Lowertown’s Ugly Duckling Union at Ballroom

Desarey Elizondo Lopez

Music Journalist 

There are plenty of great bands and artists that I have seen play live, but I can say with full confidence that Lowertown is my favorite to watch perform. Saying that, I knew it was going to be another amazing night with these bands as soon as I heard the familiar strums of Lowertown’s guitar. 

Lowertown is an indie duo from Atlanta, Georgia and consists of Olivia Osby and Avsha Weinberg. Following the release of their latest album, Ugly Duckling Union, Lowertown has been busy touring across the U.S. and along the way made a stop at 29th Street Ballroom in Austin. This show was my fourth time seeing Lowertown, which in itself should show how much of a fan I am of the Atlanta duo. Their new album feels a lot more involved and authentically Lowertown, and I couldn’t wait to listen to it live. 

I arrived as soon as shoegaze band Witches Exist started their set, and I hurried into the venue as I heard them open with “Tacomex.” I first saw them two years ago at Levitation and have been a follower of the Austin band ever since, so seeing them open for my favorite band made me even more excited for the night. They played a few released songs from their album Crashing before playing unreleased music that I had yet to hear. They had an amazing set that really captured the crowd’s attention, and I couldn’t have asked for a better opener. 

Up next on the lineup was Truth Club, an Indie Rock band from Raleigh, North Carolina. This was my first time hearing of them, but they had great energy on stage that kept me wanting more. They left a great first impression on me, and I was pleased to add them to my playlist afterwards. 

The air felt suffocating as I eagerly waited for Lowertown alongside the rest of the crowd. Finally, the band stepped out onto the stage and began setting up their gear. Despite having seen Lowertown plenty of times before, it still felt like I was witnessing their greatness for the first time. The lights dimmed, and I once again heard the familiar melodies of their songs as they began playing. 

 The duo hyped the crowd up and encouraged us to move around during certain songs, and we did not disappoint. Olivia even claimed that our pit was rowdier than San Antonio’s (where they played the night before), which I proudly claimed the bragging rights to. The band was having a blast onstage, and I wanted the night to last forever as I sang along to the songs and got shoved around in the pit. 

They “ended” their set with “Bucktooth,” which I and everyone else knew wasn’t their last song, but we played along anyways and called for an encore when they finished playing the song. They briefly left the stage and came back moments later to play fan favorite “Best Person You Know.” Finally, they closed the night out with my personal favorite song ever, “The Gaping Mouth,” leaving the night on a tranquil, bittersweet note. The entire night was the most fun I had in a while, and I was grateful to see my favorite band again. 

I didn’t leave the venue empty handed however, and snagged a Witches Exist poster and a duck keychain plush of Lowertown’s album mascot Dale as souvenirs to remember another electrifying night with them. I’m eager to see what else the duo comes up with in the future and hopefully I’ll even catch them for a fifth time soon.