The Riverside: Live Review

I was invited to the Riverside by a good friend to hear a local band who were supporting two well known bands from out of town, The Jar Family and Ten Foot Tom and the Leprosy Cooks. Intrigued by the name of this local band, Cows Lying Down, my curiosity got the better of me and I accepted the invitation.

I was not disappointed. Ten Foot Tom and the Leprosy Cooks delivered their amazing garage energised sounds and The Jar Family their excellent manicured harmonies with wonderful breadth of sound. However it was the 45-minute set performed by Cows Lying Down that transported me to another world of stories, melodies and foot tapping rhythms, all delivered eloquently with gentle humour and seriousness striking a beautiful balance within each song. The band is made up of cajon/djembe, bass, cello, electric and accoustic guitars, complemented by the melodious tones of singer songwriter Paul Davison who is Cows Lying Down’s front man. His writing skills and lyrical voice transports you into the everyday challenges, loves and hopes that we all experience in our lives, weaving tales of happiness and sorrow within the words and music. The songs are original , catchy and well written, and complimented by the excellent playing of the other musicians in the band. A breath of fresh air made this musical evening very memorable; a band to certainly look out for — Amora Jo Blenkinsop, The Crack Magazine

Boy in a Tin Car: Album Review

This Newcastle outfit really piqued my interest with the recent, very stirring single Magic Shoes, and, pleased to note it kicks off their latest album in very fine style. The band play a deliciously melodic brand of folk rock in which they can throttle back nicely (such as on the wistful Kites and Spacemen and beautiful ballad Lucky Days) or really open up as on the aforementioned Magic Shoes. They tie the whole bundle up with the kind of pop hooks that will soon have you falling under their spell — Graham Massey, The Crack Magazine

Kites and Spaceman: Single Review

Cows Lying Down is Newcastle based Paul Davison and his band. His latest is a song all about pulling yourself out of a spiral of despair, where you don’t recognise yourself or the world you are in any more. It’s a relatively simple, guitar based ballad but permeated with hope and exuding real goodness — The Crack Magazine

Five Paul Davison Songs: Album Review

Newcastle singer/songwriter Paul Davison (along with his excellent backing band Cows Lying Down) has come up with superb collection of five songs that are all little vignettes giving us a window on different lives, from the girl that works in Primark who, through her love for the X-Files, dreams of chasing aliens (Last Fish in the Sea) to the football playing boys who long for a pair of George Best football boots (Best Boots). And songs such as Wherever it Collides with You wouldn’t sound out of place in a Bruce Springsteen set (during one of the boss’s more reflective moments) — The Crack Magazine

Cumberland Arms

The hottest day of the year. The start of the bank holiday weekend. Hundreds of people headed for the Cumberland Arms. What could be better? Getting the chance to hear and see Cows Lying Down do its stuff – that’s what. Songs that I have not heard before – crisp and well constructed. Played and sung by a band members who mean what they are doing. I felt myself listening and watching, following the stories in some songs and the hook lines of the tunes in others. The experience was splendid. Well done the Cumberland Arms for not resorting to a covers band. A band playing their unique thing and doing it well.

I bought a Cows Lying Down CD at the end of the gig
with 5 original songs on it – catchy or what! Good gig. When is this band playing live again? — Sally Minns

Tynedale Beer Festival

It was so good to attend a well organised event with so much going on. The music on the afternoon of Saturday particularly impressed me. Cows Lying Down performed an exciting set of new songs in the sweltering heat on the main stage – I could not make my mind up if it was pop, folk or rock which I was listening to. It just sailed along as a blended whole as the stories of the songs revealed themselves. Got a Cows Lying Down CD at the end of the gig, and another couple of beers — Ralph Donalson

Boy in a Tin Car: Album Review

This Newcastle outfit really piqued my interest with the recent, very stirring single Magic Shoes, and, pleased to note it kicks off their latest album in very fine style. The band play a deliciously melodic brand of folk rock in which they can throttle back nicely (such as on the wistful Kites and Spacemen and beautiful ballad Lucky Days) or really open up as on the aforementioned Magic Shoes. They tie the whole bundle up with the kind of pop hooks that will soon have you falling under their spell — Graham Massey, The Crack Magazine