Eagle Inn – Salford
8th December 2016
Last week Fighting Boredom’s Martin Ward traveled to a show so intimate that it was pretty much sold out to people in the know before advertised. Low supported by Robert Hampson of Loop fame at the last Dots and Loops show. Read his thoughts below.
I don’t do reviews, that’s because I try and take photographs and I’m generally not the writing type, but the thing is with this gig is that there’s so few tickets available that when the flyer is updated with the details of the gig it’s already sold out, guest list is only confirmed 12 hours before I travel and only one place so Chief Scribbler has to stay at home.
Arrival in Manchester is uneventful, hotel is shit – 100 year old windows might look good but they can’t hold back the noise of 24hr Arena traffic.
Venue next – small, really small. In fact it’s quite possibly the smallest venue I’ve been to, so tiny is the stage that there isn’t even room for a drum kit; which was apparently considered then abandoned.
The reason it’s here isn’t made clear to me and frankly doesn’t make much sense, fiftyish punters downstairs and a dozen upstairs – that’s it full and I mean proper full.
There are two support acts, Elle Mary is on first, I’m in the equally small bar area with some friends so I miss that,
Robert Hampson is next up, this is basically why I’m here, he plays a guitar solo set with an Ebow, effects pedals and loops. It’s freeform and improvised live. It’s not Loop, it’s more like Main, atmospherics with guitar and I really liked it. I hear some grumbles from the back about it not being anything in particular, not from me – he could play bongos and I’d turn up.
Onto the main event, a bell rings in the bar and a member of staff tells us to make our way into the venue.
There’s a short thank you from Dots and Loops for all the support shown over the years for shows past etc, this is the last Dots and Loops show and the crowd show their appreciation.
Low thank them and explain that tonight’s show is all new material in various states of readiness.
It’s good stuff. Slow with edgy guitar and beautiful vocals – everything you love about them and right on top of you. It’s mesmerising. I lost track of time for a while.
Getting photos was tricky, with such a small space completely full you don’t want to be pushing anyone around to get a shot, luckily everyone was decent enough to give me a bit of their space for a few seconds downstairs and upstairs to get just enough to capture the intimacy of the venue – thanks.
It all finishes with as they describe it ‘that Christmas stuff you might have seen on YouTube, only available in this tangible form tonight’
There is plenty of cheering at the end and Low Christmas socks at £15 a pair for sale.
Worth a trip to Manchester and the worst nights sleep in years ? You bet it was.
Low’s website is chairkickers.com. They are also on Facebook and Tweet as @Lowtheband.
Robert Hampson’s website is roberthampson.com.
All words and pictures by Martin Ward.
Robert Hampson
Low