Tramshed, Cardiff
Tue 2 Aug
It seems perplexing that Low have never played together in Wales despite their 23 years as a band. Thankfully, the good people at Sound Nation have realised this and booked them for what is likely to be a triumphant debut at Tramshed. At the core of the band since day one are husband and wife Alan Sparhawk (vocals, guitar) and Mimi Parker (vocals, percussion), with Steve Garrington currently on bass guitar duties. Their brand of sparse, ethereal music is difficult to pigeonhole: some songs are pure indie rock, some may venture shoegaze but the band sure don’t like you calling it slowcore (difficult as it is to find a better description).
Their 11 studio albums to date have highlighted the amazing bond between Sparhawk and Parker; the beautiful and yet often bleak soundscapes they produce are punctuated by stunning harmonies and solo efforts from both parties. Their style and sound has become somewhat heavier since 2005’s The Great Destroyer – their first on current label Sub Pop – which saw Sparhawk dealing with a breakdown and the subsequent departure of long-time bassist Zak Sally.
Speaking of their latest record, last year’s excellent Ones And Sixes, Sparhawk says “I think the feelings we had, the desperation and the questions I was asking of things were similar when making this record as they were when making Drums & Guns”, their 2007 record which saw the band embrace more synthetic sounds than on previous records.
So what should we expect on this momentous first performance on a Welsh stage? “A lot of the songs from Ones And Sixes we’re really happy with – they seem to go well with the way we play live so we’ll be playing a load from that. But we’ll change it up from night to night, mixing in different songs. Sometimes we’ll do requests, sometimes we’ll learn up a few obscure old ones.”
Good news indeed for the die-hards, but anyone new to the band is likely to walk away as a convert. Let’s hope that the Cardiff crowd shush down and give this band and their tender, fragile songs the respect that they deserve.
Tickets: £22.50. Info: 0117 9259273
words BEN GALLIVAN