(I got the idea for this series while sifting through the ‘piles’ of digital photos on my laptop. It occurred to me to share some of these great pics from some of my favourite concert sets from time to time. Until I get around to the next one, I invite you to peruse my ever-growing list of concerts page.)
Artist: The Lowest of the Low
When: April 25th, 2025
Where: Overflow Brewing Company, Ottawa
Context: I’ve been a fan of the legendary Toronto indie rockers since I was a teenager and first fell for their debut album, “Shakespeare my butt” in the early 90s. I’d seen live them a handful of times already, each since their triumphant reformation in the early 2000s, but it had been more than a decade since the last time* so when I saw this show advertised, I hemmed and hawed a little but bit the bullet in the end. Part of the reason I pondered so much was because of the location** and given my recent medical issues*** but after everything, I was super glad I went. The show was the second on a month-long mini-tour in support of their newest album, “Over years and overnight” (due out this Friday). The problem with slogging an album not yet released is always that you can’t properly sell it at the merch table**** and that fans won’t have had the time to familiarize themselves with the new material. However, the band did push through a good deal of these new tracks, were mostly well received by the crowd, and definitely had me looking forward to giving the album a spin. Most of the rest of the set was pulled from the group’s classic debut*****, which had the whole crowd singing along, along with a sampling of the best of the rest of their output from over the years. Indeed, Ron Hawkins and the other gentlemen in the band displayed that are great show people, knowing their audience and their bread and butter, so of course, there were laughs and cheers and maybe some tears. So much fun.
Point of reference song: “The only one I see”
*The last time being in September 2013, possibly one of, if not the last time founding member Stephen Stanley performed live with the band.
**The venue was at Overflow Brewing Company, a local craft brewery that is a bit out of the way in terms of transit, and definitely required a cab ride home given that I am still not driving.
***This was my first live show in more than six months and I was a bit unsure but in the end, it was the perfect show to get back in the saddle.
****Though frontman Ron Hawkins kept making cracks about us being able to pay to scan a QR code at the merch table.
*****By my count and not necessarily trustworthy memory, 10 tracks from the debut, including “Rosy and grey”, “Bleed a little while tonight”, “Salesmen, cheats and liars”, and “Henry needs a new pair of shoes”.
My (life in) music lists 