Lowertown Performs in Lowertown

Words & photos by Edie Olender

There is a gap between reality and the representations that we fabricate of ourselves. We have these very carefully curated personas to appease, conform, and integrate into various social situations. For a long time, I never thought I would be able to grow out my shag because it is an obvious cue to my desired social circle that I ought to belong. Amidst Lowertown’s crowd at the 27 Club last night, you see baby doll dresses over jeans, rat tails, carabiners, Converse, bloomers, dyed hair, chunky necklaces, and spoon rings. Lowertown, a duo consisting of Olivia Osby and Avshalom Weinberg, are also dressed to impress, with the former rocking layers of lace under a chain belt and the latter wearing black and white stripes with a barbed wire necklace. However, their performance was nothing like what you would expect based on the recorded versions of themselves.

On the record, they sound like a pair of kids singing some alternative indie rock tunes in their bedroom, but in person, they were one of the highest energy performances I have ever seen. I had expected the crowd to bop their heads along and perhaps even do a polite little shuffle of their feet, but instead a lively mosh pit broke out as kids jumped up and down and screamed so loud that the microphones on stage even picked up the sound in between songs. Osby has a mesmerizing way of dancing, her body becoming a sound wave as she skipped and flung her arms erratically in all directions. Weinberg also strummed as he stepped, making full use of the entire stage floor. The live vocals were impressive, leaning into the gritty 90s rock that only peeps in at points in the album recordings. At times, Osby pulled out a cowbell and a harmonica, adding a folky flair to the performance.

Underneath the rock and roll, they’re still just some kids from Atlanta. Even as Osby kept her cool stare and stony expression, you could almost hear the wonder in her voice as she yelled out to the crowd, “How are we doing tonight, Ottawa? I said, how are we doing tonight!” It’s the classic concert question that I’m sure still sparks joy at hearing the callback, even eight years into their music career. In particular, they said this was a special show since Osby’s dad was from Ottawa, and so she often visited the city as a child. Whether joking or not, they also said that their band name arises from Ottawa’s old district, Lowertown. In either case, having Lowertown perform in Lowertown felt like a very special moment of seeing not only the band for who they actually are, but also seeing Ottawa’s music scene for what it truly is. As people arrived, you saw the welcoming smiles and waves throughout the crowd. You saw the tight-knit community of kids with shag mullets and vests covered in buttons singing and experiencing the moment together.