Larkin Poe has been compared to The Allman Brothers Band. And, to be sure, there’s Southern Rock in what they do. They also feature a dual guitar attack by the Lovell sisters, although in the form of a standard electric (Rebecca) and lap steel (Megan). While these comparisons aren’t unfair, they just scratch the surface: The Lovell sisters grew up playing bluegrass, and they continue to incorporate country and acoustic into what they do. The diversity of their influences — Southern rock, electic blues, bluegrass, and more — has led them to develop a unique and eclectic approach, all of which was on display in their recent sold-out appearance at the 9:30 Club.
Rebecca and Megan Lovell have been playing professionally since their teens, when they were part of an acoustic trio with their older sister, Jessica, from 2005 to 2009. They’ve steadily climbed the ladder of success, self-releasing their early albums and building a following through their touring. With their third album, 2018’s Venom & Faith, they reached No. 1 on the Billboard Blues chart and were nominated for the Grammy for Best Contemporary Blues album.
The Lovell sisters are excellent musicians, and their skills have been to put to use contributing to albums by Billy Gibbons, Elvis Costello, Steven Tyler, and Ringo Starr, just to name a few. They showed off their skills to great effect on May 9, not just on their main instruments, but during a quieter, more intimate acoustic mini-set, during which Rebecca played mandolin and Megan played dobro.
Earlier this year, they released their latest album, Bloom. The evening’s setup was reflective of the floral theme, both visually and with the medley of song clips — Pete Seeger, Dolly Parton, Tom Petty, Jerry Reed — that played as they took the stage. They opened one of the new tracks, “Nowhere Fast,” and did most of the album, including “Easy Love Pt. 1,” “Mockingbird,” “Bluephoria,” “Little Bit,” “If God is a Woman,” and “Pearls.”
Watch the official music video for “Mockingbird” by Larkin Poe on YouTube:
For their encore, they finished the night with album closer “Bloom Again.” Their performance also included old favorites “Bad Spell,” “Summertime Sunset,” “Wanted Woman,” and “Bolt Cutters & The Family Name,” which concluded the main set. The acoustic portion of the evening featured “Southern Comfort,” “She’s A Self-Made Man,” and “Mad As A Hatter,” which they introduced as dealing with mental illness, and a cover of John Denver’s “Thank God I’m A Country Boy.”
Multi-instrumentalist and singer-songwriter Amythyst Kiah played an opening set that delved into the Southern Gothic. After getting started with “Empire of Love,” she played “Silk & Petals,” which was inspired by the TV show The Haunting of Wye Manor. She introduced another number as “my own cosmic horror song,” mentioning her love for the podcast Old Gods of Appalachia, which “combines two of my favorite things, Appalachia and Cthulhu.” (I have a trucked story in this vein called “Grandma Got Run Over By A Shoggoth.”) Her set included songs on both the acoustic guitar and the banjo: “I Will Not Go Down,” “Space” (about how “we’re meant to be together face-to-face”), and “Wild Turkey.” She finished with “Black Myself.” Amythyst Kiah will be returning to the area to play Jammin Java in Vienna on July 21, and that should be an excellent show.
Amythyst Kiah added her own unique flavor, style, and mood to an evening that explored the range of roots music. Between the two acts, we set electric and acoustic music, folk, country, blues, and rock, all of it done with great taste, the utmost skill, and a high level of craft.
Here are some photos of Larkin Poe performing live at 9:30 Club on May 9, 2025. All pictures copyright and courtesy of Steve Satzberg.
Here are some photos of Amythyst Kiah opening Larkin Poe live at 9:30 Club on May 9, 2025. All pictures copyright and courtesy of Steve Satzberg.
