They’ve been visiting Glasgow on various tours since 2016, and Larkin Poe made sure that the O2 Academy was ready for a night of true immersive bluegrass music.
Back over the pond with their latest record, Bloom, the Lovell sisters announced a string of European dates, and fans rushed to grab tickets for their only Scottish date of the tour.
Kicking off the night was the soulful blend of Son Little, who provided the perfect taste palette before the sisters took the stage. Treating fans to original songs such as O Me O My, Lay Down and the track which had the crowd swaying from start to finish, Let Me Have It All.
This man’s vocals, paired with his guitar ability, are utterly sublime, and I would love nothing more than to see him in a more intimate venue very soon.
It wasn’t long before the duo took to the stage. Now, there is one thing I love about a Larkin Poe, or any kind of bluegrass concert, which is that from start to finish, the show feels cosy. Lights on warm tones, the crowd locked in to hear good music, and with a setlist blending a variety of their catalogues, we were treated to an absolute belter of a show.
I did wonder how they would weave their older songs into a tour which is predominantly based on promoting their new album, but kicking off with Nowhere Fast, Mockingbird, Easy Love, Summertime Sunset and drifting into Bleach Blonde Bottle Blues before tying up the first section with Deep Stays Down, the vibe changed for an acoustic section for Southern Comfort.
Another standout moment was a Black Sabbath cover of War Pigs and AC/DC’s ” Wanted Man, proving that country truly does have the ability to mold any genre they like.
It’s not just Larkin Poe’s incredible voices that captured the audience’s attention, the slide guitar, lap steel and occasional acoustic moment absolutely took my breath AWAY – the talent within this band is nothing short of spectacular.
Rounding up the show with an encore of Bloom Again, it’s safe to say, Larkin Poe were not there just to play songs — they were there to immerse the crowd in a musical journey.
Despite the fact this was the O2 Academy, moments throughout the show you felt like you’d drifted off to the hear of Chattanooga, in a small bar just surrounded by true Americana roots music. What a show.
Review by Lauren Page
