If the indie music scene were a stock market, I’d be very bullish on The Low Anthem.  I got my hands on their excellent album, Oh My God, Charlie Darwin, after hearing the titular track on NPR’s All Songs Considered, and was blown away.  I was very excited to see that they were playing at the Newport Folk Festival 2009 this past summer, which I was planning on getting to regardless.  For an idea of what a year can bring, in 2008 the band members volunteered for the festival recycling crew to get into the venue and give their album to anyone who would listen.

They put on a great show there, really full of energy and displaying an impressive mix of musical ability, genre flexibility, and instrumentation versatility.  Also appearing at the festival was YBP collaborator Elvis Perkins, who put on a mighty good show as well.

They played at the Black Cat this past Wednesday with Blind Pilot.  At least for me, they stole the show.  Similarly to at Newport, they opened with some of their quieter numbers, which showcase some nice vocal harmonies and sharp lyrics.  Then, out of nowhere, they move into some of their more blues rock numbers, when you realize that not only can they sing pointed falsetto and earnest mid-range, but also growl and yell with the best of them.

It is apparent how much fun they have together on stage, and trading instruments after every song illustrates how comfortable they are with each other.  I have a feeling that they gained a lot of new fans that night.