Lucy Grubb review: a well-rounded, cohesive set, featuring a mixture of old and new tracks
Lucy Grubb headlining Norwich Arts Centre. Photo: Megan Roberts - Credit: Megan Roberts
Lucy Grubb captivates the crowd at her Americana EP launch last night at Norwich Arts Centre.
Country music is growing at a fast pace in the UK with artists from the genre regularly breaking into the top 40 charts.
Norwich is getting a fair share of country artists emerging onto the scene and if you're a fan of the genre then you've probably heard of Lucy Grubb.
The 20-year-old has played numerous shows across our region including a set at the annual Americana festival Red Rooster at Euston Hall, Suffolk, earlier this year, as well as multiple appearances on Norfolk's BBC Introducing.
Last night Lucy celebrated the release of her second EP titled Dear Walter at Norwich Arts Centre. The evening, presented by Sonic Youths, had a great turnout in the atmospheric church venue on St. Benedict's Street.
Her set began with some upbeat tunes, accompanied by the distinctive twang of the banjo. The audience reacted extremely well to this, as it isn't particularly a sound that is heard in music today.
Lucy usually plays solo, but last night the crowd were treated to a full band performance. She made sure to play some songs on her own too which made it a well-rounded, cohesive set, featuring a mixture of old and new tracks.
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The acoustics were breathtaking with the church-based venue resonating Lucy's vocals superbly. This made emotive title track Dear Walter chilling which left the audience with watery eyes and goose bumps.
Grubb also took the time to talk through the meaning of each song on her set list which is a nice aspect that many country artists include in their shows. This seems to break the fourth wall with fans allowing them to relate to the lyrics on a personal level.
The crowd energy throughout was something to behold, with half the audience dancing at the front, which clearly made Lucy smile. The other half of the room were left swaying in awe.
After the gig, the singer/songwriter went into the bar area and met with her happy fans. The connection this Norwich native has with her hometown following is something special.
'It's been fantastic working with Lucy. She has an amazing talent, to see her progression has been a joy,' explained Nick Cantwell, Lucy's sponsor and the founder of country music website Belles and Gals.
'What a crowd last night, I cannot wait to see what the future holds for her,' he added.