PHOTOS + STORY / VIVIAN WANG
“Take a guess,” Clyde said with a grin. I had asked which of the brother-sister pair of Lawrence was the older one. Gracie shot him a playful look as she stretched out on the couch. It was about a half hour before set time for their sold-out Brooklyn Steel show, and given their laid-back demeanor, you’d think they were a seasoned touring outfit–and while they’ve logged plenty of miles performing together, Clyde and Gracie are barely in their twenties. There’s something to be said for that sibling chemistry — when performing, the pair seems to operate through telepathy, their warm, saturated vocals intersecting, scarcely needing to glance at each other for cues. The seven-piece band that rounds out Lawrence adds a fresh pop insouciance to the classic soulful stylings. Brightened by a horn section, Lawrence had the 1,800+-strong crowd dancing from the first song and well into the night.
Fans of Paramore, Lettuce, and St. Paul and the Broken Bones (or, reaching back a few more decades, Etta James and Randy Newman) — take note. With their knack for combining timeless grooves with clever, ultra-contemporary references (“Do You Wanna Do Nothing with Me” is a playful spin on the concept of Netflix-and-chill), Lawrence is already a force to reckon with–and they’re only getting started.
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