4/10/2007 The Lowriders @ Leonards

Subject	The Lowriders @ Leonards
PostedDate	10/4/2007
	This was the first time I'd seen the Lowriders, although I've had them recomended to me before. I was instantly impressed. They are very much a rock band, but don't really fit into any particular genre. They have a wide range of influences, but don't sound much like anyone else in particular - although one song did remind me of US stoners Fu Manchu.  The one thing which struck me straight away was that they are just really good. It's not just that they have some pretty decent songs and play them well, but they also sound really good. Not many bands can manage to sound so slick playing in what is essentially a pub venue with a small PA, but they somehow manage to sound great - it's like listening to a really well mixed live TV or video production. It's not just that they are excellent musicians and play really tightly together - some bands just seem to sound really good even though they are using very similar equipment to other bands that sound only average to poor.  Maybe it's because they are experienced enough not to let egos and too much sheer volume ruin the sound like many other bands do. Sometimes (second time this week for me) you see a band who are so good you just can't believe they are playing in a little place like this to only a handful of people. Actually, that's exactly what happened last time I visited this venue a few months ago as well. This band are actually far too good to be playing places like this. They could do some work on their appearance though - as good as they sound, they look like a cover band playing in a pub on a Friday night. This might go some way to explaining why they are playing in places like this? Or maybe they just don't care? Anyway, that aside - the Lowriders are certainly worth checking out if they head your way. I'm certainly glad I made the effort on a Thursday night and will be looking out for them again. PS: When I say the band are 'too good to be playing in places like this' I am not criticising the venue - Leonard's in EC1 isn't actually a bad little place at all, and far better than a couple of shabby East End venues I've visited recently. And they didn't run out of Newcastle Brown either.