorical drinking song” where the bottled up emotion is simply juxtaposed with the pouring out of a conciliatory drink. ‘Flutter’ is a new song showcasing her ethereal vocals. It has tints of Hope Sandoval in the timbre or, perhaps a closer reference point, Caroline Spence who operates in similar and ear-catching musical territory.
I went to the show specifically to see Jade Jackson who as you say was in great form. Hopefully with the (9*) new EP she is able to issue more recordings and get over here for headlining live shows. With two excellent studio albums and the superb duo album with Aubrie Sellers to her name, there’s a lot more to come. Chatting to her at the merch table afterwards she seemed quite taken aback by the positive reception. Thanks for adding a decent sized write up of her set.