For their first ever Irish headline show and the first European stop on their Ugly Duckling Union album tour, Lowertown chose the Grand Social. The New York based duo of Olivia Osby and Avsha Weinberg have been making music together since they were teenagers in Atlanta, and their history comes through in every song. Ugly Duckling Union is their third album and their most ambitious yet. A twelve track DIY concept album, fully produced by the two of them, it carries a rawer, more experimental edge than anything they have made before, leaning into noise, concept, and character in a way that feels like a band fully trusting their own instincts.
Fidelity Radio opened proceedings, the Irish alternative act bringing their own distinct sound to a room that was already filling up fast. The frontman was in great form, making jokes between every song and hinting to the crowd that their setlists had already been stolen before they even got to the stage. They saved the best for last, inviting a friend up from the crowd to lead the dancing as they got everyone in the room waltzing for their final song. A well chosen local opener for a night that had a strong sense of community running through it.
Lowertown took to the stage to a packed room, the kind of crowd that gets to the front early and does not move. The energy was there from the first note, and it was clear this was an audience who had been waiting a while for this moment. Osby and Weinberg are remarkably energetic performers, jumping around the stage and throwing themselves into the set with a physicality that belies the intimacy of their recorded work. During “Big Thumb,” the room raised their thumbs in unison, one of those small spontaneous moments that makes a gig feel like more than just a concert. Mosh pits broke out early on, and Osby stopped to ask the crowd if the Irish knew what a mosh pit was. They answered with full mosh pits throughout the rest of the night. “Best Person You Know” landed exactly as you would expect, the room giving it everything back. Loyal fans shouted requests for the final song before Lowertown closed the night out with “The Gaping Mouth,” a fittingly massive closer that sent the room out buzzing. For a debut Irish show, it felt nothing like it. A crowd that knew every word and met them at every turn made sure of that.
Fidelity Radio photos:
Lowertown photos:
Photos & words – Cian O’Donnell @cianod6