Lawrence (musician)
| Lawrence | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Lawrence Hayward |
| Born | 12 August 1961 |
| Origin | Birmingham, England |
| Genres | Post-punk, alternative rock, indie pop, jangle pop, gothic rock, glam rock |
| Occupation(s) | Musician, songwriter |
| Instruments | Vocals, guitar, organ |
| Years active | 1979–present |
| Labels | Cherry Red, Creation, Boy's Own, Echo, EMIDISC, West Midlands Records |
| Associated acts | Felt, Denim, Go Kart Mozart, Shampoo |
Lawrence Hayward (born 12 August 1961), known simply as Lawrence, is a singer, songwriter and guitarist known as the frontman in the British alternative rock bands Felt, Denim and Go Kart Mozart. He has never used his surname in credits or press for his work.
Felt released ten albums in the 1980s, and Lawrence was the only constant member of the band from its inception in 1979 to its dissolution in 1989, though he doesn't appear at all on the band's penultimate album, Train Above The City. During his time in the band, he served as lyricist and co-songwriter, together with then-lead guitarist Maurice Deebank, who left the band in 1985.
After the dissolution of Felt, Lawrence formed Denim. Influenced lyrically by Lawrence's upbringing during the 1970s and stylistically by bubblegum and glam rock, Denim released two albums in the 1990s, plus a compilation of B-sides and extra tracks, but mainstream success continued to elude Lawrence. A third album (sometimes referred to as Denim Take Over) was shelved indefinitely, and a standalone single "Summer Smash" was withdrawn from being released shortly after the death of Princess Diana. Lawrence co-wrote the first single by Shampoo, "Blisters and Bruises", released in 1993.
1999 saw the full-length debut of Lawrence's current project, Go-Kart Mozart, released through his personal imprint, West Midlands Records and distributed by Cherry Red. The 2005 follow-up was titled Tearing Up The Album Chart – a wry comment on his failure to achieve commercial success, a habit the album itself did nothing to break. UNCUT awarded Lawrence the dubious honour of being "one of the stars fame forgot"
In 2006, Lawrence began working on a new Go-Kart Mozart album entitled On the Hot Dog Streets that was eventually released in June 2012 to coincide with the nationwide premiere of Lawrence of Belgravia, which documented the making of the record. Though once again a commercial failure, the album has received the most acclaim and attention of any Lawrence related project since Back in Denim.
...
Wikipedia