Laura Cox
- Mark Donnelly
- May 18
- 4 min read
"As mentioned in my review of ‘Trouble Coming’ in Fireworks Issue #113 the talented Ms. Cox is single handedly maintaining the Entente Cordiale. Un concert formidable."
I don’t know what’s been going on this year, but the usual hour-long trip across the Pennines has regularly doubled in time thanks to diversions. Initially, I didn’t think I’d make this show at all due to a packed calendar, but I’m very glad I did. This was my first visit to Gulliver’s in Manchester’s Northern Quarter. It’s an old, characterful building, decked out with Tiffany-style lamps, and the purpose-built upstairs music room holds around a hundred people. Tonight it was roughly three‑quarters full, with only about ten per cent of the crowd being female.
I arrived at 8:15 PM expecting support act Jesse Garwood to be taking the stage, only to discover the set times had been brought forward by nearly forty-five minutes; so, I unfortunately missed them.
Just after 8:30 PM, Laura Cox and her band wandered through the crowd and stepped onto the small stage. I was only about twelve feet away, giving me a perfect view. What immediately surprised me — pleasantly — was how good the sound was for such an intimate venue. Cox’s guitar ability has never been in doubt, but her live vocals were equally impressive. ‘Rise Together’ opened the show with real force, the mix crisp and powerful. ‘If You Wanna Get Loud (Come To The Show)’ followed, with drummer Antonin Guérin keeping a rock‑solid beat, as he did all night. Cox kept the between‑song chat minimal but warm, opening with: “Thanks for coming out tonight. We’ve come from France. Are you ready for a Rock show?”
Just after 8:30 PM, Laura Cox and her band wandered through the crowd and stepped onto the small stage.
‘A Way Home’ flowed straight into ‘Set Me Free’, barely giving the band time to breathe. An extended ‘Bad Luck Blues’ showcased keyboardist Léo Cotten, whose heavy Hammond lines underpinned Cox wringing every last drop out of her six‑string. ‘Out Of The Blue’ brought a welcome change of pace, with Cox delivering tasteful slide guitar and a beautifully understated solo. A few of us clapped along as she tuned up for ‘Dancing Around The Truth’, its Pop‑Rock bounce driven by Guérin’s tight backbeat. Despite the tiny stage, Cox and bassist Adrien Kah still managed a bit of choreography during the instrumental break.
Cox reminded the crowd that this was their first UK tour since 2019 — and their first ever Manchester show. ‘Not Your Story’ saw her remove the mic from its stand mid‑song and continue playing one‑handed. ‘So Long’ brought a cool Billy Gibbons‑style riff and heavy Blues‑Rock swagger. ‘Big Mouth’ opened with Cotten’s keys before Cox delivered passionate vocals, then surprised the room by jumping behind the drum kit for a thunderous mid‑song break before returning to guitar. One of my personal favourites, ‘The Broken’, had the crowd chanting multiple “Hey! Hey! Hey!” ‘One Big Mess’ kept the Pop‑Punk energy high before Cox launched into an Angus Young‑style solo.
Cox reminded the crowd that this was their first UK tour since 2019 — and their first ever Manchester show.
“Do you want some more?” she asked. The answer was obvious. ‘No Need To Try Harder’, one of the highlights from last year’s studio opus ‘Trouble Coming’ sounded just as strong live. The main set closed with the title track of the aforementioned album — eight of its eleven songs made the setlist tonight.
The band didn’t bother leaving the stage (they couldn’t without walking through the crowd), instead launching straight into a two‑song encore. ‘Do I Have Your Attention?’ proved that after nearly ninety minutes, they absolutely did. Cox introduced her ultra‑talented band before closing with ‘Hard Blues Shot’, the title track from her 2017 debut.
As mentioned in my review of ‘Trouble Coming’ in Fireworks Issue #113 the talented Ms. Cox is single handedly maintaining the Entente Cordiale. Un concert formidable.
“Do you want some more?” she asked. The answer was obvious.
Setlist (contains spoilers)
Rise Together / If You Wanna Get Loud (Come To The Show) / Away Home / Set Me Free / Bad Luck Blues / Out Of The Blue / Dancing Around The Truth / Not Your Story / So Long / Big Mouth / The Broken / One Big Mess / No Need To Try Harder / Trouble Coming
Encore: Do I Have your Attention? / Hard Blues Shot
PHOTO GALLERY
Photographs by kind permission: Gregg Howarth
Review: Mark Donnelly
Photos: Gregg Howarth
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Disclaimer:
All photographs in this review are given for free for us to use (either in the magazine or website). We will not give them to a third party without the express permission of the rights owners. If payment is required between the rights owner and the third party, that will be decided between them, not Fireworks Rock & Metal Music Magazine.
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