LIVE REVIEW: LUCY BLU / LOUISE PARKER - THE WATER RATS

An absolute pleasure to be going to The Water Rats to see Lucy Blu once again, her run of singles in 2020 with among others Tim Prottey-Jones at the helm, and her releases during covid were all excellent and the lack of activity after the pithy "High Horse" of 2025, only brought home all the more that she seems to have been quiet for a while - until now.

The evening would provide another opportunity for #TEAMw21 to see Louise Parker in action, having seen her at Country Calling a few weeks earlier. Dressed to match the name of the host in a blue dress, this would be a longer set than we last saw and with no kiddies to wrangle! The one theme tying both shows together though would be the rich vein of songwriting form that Louise finds herself in, fuelled by heartache, but if it gets an albums worth of material, in the long run it might all square out.

Opening to a very strident guitar, Louise could easily have mistaken herself as being the headliner with an array of T Shirts bearing her name, filling the front row.

It was the beginning to one of that new batch of songs, "Miserable in Paris", the first single from the forthcoming album "Petty In Pink". To our ears, this solo version sounded far better than the recorded version which for some reason has a keyboard way too far up in the mix, with the three key repeated guitar chords being the songs driving force.

"I hope you're miserable in Paris, I hope the skies are grey

I hope the streets are too crowded, the ghost of me won't go away"

It would close to go a little guitar flourish and a big smile.

"Does he know?" came a cry from the audience -

"Oh he knows!" Louise replied "With an album coming in October!"

Next came the second single from Louise's album, the one that made us really start to take notice, "You Were Right". Bouncing as she sung, wide eyed with a myriad of facial expressions ready to accentuate every little detail. It was a time for a special guest Yannick Van Riet to join to play the delicious guitar part on "Two Sides". Freeing Louise from her guitar, left her able to be even more expressive, with her hands as well as her face, the words came flying out with some venom. It did also allow when required for Louise to deliver her most considered vocals of the night, and would see her complete the song with a V for Victory gesture.

The title track of the "Petty In Pink followed, and still freed from guitar duties, Louise would act out each line. Another new song, one that wowed at Country Calling, "The Compromise Of Quitting You", somehow in a darkened venue, became more intense and seems destined to be a stand out track on the new album. From the previous years EP, "Turned On" once again generated much of the atmosphere with guitar playing, Louise even stepping back a little from the mic for the instrumental part.

The one minute twenty four second "They Don't Ride Their Horses" once more packed in as much as it could in its allotted time and again finished with a "Yeehah".

Closing with "Tequila Sunset", a song of summer love, if only for one night, would see Louise slip in bits of "Human Nature" and "Never Want To Give You Up" amongst others.

It was over to Lucy Blu to see out the rest of the evening, her band with Yannick as replacement guitarist. Dressed in her trademark blue with a white bit of knitwear, with the backdrop proudly displaying her name, she would keep us fully entertained. Starting to the sound of a siren, it was immediately into "Bonnie and Clyde" which showed Lucy to be in fine voice and really enjoying being up on stage once more.

It was one of those 2020 singles, the perfect pop country of "Row Your Own" dealing with those that have nothing positive to say, which would be a feature of the evening. Quickly taking off her guitar, like Louise, Lucy would act out every line of "Here's To Us" with gusto.

A couple of unreleased songs would follow, described as a "pissed off" one, for those who want to put you down. "Loud" came with a lovely bluesy guitar line in the verses building to an explosive chorus, it was something a little different that we can't wait to hear recorded. Another new song "No-One In Nashville", a defiant love letter to the music industry, was a faster paced piece of country, with an affirming "I'm still standing". With lovely "Eagles" style guitar work and knowing "Wagon wheel" references, it's another one that needs releasing.

It was slightly surprising to hear Lucy still playing her Muppet's "Rainbow Connection" cover however she made up for it with the unexpurgated background to "High Horse" which was a tale in itself. It lead to a version packed with attitude, the band mirroring Lucy's punchy delivery. Lucy would then let the band leave the stage for a little acoustic spot.

The first song, her new single, detailed Lucy's battle with body image, "Happier". Sadly she was worried about how to promote it due to worries of what the internet reaction might be. There seemed lots to absorb, but it definitely was a song that we suspect many others may need to hear. The second one ( and this had been in her set weeks earlier before recent events) was a cover of "I Will Always Love You". Now as it began, we did fear where this could veer into karaoke territory, but no far from it, this version really showed what a performer Lucy is, played with a perfectly straight bat and with none of the over emoting that it can attract. Lifting the mood an Everly Brothers cover of "When Will I Be Loved?" was suitably rousing and suitably country and had sections of the Water Rats dancing.

A loud guitar intro immediately took us into "Bulletproof", fast paced, with thumping percussion and a screaming guitar solo, was another reminder of just how deep Lucy's catalogue is. As if more were needed "I Won't", followed with over 600k streams. A soft introductory opening verse led to another little rocker, and another irresistible chorus. A thunderous drum intro kept up the pace, and led into one of Lucy's under promoted 2026 singles "Might As Well", an all out rocking tune that surely deserved its day in the sun. Keeping the upbeat mood going, and fitting in seamlessly was a Lainey Wilson, "Hang Tight Honey cover.

Putting her guitar back on, it was time for her "sassy side" with "Shine" keeping the run of faster tracks going. "Only Just Begun" provided an instant reminder of just how brilliantly Lucy deals with these sort of songs. Ending with a party atmosphere, a touch of "Tequila Made Me Do It" closed out the main set in style with Lucy finishing with a wave.

One final cover, fast becoming a staple for a band to have in their repertoire was "The Chain" dispatched with some aplomb, finishing off a fun night all round.