Blessed with a beautiful voice that is rich and evocative, and tracks that range from the simple but sublime piano ballads, to more upbeat pieces of jangly indie-pop, Laura Perkins is exactly the sort of artist that you would expect to hear on radio stations across the land, to be featured by blogs and to stand bathed in the spotlight in a corner of the Jools Holland studio, melting the hearts of a cynical and jaded industry.
Yet chances are you’ve never heard of Perkins. She appears to be one of those wonderful artists who manage to exist in isolation from the rest of the music world. She appears to have very little web presence, there are only a handful of plays on her Soundcloud profile and her debut EP, Know Nothing Forever, was released with no fanfare last year.
It’s a shame as she has one of those old fashioned voices that warms the cockles and touches the soul. Full of depth and sentiment, it’s the kind that silences rooms and sooths savage animals. She writes a pretty decent tune as well. “My Favourite Room” feels like that moment in a film when the music is all you can hear and the visuals are big and full of emotion. It’s the soundtrack to the pivotal point, the moment of epiphany in the hero’s journey; especially where it is just Laura singing over the piano, stirring the feeling within us, bringing tears to our eyes, that sort of thing.
She plays with musical styles a little as well, while never veering away from the soft, soothing sound that suits her so well. “Light Green” is a relatively light piece of indie-pop that skips along while “Too Much” is an even paced ballad of love and heartache. For those of us old enough to remember, EP closer “The Coppers” evokes memories of The Cranberries worldwide-mega-hit, “Linger”. It’s easy to imagine Perkins on the Top of the Pops stage as well, smiling as she reaches out to the swaying crowd and the millions at home, singing of hopeless, spiralling love that never leaves and consumes us all.
Leaving aside the lack of TotP on our screens these days, that should be where Laura Perkins is. Playing out to a wide audience, charming them, making their hearts melt and bringing a smile or tear to those who listen. She may well remain one of those mysterious artists that float along, sounding sublime but not finding that niche, that moment that leads to more. We sincerely hope not as a voice like this deserves so much more.
”My Favourite Room” from Laura Perkins’ ‘No Nothing Forever’ EP is available from her Bandcamp page as a free download.
Alphabet Bands 
Beautiful song