After releasing their genre-bending third album, “Ugly Duckling Union”, Lowertown put on, in the words of band member Olivia Osby, “the best show of the tour.” in their hometown of Atlanta. And while I can’t vouch for the other shows, I can most certainly claim Lowertown’s June 17th show at The Masquerade was a homecoming like no other.
The first opening act, a local rock band, Strumbrush, brought the room’s lively energy to the forefront. Chaotic drum breaks and guitar riffs that left my ears ringing instantly forced the crowd to move. Even through the noise, I found a much-needed level of serenity thanks to their lead singer’s soft, almost whispery, vocal style which only left me wanting more.
The second act of the night, Truth Club, proved Atlanta was ready. With a strong post-punk sound, Truth Club sent the crowd into beautiful disarray with multiple mosh pits and a countless number of crowd surfers. From the get-go, it was clear this show was going to be one to remember.
After a brief wait, one piece of the duo Avsha Weinberg wandered on stage to a roar from the crowd. The lights dimmed and coated him in a thick shadow before Olivia, and shortly after, the rest of the band assumed their positions for the opening song, Worst Friend. Even while taking photos for the show, I could hardly stop myself from singing along to the earwormy chorus the duo performed in unison. That same energy Truth Club and Strumbrush brought, only intensified for the lively opening which set a perfect expectation for the rest of the night.
Throughout the night, both Avsha and Olivia traded vocals back and forth, showcasing the ever-present kinship and unity that Lowertown’s music effortlessly carries. The two possessed a powerful stage presence that practically forced the audience to sway and swing. Whether it was Avsha belting into the mic and thrashing around with his guitar, or Olivia stomping and dancing around the entire stage, there was never a dull moment. The show was further complimented by their fantastic drummer and bass player, who inhabited a similar energy to the duo.
During most live shows, this type of unbeatable energy is typically reserved for the most “hype” songs, but with Lowertown, it felt like every song’s intensity only built upon the last. Around the midway point Olivia teased the crowd by stating, “You may have heard this next one...” before sticking out a thumbs up. The crowd erupted as we knew this referred to “Big Thumb” a highlight of their newest album. The track hasn't left my head since release and from the roar of the crowd, it seemed we all shared this problem. Hearing it live certainly didn’t disappoint as Avsha’s fun and all-too-catchy chorus was only complimented by Olivia’s live playing of the harmonica.
To close out the self-described “best show of the tour.” Lowertown played a few of their earlier tracks that were sure to get the crowd’s remaining stamina out. Two of their biggest songs, “Bucktooth” and “Best Person You Know” I’ve heard countless times, but nothing could have prepared me for what they would sound like live. They played each of these with a fresh and unique perspective gained over the course of their ever-changing style. Each track carried an exclusive energy and fast pace when performed live, and the crowd was surely feeling this as well. The pit descended into complete chaos for the final two tracks; and even after all that thrashing, there were countless shouts for “one more song”. After a short walk-off, Avsha and Olivia gave the crowd what they wanted with the slower and more emotional title track of their first album, “The Gaping Mouth”.
After the show, Lowertown stuck around the merch booth, meeting and greeting every fan that waited in line, spending a significant amount of time talking to everyone. Seeing that level of interaction between fans and artists has always been an aspect of live music that I adore, and the duo’s gratitude and respect for each of their fans was clear. It took about forty-five minutes for the venue to clear out, leaving only me, my friend, the band, and their team. After meeting Avsha and Olivia, we went back to the green room so I could ask them a few questions about their newest album and more.
An aspect of Lowertown’s newest release that really impressed me was how different it felt compared to their previous work. The band has rarely stayed in one place for too long, but on “Ugly Duckling Union" they are jumping all over the place while maintaining what makes them, them. So I decided to ask, “What was new in the recording process of this album as opposed to your other releases?”
Olivia stated that “The way we approached songwriting was totally different.” Followed by Avsha explaining how the duo “never used to really write together,” and adding, “We would have the initial idea, like the seed of the idea, send it to each other, and then we’d come together.” But for Ugly Duckling Union the band, “Tried to kind of have these little missions each time we were in the studio… like different ways to write where, for example, “Worst Friend,” we sat down together and were like, “We want to do something where we trade verses, let’s try to think of an idea right now,” which we usually never do. We usually will come with an idea. But we just bounced ideas off of each other. We were telling each other about different things we had been watching lately and like funny little ideas, and we ended up building it together, and it was like Liv wrote a verse, I wrote a verse, Liv wrote a verse, I wrote a verse.”
After hearing Avsha mention how they brought in ideas from videos and other funny anecdotes they had been consuming I had to ask, “What movies inspired you for this album specifically?”
To which Avsha quickly answered, “Paris Texas is always an inspiration for me, like the feeling that movie gives you is so unique… I feel like Ry Cooder’s soundtrack is so beautiful and I wanted to convey a very certain feeling in that way.” Olivia recalled watching a lot of “New Wave” including “Godard”. Avsha remembered another big inspiration describing that “Malcom in the Middle” was the seed for “Worst Friend”. Further explaining that he had “Just watched this really funny Malcolm in the Middle episode where Francis goes to AA and he has his mom go with him and she’s so proud of him and then she’s like, “I’ve actually never seen you drink.” And he’s like, “Oh yeah, I don’t drink. I just did AA.” So that was kind of the crux, that was the seed.”
With the band being from Atlanta and me being lucky enough to catch them at their hometown show I had to ask, “What is your favorite part about playing in Atlanta? Do you feel a little more nervous, or more at home?”
To which Olivia responded “ I mean both, I feel like I put pressure on myself to do the best show I can do when I’m home because it’s like Atlanta and our hometown and you want to be giving the best show you possibly can.” But it’s also so relieving because no matter how nervous I am we always go on stage and it is like literally being welcomed home. Like some people have seen us over the years and years and years of playing and its nice because I put pressure on myself to do the best I can because I care so much and I want to give Atlanta what I can give but then it’s always nice because you know that everyone is there supporting you and on your side and like knows what to expect. Like it was so awesome. Every single time we’ve had bands playing with us the crowd is super enthusiastic about the openers and its just genuinely the best vibe. Like the last time we played here it was so sick and it was even better this time.”
Avsha chimed in with, “I don’t get nervous that much honestly.” to which Olivia chuckled and stated, “I get nervous.”
The final question I wanted to ask the band was in relation to the titular Ugly Duckling featured on the cover of their newest album and on stage during their entire tour, Dale. But for some unbeknownst reason I was under the assumption that the duckling’s name was actually Clive which led to a funny moment of confusion where Avsha corrected me before Olivia stated “Clive does fit his vibe though, I mean that’s his brother or something.” Working through the mysterious name mix-up I asked the duo, “If Dale was walking amongst us what fandom do you think he’d be apart of?”
After a moment of pondering Olivia stated, “He’d love Minecraft, I think he’d love Stardew Valley too.” Avsha was trying to ask Olivia, “What’s the combo of all the words?” resulting in Olivia shooting down his answer before he could get it out, “Not a SuperWhoLock (a fan of Sherlock, Doctor Who, and Supernatural), no” to which Avsha shot back, “You don’t think he’d be a SuperWhoLock? I think he’s a young SuperWhoLock who then grows up.” Olivia added, “Which is me.”
I then thanked the band for their time, especially after the energy exhaustive performance they just put on and congratulated them on the amazing turnout and crowd participation. Bands like Lowertown prove that hometown roots still run deep, and the community you come up in truly sticks around. Through style changes, genre shifts, and whole new sounds, Lowertown showcased the best of their abilities at a show I will remember for years to come.
You can catch Lowertown on their Ugly Duckling Union tour at the remaining dates:
Jun 22, 2026, Miami, FL @ Lincoln's Beard
Jun 23, 2026, Tampa, FL @ The Orpheum
Jun 25, 2026, Durham, NC @ The Pinhook
Jun 26, 2026, Washington, DC @ Songbyrd
Jun 27, 2026, New York, NY @ Bowery Ballroom
