After listening to and reviewing Larkin Poe’s eighth album, Bloom, I heard so much growth in their music that I simply had to hear these songs live.
While the stage in 2023 was still mostly dressed in white—which made it feel a bit distant—the decor in Tilburg had a warm, 60s-hippie vibe.
Plants were everywhere, and the pink backdrop was entirely made of flowers. The band came on with a mix of floral songs like Lynn Anderson’s “Rose Garden” and Dolly Parton’s “Wildflower.”
Thankfully, that intro was short, because then sisters Megan and Rebecca Lovell kicked things off with the strongest tracks from the new album: “Nowhere Fast” and “Mockingbird.”
Wonderful blues-rock with the occasional Southern edge thanks to Megan’s slide and Rebecca’s rhythmic grooves.
The band—drummer Ben Satterlee, bassist Tarka Layman, and keyboardist Lucas Pettee – is clearly well-rehearsed and gives the ladies plenty of room to shine.
They stop just in time to let Megan and Rebecca’s beautiful, harmonious vocals take center stage. After the tranquil Easy Love, the first track from their previous album Blood Harmony follows: Summertime Sunset.
One of the highlights of the evening, for me, was Bluephoria. The harmonies in the chorus were magnificent, and the guitar parts were spot on.
The two sisters visibly radiated joy. They constantly sought contact with each other and the audience, wandered to the edges of the stage, and – despite the large venue – managed to create a warm, intimate atmosphere.
Just like two years ago, women were once again put in the spotlight. Rebecca, who became a mother eleven weeks ago (together with guitarist and Grammy winner Tyler Bryant), explained how her respect for women has only grown since then.
The song “If God Is a Woman” beautifully underscored this: it addresses stereotypes and how society tries to pigeonhole women. The message is clear: women are just as strong—perhaps even stronger.
A wonderful piece of girl power.
In their previous musical life, Megan and Rebecca were members of a bluegrass band, and they wanted to share that with the audience.
With the entire band gathered around a single microphone, they delivered a semi-acoustic session. Even a banjo and ukulele were featured.
The room was completely silent, which made songs like Southern Comfort even more powerful. Mad Hatter once again demonstrated how beautifully their voices blended, and how Megan’s slide playing gave the song extra emotion—goosebumps.
The second, electric section opted for a slightly heavier sound. Because of that, I sometimes missed some of the harmonies, but songs like Bad Spell and Pearls gave space to beautiful solos. The audience remained enthusiastic until the very last note.
The encore was Bloom Again. What a magnificent ending: it started subdued, singing along with Rebecca on guitar, after which the band subtly joined in for the second verse.
Out of nowhere, two fantastic solos from the sisters followed, bringing the song to an impressive climax. It’s wonderful that they had the courage to end with such an emotional, harmonious song instead of a hard-hitting banger.
The band surprised me again. The two women captivated the audience with their guitar playing and vocal harmonies.
The addition of multi-instrumentalist Lucas Pettee gives the electric numbers that extra bluesy feel, and during the bluegrass session, the extra guitar elevates the sound.
The opening act for me was the completely unknown Son Little. Son Little is the artist alias of American musician Aaron Earl Livingston.
He’s the regular opening act for Larkin Poe on the European tour. He was also allowed to play for 40 minutes as a support act, which is quite a long time.
His voice is raw, sometimes brittle, but powerful; he switches easily between bluesy vocals, soul, and more experimental sounds, supported by his keyboardist.
He would be a perfect fit for the Ramblin’ Roots festival in the Netherlands, for example.
