Going Low on Shepherd's Bush

The ideal venue to see Low is a building where the audience can sit or lie on the floor, light up joints and sip wine while the music washes over the crowd. But Shepherds Bush Empire, last night's venue, isn't such a place. It's a great building -- I've seen brilliant gigs by Sinead O'Connor, Radiohead and Beth Gibbons there -- but it's not my ideal place for this trio of turtle-like Mormons.

We arrived to a half-empty building and a long-haired woman on stage, strumming a guitar and singing like an Apache Patti Smith. Despite Mark and Natalia giggling at the singer's folky pretentions, I was entranced. There was something unusual about her strong features. When she paused, just before the end, to chat with the audience, we realized she was a bloke! He goes by the name Death Vessel and is worth checking out.

Low were naturally excellent. The pints beforehand, plus the silent standing around, took its toll on my concentration. I drifted into the green beams shining down on the stage, the audience's call for quiet, the nodding specs. For the encore, people shouted out their requests. Mark got the audience laughing by shouting "Fish Batter!", "Internet!", "The Birdie Song!" After two encores, we took a sleepy tube home.

Edit: Which one of you made me a mix CD with Death Vessel's "Deep in the Horchata"? I've heard this song before...