Live Review: Larkin Poe - Cologne 2023

E-Werk, Cologne, Germany
23rd October 2023
Larkin Poe - “Blood Harmony 2023 UK & Europe Tour” - Support: The Sheepdogs

Things are going well for LARKIN POE: their last studio albums all made it to #1 on the Billboard Blues album charts. Not surprisingly, sisters Rebecca and Megan Lovell now have a Grammy nomination in their bag. From the beginning of October to the beginning of November 2023, LARKIN POE play ever larger halls all over Europe to present their current album ‘Blood Harmony’. We were able to see the band at the E-Werk in Cologne. The club was not only really packed. No, in addition to the audience, the German TV station WDR was there, recording the concert of the two acts of the evening to broadcast them on WDR on 20 November 2023 between 02.20 - 04.25 am.


The Sheepdogs

THE SHEEPDOGS entered the stage at 8 p.m. precisely and turned back time by a good 50 years in the blink of an eye. The quite successful Canadian Rock band not only cultivates a retro style visually and seems to have fallen out of time. Musically, too, the quintet is very much oriented towards veteran bands like the ALLMANN BROTHERS BAND, CREEDENCE CLEARWATER REVIVAL etc. - Front man Ewan Currie describes the band’s bluesy Rock as “pure, simple, good-time music”. Live in Cologne the band does everything perfectly. From the very first note, the Canadians feel right at home and put on a flawless performance during the 45 minutes of their show. Especially Ricky Paquette, the relatively new guitarist, makes an impact.



In contrast to the rather static performance of front man Ewan Currie, the new band member literally throws himself into his guitar and whirls across the stage. THE SHEEPDOGS plays a very entertaining gig, which is very well received by the heterogeneous audience.

Setlist
01. How Late, How Long
02. I've Got a Hole Where My Heart Should Be
03. Bad Lieutenant
04. Southern Dreaming
05. Rock and Roll (Ain’t No Simple Thing)
06. Find the Truth
07. I Don’t Know
08. Scarborough Street Fight
09. Nobody

Rating
Music: 7
Performance: 9
Light: 8
Sound: 8
Total: 8 / 10

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Larkin Poe

After the usual break between support and headliner, LARKIN POE start their gig. The sisters Rebecca and Megan Lovell are joined on stage by bassist Tarke Layman and drummer Ben Satterlee. Dressed completely in white, the men take their place at the back of the stage, while the front women are given the space at the front of the stage. The band starts their set with ‘Strike Gold’, ‘Kick The Blues’ and ‘Summertime Sunset’ directly with three songs from the current album ‘Blood Harmony’. In general, the current work is very well represented with eight songs in a setlist with a total of 18 songs. The audience is only too pleased, celebrating the four musicians on stage right from the start.



‘Jessica’ by THE ALLMAN BROTHERS BAND follows the lively beginning and is the first of three cover songs. Fans of the British car show Top Gear will instantly recognize the show’s theme tune in this instrumental, where Megan Lovell in particular gets to shine on her lap steel guitar and earns herself some well-deserved applause. After the sisters confidently play their way through their discography as the songs continue, the four musicians gather in a small circle at the front of the stage for ‘Might As Well Be Me’. Bassist Tarke Layman has switched to the double bass and drummer Ben Sattterlee has set up a single drum. Singer Rebecca Lovell describes that this is how they used to perform as a bluegrass band in her homeland.



A single microphone is set up, the musicians gather around this microphone, and the acoustic session can begin. The quite chilling ‘Might As Well Be Me’, a quiet bluesy track, is not the kind of song you should expect euphoric applause for, but on this evening all the floodgates burst for the first time. The band is euphorically cheered for a minute or more. Meanwhile, the visibly moved band is handed a drink and enjoys the moment, then thanks the audience and performs ‘Southern Comfort’ and ‘Crocodile Song’ (another cover song by ELTON JOHN) in the same way. Finally, with the world-famous cover song, the audience completely takes over the singing and continues until the band members return to their electrically amplified instruments and gradually introduce the finale.



With the last songs, the band picks up momentum once again. ‘Wanted Woman - AC/DC’ shows the band at their heaviest and ‘Bolt Cutters & The Family Name’ also keeps the temperature high. After the last chords, the band leaves the stage, but of course Rebecca and Megan Lovell and band return to the stage for the encore. By now the sisters are only equipped with the microphone and sing ‘Deep Stays Down’ arm in arm, finally being handed their instruments again and rocking one last time to finally leave the stage after exactly 90 minutes. All in all, LARKIN POE, but also THE SHEEPDOGS, deliver a great performance with not much to criticize.

Setlist
01. Strike Gold
02. Kick the Blues
03. Summertime Sunset
04. Jessica (The Allman Brothers Band cover)
05. Georgia Off My Mind
06. Preachin’ Blues (Son House cover)
07. She’s a Self-Made Man
08. Back Down South
09. Blue Ridge Mountains
10. Mad as a Hatter
11. Might as well be me (acoustic)
12. Southern Comfort (acoustic)
13. Crocodile Rock (Elton John cover) (acoustic)
14. Holy Ghost Fire
15. Bad Spell
16. Wanted Woman - AC/DC
17. Bolt Cutters & The Family Name
18. Deep Stays Down

Rating
Music: 9
Performance: 9
Light: 8
Sound: 8
Total: 8.5 / 10

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All Pictures by André Wilms