Oxford Arts Factory 18/10/26
No, this is not a mistake. I have actually got to see Low Life at Oxford Art Factory twice in 30 days! At the same venue. From the same short girl possie.
So this was a little different. A, for lack of a better term, matinee all-ages performance. Actually, an all-ages daytime gig would have worked. Still, vastly different to their prior gig.
Being an all-ages gig, I did think I would be one of the very oldies, but that wasn’t the case. There were a few people I thought would get carded in different circumstances, and one very small person (maybe 6ish) with their grown-up and some super hardcore industrial headphones on. I wanted to tell their grown-up that it was cool they were introducing their little person to good live music at such a young age, but I refrained.
I did not make the first support due to work commitments, but got there in time to enjoy A Speeding Vehicle, who were great. I was unfamiliar with them and enjoyed them so much that I then got into an ultra-reflective, depressed mood thinking about how many other awesome bands I don’t know of, yet. However, I quickly snapped myself out of it so as to enjoy the impressive band I was getting to see.
A five-piece with a fuzzy punk sound. I particularly enjoyed a song called Dots n Dashes, so much, in fact, that I immediately took my phone out and added it to my Oct on repeat playlist. These guys are a Qld band, if I am not mistaken, so I am glad I got to see them. I now just have to wait till they cross the border again.
Low Life. This was the set to keep them on their toes. Between a smoking bass amp, a new amp that didn’t seem to work, cymbals crashing to the floor, and making the setlist up on the fly as they played, it was probably a hard gig for them. However, as an audience member, it was not a hard gig to watch. Although the band may have been frustrated by what was going on for them on stage, it did not transfer on to my enjoyment of the set.
Obviously, Dogging is always going to be formidable live, but it hit particularly hard on this occasion. Even with a sober, quieter, daytime crowd (apart from a very energetic, singing-every-word Shogun at the front. At least it looked like him). It did hit hard.
The month earlier, when I saw them, my favourite song of the set was Dream Machine, and once again, there is just something about this song live. It has been on repeat for me since last month. I think it will stay there for a long time. It is just one of those songs that translates so well live that it becomes a fave track from the band because you get that hit of endorphins that you got at the gig hearing it.
However, I am going to say that my song of the set was their final song, which was decided on the fly. There was debate, and I am super grateful they went with Crash.
I am not sure how the band felt after the set, but I went home on a pure high.
