Larkin Poe – El Club – 12.17.18

Larkin Poe, Goodnight Texas
El Club – Detroit, MI – 12.17.18
Photographer: Kailey Howell

Blues duo Larkin Poe, made up of sisters Megan and Rebecca Lovell, packed El Club during their stop in Detroit in celebration of their third album Venom & Faith.

Venom & Faith quickly topped charts, which isn’t a surprise considering the band’s sophomore album Peach was nominated for a Blues Music Award for Best Emerging Artist Album.

Rightfully so, these two girls are a powerhouse duo. Both show immense instrumental talent on top of powerful, captivating vocals. From the first few notes of their opening song, “Summertime Sunset” the girls brought an intense, high energy that left me speechless.

Following the song, they broke into “Trouble in Mind” where the crowd went wild, cheering along and stomping their feet to the beat.

When it comes to covers, they can go one of two ways; they can flop, or they can sound great. Larkin Poe absolutely kill it when they cover songs. Not only does it sound great, but they add their own spin on things. Their cover of  Lead Belly’s “Black Betty” live shook the entire room.

Rebecca introduced “Mad as a Hatter” with a personal anecdote. The song is one of the first songs she wrote when she was 17. The song draws on the girls personal experiences with mental illness, paying tribute to their grandfather and other family members.

The girls closed with a cover as well, this time paying tribute to Robert Johnson with a cover of “Come on in My Kitchen”. The band requested all the lights are turned off, and their smiling faces were lit by the crowd’s variation of cell phones and lighters.

Goodnight, Texas (not pictured) opened the evening. The band’s raw sound quickly captivated the room. The standing bass added a special element to the live set.  “I’m Going to Work on Maggie’s Farm Forever” brought a slower vibe, but their closing song, “Jessie Got Trapped in a Coal Mine” kicked things right back up.

Larkin Poe can be found on Facebook. They will be opening up for Bob Segar & The Silver Bullet band early January.

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Larkin Poe