Low

Review: The Laurels seems to split the Factory Theatre crowd a little: the Factory was comfortably full for their set of muscular, rhythmic post-shoegaze, while a few small groups congregated in the courtyard to smoke and mutter variations on “it’s just feedback - my daughter could do that”. For my part, I kind of miss the 60s-influenced popcraft of their early songs but gotta say: they’ve turned into a formidably powerful live band.

Low seemed a little subdued at first, but the reason for the band’s lack of introductory banter became clear by the second song: Alan Sparhawk’s voice was showing signs of wear and tear, croaking on the quieter moments of the fragile ‘Silver Rider’. Mimi Parker’s voice however was pure and perfect from behind the stand-up drum kits, and new(ish) bassist Steve Garrington kept things anchored, once you got used to his odd, clockwork-doll stage movements.

However, that vulnerability in Sparhawk’s voice only added to the beauty of their set, which ranged over their career and threw in some new songs to boot. It never got rockin’ as such, but ‘Canada’ lifted the pace, as did a jittery new arrangement of ‘Monkey’. However, it was the slower moments that slew the reverent audience: you could hear a pin drop during ‘Murderer’, and there were real tears in the room during ‘Sunflowers’ (and I’ve said it before: there are no better opening lines in music than “When they found your body/Giant Xs on your eyes”) before finishing with a gorgeous take on ‘When I Go Deaf’.

The encore began with a gorgeous new song boasting a repeated coda of “my love is for free” before they took audience suggestions to close with ‘Dinosaur Act’, ‘California’ and a guitar arrangement of ‘Breaker’ (but not, despite Sparhawk’s unaccompanied verse, Kenny Rogers’ ‘The Gambler’). Finish the new album then get the hell back here, guys. Andrew P Street