all photos by Dave Lichterman
Nine albums and 18 years into their career, Low knows what they’re good at, and are really good at doing it. Known for their infamously intimate performance where they often opt to turn the music down rather than up, Low is not one for elaborate stage antics and outwardly excited crowds. Instead, the trio focuses their attention and talent into crafting beautiful and minimalistic indie rock songs with a simple drum/bass/guitar setup that plays out beautifully.
Low opened their Bumbershoot Music Lounge set with an apology for the beautiful weather that only made sense when they began their set of depressingly dark adult lullabies. Beginning with “Piss Cup” a song about the crushing weight of time that imagines urine tests being discovered as a king’s cup thousands of years from now. The trio followed with their hit “Try To Sleep” off their 2011 Sub Pop release, C’mon.
The incredibly sparse stage was outfitted with only the essentials, which apparently did not include a kick drum. Spicing up their sleepy set with the relatively uptempo “On My Own” before finishing up with “Monkey” (which includes the lyric “Tonight the monkey dies”) and “Murderer,” which is about as joyful as it sounds.
None of this phased the packed Music Lounge full of Low fans who knew exactly what they were getting themselves into. I don’t know what it is about beautifully depressing songs that brings people closer together but I’m not sure I’ve ever seen so many heads on their neighbors shoulders.
One Comment
This was by far one of the best sets I had seen that day! Such a good show.