Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * * *
Verging on the eerily quiet, almost as still and motionless as a field of corn waiting to be reaped for the summer’s harvest; hardly a word passing and only punctuated by the odd yell of excitement from the stalls and the spontaneous applause towards a band that arguably had performed one of the sets of the year. For the Epstein Theatre audience on a sticky and sweat filled August evening, watching Low was going to be a highlight of the year and the band never failed to live up to the enormous expectation.
August is a funny month, the festivals rightly or wrongly take up the vast majority of music lover’s minds, it is not hard to understand, the close atmosphere of any venue can stifle the ardour between band and audience somewhat, the heat generated as the thrill and enthusiasm builds, overpowering and as restless a crocodile in an ever decreasing pool of water; yet if caught right, if played out in a way that stimulates and exhilarates the passion, it can be a filled with a sense of the dramatic worthy of any Shakespearian play.
Low are sensual, they take the passion fed them via the audience and turn it into something so creative that to those fortunate enough to have witnessed the likes of Pink Floyd in their emerging heyday, the sound that sweeps over them as they sit back in comfort, is like bathed in spring water that has tumbled and twisted through crannies and over rocks for centuries; the feeling of satisfaction is enormous, almost spiritual and certainly humbling to be in the presence of.
Low almost scream perfection, the desire to be held the notes as they glide with ease in the air, arranged butterflies carried by the strength of the beat, and as the two set evening wound its way through songs such as No Comprende, The Innocents, the excellent Nightingale, Witches, Violent Past, What Part Of Me, the soul enhancing Sunflower and Pissing, Alan Sparhawk, Mimi Parker and Steve Garrington took the Epstein audience down a road of pleasurable tension that was so involved, so restless, that it was surely felt by all in the auditorium to be as mystical and sacred a gig can be.
Overwhelming, beautiful and divine, Low are something else and a treat for the ears that is generous and captivating.
Ian D. Hall