Although the Nashville-based Lowell sisters, known as Larkin Poe, hail from North Georgia, their “homecoming” performance in Atlanta probably feels “right at home” to many in the audience. They possess a graciousness and familial kindness that recalls the people we knew when we were from smaller towns, and, in turn, they deliver a gracious plenty of blues rock to their fans.
That fan base is growing steadily through the consistent release of new music, unwavering fan support, near-constant touring, and perhaps a bit of broader notoriety following their Grammy Award for “Best Contemporary Blues Album” for Bloom, released last year. After some starts and stops, they’re finally nearing the end of this tour before heading to Europe this fall.
A break is well-timed for guitarist/lead singer Rebecca Lovell, who is still all-in on the music scene during her 31st week of pregnancy. Introducing “Mockingbird,” she admitted to getting a case of the feels,” candidly sharing her emotional state to the response from the crowd. Change is constant — but the soul of Larkin Poe is the same as they’ve always been.
As Rebecca shared early in the set, “Music, for me, sounds like church. Music is where I go to get right.” There’s no going wrong with this band, whose sisterly chemistry includes visibly abundant mutual support as they take their turns — Rebecca on lead electric guitar or Megan on lap steel. Their smiles aren’t just for themselves, but shared with the crowd from start to finish. It’s the kind of artist/audience relationship that keeps people coming back and draws in new fans.
The first three songs clocked in at 20 minutes of roaring blues rock, supported by their fantastic band (now including a keyboardist) and ample solos. It’s almost unfair that “Bluephoria,” a beautiful new song from Bloom, was placed to slow the heartbeat, but neither the artists nor the audience can sustain the initial pacing.
In recent years, many artists have included a mid-set acoustic interlude, and Larkin Poe did just that. The band gathered at the center of the stage for four songs, with Rebecca on mandolin, Megan on a metal resonator guitar and others on stand-up bass and light percussion.
Before they began, Rebecca humorously called out non-natives who didn’t know what kudzu was (as it turned out, many in the crowd — and one band member—didn’t). The invasive nuisance is mentioned in the lyrics of the first offering, “Southern Comfort.” The audience had been vocal in their appreciation up to that point, but the applause for this performance was the loudest of the night. Again, it was beautiful, with the care taken in the vocals and the skills displayed on their instruments.
“God Moves on the Water” and “Mad as a Hatter” — just as enthusiastic. And John Denver’s “Thank God I’m a Country Boy”? A full-on audience singalong — a celestial planetary alignment of sorts — as the crowd clapped in rhythm throughout the song. A+.
The band returned to their spots, and as the others were getting re-instrumented, the drummer began with heavy bass kicks as dry ice filled the stage, followed by Megan launching into a slide guitar solo. The rock show was back.
At 15 years in, this is still a young band with much more to come. Still, it’s 15 years of regrets if you haven’t caught them live yet. Their recordings are fantastic, but live, they consistently deliver what fans hope for when they buy a ticket. The best.
Setlist:
Katie Pruitt opened the evening. An Atlantan living in Nashville, she’s considered a country artist, but that label doesn’t really fit. A singer-songwriter with deep lyrics, a powerful voice and who finger taps the guitar… She’s her own thing. A great introduction.
Try out the lyrics of “Expectations, “Wishful Thinking” or probably any other songs.
