15th August, the Salty Dog, Northwich, Cheshire
Is there anything more satisfying than catching a band in the uncertainty of their inception and knowing the inevitability of their destination? Probably not, and that’s probably why I didn’t hesitate in heading to one of Luv Dot Gov’s UK tour dates after reviewing one of their singles Pretty Enough earlier this year.
After recording their first studio album At Least We’ve Got This Madness in Edinburgh the New York based five-piece headed to the unsuspecting streets of Northwich to bring their uniquely vibrant brand of Electrically Sludgy Power Pop. Instrumentally, the band’s sound is synergistically electric, and the quality of the sound is so much more than what you’d expect from a band who only came together in 2016. Yet those are relatively minute reasons as to why I’ve come to hold Luv Dot Gov in such high regard in comparison to the other artists I’ve heard this year. It’s the raw emotional honesty of the lyrics which will hit you the hardest. When you get a complete separation of ego and pretence in the lyricism it’s hard not to let the resonance hit you hard enough that you’ll feel bruised. If it weren’t for the pull of the sharp hooks and punchy melodies, then I probably would have shed a tear. Streaming the music is one thing, getting to witness the palpably emotive compositions for yourself is quite another, I’m absolutely certain that no band I’ve seen this year has had that much fun on stage. The rapture was infectious. Morrissey may have had his time making sad songs for happy people. Yet, Luv Dot Gov are prodigally playful enough to take bitter-sweet anthems to the next level.
You can check out the album for yourselves by heading over to Spotify,
Keep up to date with their latest releases and tours by following the stunning collective of aurally veracious via Facebook.
Review by Amelia Vandergast
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