Low, Kid Dakota

We were torn away from the balcony bar shortly after the support - Minneapolis two-piece Kid Dakota - began their set. What a surprise treat. Pounding, spiralling rhythms search out the wide open plains of the Royal Festival Hall. Honey and gravel vocals deliver intelligent lyrics that upset my balance a little. Guitarist and frontman Darren Jackson's hypnotic riffs move in amongst the focused drumming of Christopher McGuire for the pregnant set like they were born to play together, with Zak Sally providing occasional bass. In a few hours I'll be buying The West Is The Future and a rather fetching t-shirt.

All that and it's only half eight. A lot more red wine and I'm still wondering if the Royal Festival Hall is the right venue for Low. Having seen them twice at the Union Chapel I've been nervous for weeks that something might be lost in the vastness but I should have known that this band knows what it's doing.

Everything that makes Low one of the most absorbing, essential and comforting bands I know is here, and it is wonderful to hear classics like Laser Beam, but there is more. Much reported since The Great Destroyer's release, Low have let rock. And this is a joy, a release, a reason to love 2005, a cause to shout from the rooftops. Climactic song When I Go Deaf is a swell of raw beauty emerging in heady static and heavy guitar. The song demands that you listen, and when they're finished with it I'm thanking their God for this development. As ever, a revelation.

When: 18/02/05
Who: Low, Kid Dakota
Where: Royal Festival Hall
Review by: Jane Rich
Pitchfork reviews: Low, Kid Dakota