Playing the room as if they were busking in a New York City subway station, albeit one with pristine acoustics, the band showed off their brand of slow plodding and overtly beautiful story-laced folk songs. The quiet and attentive crowd seemed enamored with not only the group’s ability to swap instruments from song to song throughout the night, but also how deliberately they were able to play them in such a delicate manner.
New songs like Ghost Woman Blues and Love & Altar were sung communally around one microphone with sublimely beautiful harmonies that took full advantage of the sound of this unique setting. Multi-instrumentalist Jocie Adams debuted the track Wire, a classically inspired instrumental that featured her and two other clarinetists that was greeted with one of the biggest ovations of the night by both audience and fellow band mates.
The night wasn’t all about quiet reverence, as the band can rock out on occasion too. A country-blues stomp cover of the Jack Kerouac-penned Home I’ll Never Be provided an almost cathartic release for the entire band, particularly Adams, who belted her verse with extreme exuberance. The night inventively closed with the oldest song of the evening, This God Damn House, which was augmented by what one can only describe as the sound of digital crickets with the audience instructed by Knox Miller to call the person they came to the show with, and put their phones on speaker to create the effect. With the sound of chirping filling the room, the members of The Low Anthem finally took a moment to bask in the glory of an awe-inspiring view of the city that never sleeps.
The Low Anthem officially kick off their world headlining tour in support of Smart Flesh on February 24 at the Sixth & I Historic Synagogue in Washington D.C. For some spectacular pictures from last night’s show, check out Dominick Mastrangelo’s shots on Brooklyn Vegan.
One Response
oh man i love these guys….been waiting for them to come to boston for a while now. They are a delightfully perfect display of pitch timing and overall musical talent.