Lisa Mitchell/The Low Anthem/David Gray – London Union Chapel

The Low Anthem

November 23, 2009

In her fleeting introduction, Jo Whiley says it’s near impossible not to have a good night in Islington’s Union Chapel. She’s right, but if the penultimate night of Mencap’s Little Noise Sessions is any indication, some acts tower over others in their use of the venue.

Lisa Mitchell is the first act. An ex-Australian Idol contestant, she’s been recently supporting Newton Faulkner on tour. Songs are faultless and catchy, stage banter is friendly and she looks like she belongs on stage. All in all, she plays a competent and pleasing set, exactly what is required as a warm up to the night’s biggest performance.

Sweeping onto stage dressed as hippies from the 70s with two of the best trimmed moustaches I’ve ever seen, The Low Anthem are greeted with a subdued air of bewilderment. Still a small name, particularly to the fans of David Gray, they begin with ‘To The Ghosts Who Write History Books’. It’s a quiet start that lulls an audience into a false sense of folksy warmth. A feeling that breaks the second the Ben Miller blasts the harmonica intro for ‘Home I’ll Never Be’. The evening changed tempo that second.

To say that The Low Anthem put on the single best performance I’ve seen is not an exaggeration.

Every song they switch instruments, every time producing something unexpected and spine-tingling. Going from an organ to drum kit seems conventional enough, but seeing someone jump from a harmonium to a musical saw is stunning, particularly as the harmonies from the saw collaborate with a bowed set of crotales.

Musically, the band is stunning in its range. The same can be said for the vocal depth. Often harmonising between songs, they switch from falsettos in ‘Charlie Darwin’ to brash and rough blues tones with no effort. Passion seeps through each of their individual songs without losing touch with the crowd. Towards the end of the set, Miller asks the audience to call the person they came with at the end of the following song whilst the speakerphone is on. As confused as anyone in the crowd, The Low Anthem affirmed their showmanship as the sound of chirping crickets came from every phone at the end of the song.

Spellbound, it would take David Gray a miracle to top their set, and unfortunately, he was upstaged before he even took the microphone.

Playing a mix of old and new on only an acoustic guitar and keyboard, the full fanfare of some of his greater tracks failed to shine through. A fully acoustic rendition of ‘Babylon’ ended up being flat in sound. A technical fault with Gray’s keyboard appeared to have put a dent in his resolve just before ‘This Year’s Love’ and he never came alive onstage except at specific intervals of guitar solos where self-indulgence in his music showed what could have been.

It wasn’t a horrible set though. It was just the misfortune of having a near-perfect support act. Everything that The Low Anthem did simply highlighted the things missing from David Gray’s performance.

The Low Anthem may just be the best kept secret in live music.

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