Larkin Poe

Wednesday 21st November. Islington Assembly Hall, London. Larkin Poe. On a cold November night, we welcome two rays of Georgia sunshine in the form of sisters Rebecca and Megan Lovell. I could have posted a one word review and it would have been, WOW.

Tonight, they are supported by Foreign Affairs, Bristolian brothers Adam and Lawrence Purnell. They have some good tunes, but I think were let down by the constant tuning and noodling before each song that lost some of the momentum for me. As a support act you get little time so don’t waste probably four or five minutes as that’s another song that could have been played. Still, that said worth getting there early for.

Before the review of the gig itself another shout out to the venue. Islington Assembly is simply the best mid-sized venue in London. Excellent sight lines, best toilets but most of all superb sound. The sound is always spot on, crystal clear and right on the money from note one.

And to the main act. If you are looking for a young contemporary blues band then look no further than Larkin Poe. Combining a respect for the bold tradition of the blues with some carefully selected covers coupled with their own fine tunes they are kick starting the genre along with some other new acts like Joanne Shaw Taylor, Laurence Jones, Gary Clark Jr, Aynsley Lister to name a few.

Whilst their gender is irrelevant they do bring a feminine sass to proceedings as they rock the foundations of the hall. Given the eclectic mix of ages and sexes here they are also introducing a new younger audience to the blues which is not a bad thing.

The set tonight is a perfect blend of oldies, covers and tracks from their latest album ‘Venom and Faith’. The selection is perfect and while I think the new album is a little flat after the first couple of listens, live the new tracks ratchet up in leaps and bounds. ‘Beach Blond Bottle Blues’ and the Pearl Jam’esque rhythm of ‘Blue Ridge Mountains’ kick the proverbial arse.

We are treated to the twin axe duel of Rebecca’s Fender against the lap steel of Megan. There is no winner as the two complement each other perfectly although if push came to shove then the lap steel edges it. Citing the great Jerry Douglas as her influence I can say that he doesn’t play it like Megan does. Outstanding. The interplay between the sisters is great, the boys on rhythm provide the foundation for the girls to shine. On top of the musicality, Rebecca’s voice is amazing aided by Megan’s harmonies.

Highlights for tonight’s show are easy. Note one to the wave goodbye from the stage. Straight into my top ten gigs of the year and it’s been a strong year for live music. Go see them next year when they return to these shores.

Keep on blues rockin’ y’all

Sometimes, very occasionally, one sees a band for the first time, and is completely transfixed.

Normally, having done the research and listened to albums, etc. one pretty much knows what is to come in the live experience. And obviously it rarely disappoints, because a) one loves the music, and b) it's great to hear this music played live.

Last night (April 3 in Brighton) somehow transcended this for me. I'd taken the trouble to travel to Brighton, book an hotel for the night and so on, to enjoy the music of Larkin Poe, which I have grown to adore over recent months.

To cut this short, I'm so glad I did! What a wonderful gig. From the outset I was immediately struck by the power, charisma and somehow innocent charm of the Lovell sisters' performance.

Rebecca and Megan may not immediately strike one as obviously being sisters appearance-wise, but their dna-induced empathy shines through in rapid order, to their great musical advantage – and that of their audience, many of whom were almost rapturous and with good reason.

Suffice it to say I was 'blown away'. Exciting, emotional, loud, at times raw and raucous... their delivery and musicianship, along with the ever-present undercurrent of mischievous humour, combined to create a fabulous concoction of chemistry (alchemy?)

OK, I'm a bit biased. The blues, southern roots rock and Americana are very much my preferred musical genres. So I was already prepared for an enjoyable evening.

What I got instead was much more than that. Pure magic.

Rock on, girls!

Larkin Poe was the best show I've gone to in the past 10 years (and,believe me, I've been to some shows). Rebecca Lovell is an AMAZING VOCALIST and a real ball of energy! To my ears she is up there with the greats (think Janis). Fabulous guitar player as well. I mean she ROCKS!!! Her sister Meghan does such tight harmonies with her that it's easy to forget she BURNS hot on the slide guitar (think if Elmore James, Robert Johnson, and Duane Allman were all rolled up into a blonde mega-babe). I don't know why I'm not hearing them on the radio every freakin' day. In short,the show was effin' great. If you haven't heard these two Georgia peaches yet, you may be missing the next big thing. Poor you!!!

I’ve been listening to music in 5 decades and to lots of bands and Larkin Poe are definitely bringing a great summary to what music is all about!!!
The love fore music Larkin Poe radiate and the pure raw talent they have is pretty unique. The exiting and loving atmosphere in the audience I was part of, was also pretty unique and all thanks to Larkin Poe !!
Thank you Larkin Poe for letting us be part of your musical sisterhood for one night, an eternal musical memory.
Hope to see Larkin Poe again in a near future!!!

1st off Larkin Poe had an incredible opening act! Goodnight Texas had great sound and harmonies! Now on to the Great Band Larkin Poe, I've been watching all of there YouTube videos and decided I wanted to see them, when I found out they were coming to Detroit I immediately bought our tickets. They came out with fierce energy and maintained it through the entire show. The harmonies were amazing! Very tight crisp sound! The crowd got involved several times! The show was just amazing. I will definitely go see them again!!!

Excellent show. Met, or rather exceeded all expectations. The event was sold out for good reasons. 90 minutes of pure musical joy was fed to the audience without any break. The content range from heavy rock and blues to pop, country and blue grass. Emphasis, however was devoted on blues. A memorable passage was when Megan went out on the floor, into the crowd, givng a section of the public a close-up of her playing a solo on the lap steel guitar. Much appreciated

Lars Hansson, Karlskoga

Great Show in Victoria!
Just learned about Larkin Poe 2 months
ago and I had to see them. They had no
backup bank just them. The show was sold
out and it was worth flying to Victoria to
see them. The venue was perfect and the
girls gave a show you will always remember.
If you get a chance at seeing Larkin Poe
make sure to take it.

Dallas was first night of their new Tour, what a great show. Expect some extra production ! The House of Blues Cambridge Rm was Rocking last night. Rebecca along with Megan and band plus Tyler Byant sitting in on a couple of tunes was fantastic. Larkin Poe is a must see when ever you can catch them playing! Wishing them well this tour!

Fiesty and Glue as they were nicknamed when in the UK last year were terrific from the first note, new material heavier than first album KIN, makes "reskinned" a much more balanced album, musically spot on, a superb set, which is four great nights they have given me in a row now. Look forward to their return ! Colin Shotter !

This was wonderful opportunity to hear and see these highly energetic and talented women! The hometown feel of Durham's Blue Note Grill was the perfect place for the Georgia-born sister duo to celebrate a homecoming and perform their most recent album, Peach, and many other songs. Unforgettable!