This past Tuesday, Providence’s The Low Anthem (@thelowanthem) visited New York City to play a sold out show at Bowery Ballroom.  From the screen printing station set up at their merch booth, to their diverse fan base, it was easy to anticipate that they had something very special in store for their friends and fans.

Starting off the evening was former The Low Anthem member, Daniel Lefkowitz. Manned with a guitar and his bellowing, raspy vocals, Lefkowitz managed to silence the half-filled venue. It’s pretty clear why he was on the bill; his songs were politically-fueled firebombs that flowed off his tongue with ease. There’s an enduring essence to his music that, when experienced live, grips you and shakes you around a bit before letting go.

Direct support to The Low Anthem on Tuesday was BOBBY.  Listening to the recorded version of their single, “Sore Spores”, with its extraterrestrial effects, can be a haunting experience.  Live, however, we were treated to their welcoming personalities.  I had a preconceived notion that Molly Sarle, also of Mountain Man, was simply a contributor to the band’s release, but her presence took center stage throughout the set.  Her delicate voice, paired with smooth melodies from Tom Greenberg, left me floored.  Their debut LP is dropping this May, and after getting a short preview at Bowery, it’s quite clear that it’ll be a fantastic one.

And then it was time for The Low Anthem and their many friends to take the stage.  I’ll spare you the intricate details of my emotions, but I find it important to confess that their set hit me at my core. It tugged every little heartstring I have and left me feeling emotionally vibrant. To judge this band by their albums simply doesn’t do them justice. It’s their live show, the little nuances in the way they look at each other,   their appreciation of the crowd, and their commitment to their craft that makes them undeniably brilliant.

Their set was epic. An hour and a half of enchanting folk music that turned a room of strangers into a single family under one shared roof. We were experiencing one of the best concerts in the history of the world, and we all knew it. Looking from side to side, I noticed my neighbors gazing towards the stage with love, barely blinking in their state of passionate fandom. It certainly didn’t take a Low Anthem die-hard to ogle over them during their set. Their songs, so filled with love it was contagious, were masterfully constructed. Unlike so many bands I see, every detail of every song was created in front of us. From the wailing tones of the crotales and musical saw, to the humming foundation layer of the pump organ, The Low Anthem painted the landscape of summer in the dead of this crap New York City winter.

It’s their instrumental diversity that makes their intricate concept work.  Each band member plays nearly every instrument.  Upright bass, drums, hammer dulcimer, pump organ, clarinet, harmonica, guitar, saw; you name it, they play it.  Multi-instrumentalist Jocie Adams’s creative use of crotales had me flabbergasted; using a bow, she created an incredibly organic, erratic layer of tones that resulted in an indescribable listening experience. So much of what The Low Anthem does is just that, indescribable. This past Tuesday, I watched in awe as four, five, six, and, at times, even seven friends and band mates came together as one and delivered one of the most amazing performance I’ve ever witnessed.

Note: When I say the band plays every instrument imaginable, I really do mean everything.  Even a cell phone!  Check the video below.

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Daniel Lefkowitz
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Bobby
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The Low Anthem
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