Laura J. Martin - Leaf, Liverpool, 24/10/2013

  by Harry Sherriff

published: 6 / 11 / 2013

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Harry Sherriff is stunned by singer-songwriter, flautist and multi-instrumentalist Laura J. Martin's originality in a support slot at The Leaf in her native Liverpool

With a UK Tour and numerous positive reviews for her new album,'Dazzling Days', there probably isn’t a better time to be Laura J Martin. I’m not sure the Leaf crowd were expecting a second support slot to be so talented and so full of energy but Martin with trademark loop station showed straight away why she has slowly but surely started to gather a following. Musicians basing their whole set-list around a loop station can often be off putting and come across as gimmicky, but, along with Dav Ford from Easyworld, I think Laura J. Martin really utilises it in a way that feels natural. You’re always guilty of thinking "this would sound much better with a full band," but I guess that’s not the point with a multi-instrumentalist trying to create a unique live performance. At times in the set I felt Martin was losing the room through no fault of her own. Such an original artist can also translate to acquired taste. With Liverpool being her hometown, a little bit more crowd reaction would have gone down well, but I did get the overriding feeling of nerves in between songs or maybe the flautist was just conscious of time. From the set I definitely wanted to hear more, and at such an early point in your career that’s the main aim of Martin’s tour. Laura J. Martin won’t be for everyone, but I think she’ll grow to mean everything to a few. The photographs that accompany this article were taken by Marie Hazelwood.

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