by Robbie Herbison

Take some teenagers filled with lockdown-induced political anger and give them a guitar and a social media platform. Five years later, you might be watching them at one of the best concerts of the year.

Seb Lowe first rose to fame through his acoustic, social commentary mini-songs that were posted to his TikTok page. Back in 2020 when he was posting these videos, he was a 17-year-old boy who had a lot of important words to say about the state of the nation, with not so many people willing to listen to them at first. After a while he gained a cult following on the platform, but fast forward five years and he is kicking off a very nearly sold-out winter UK tour at the Glasgow Art School.

Lowe, now 22 and originally from Oldham, has been refining his shorter acoustic songs into full length tracks with a full band behind him for the past two years or so, and this can be heard in the opening track ‘Here Come the Aliens’. About as explosive as a politically charged indie gig can be opened; this track really set the tone for the rest of the night. It has a loud and angry guitar and high-paced violin. This indie-rock anthem explores the idea that immigrants are not viewed as real people by certain corners of the political landscape and plays on how ridiculous the idea is that they are any different to us.

Most of the gig consisted of songs released over the past two years, as these are the ones that are produced with full instrumentals. The band consists of lead guitarist Ben Etches, drummer Joel Goodwin, bassist Sam Sumner and violinist, backup vocalist and star of the show, Kate Couriel. ‘Mr & Mrs Human Race’ was a crowd favourite. Couriel’s vocals in the second verse is an excellent example of how to write catchy but thought-provoking lyrics which is a large theme of the show. The song – especially Couriel’s section – has deep meaning, referring to the burdens of modern life and how society seems to be reverting to old standards that were supposed to be left in the past.

Another great example of his almost genius level lyricism is the track ‘Dogs & Cats’. The song is one big metaphor for the way that women are treated in society compared to men. It is an instant indie/brit-pop hit. Lowe wrote on his Instagram about the song: “‘You love dogs, but you hate cats’ is a message to the hateful from those who’ve had enough of them.”

However, it wasn’t just the new tracks that he played, with a host of old songs also getting a run out on the set list. Tunes such as ‘Freak’ and ‘Terms and Conditions’ were all brilliant instrumentally and lyrically. ‘Freak’ is a quieter and less angry song than the rest. It was a good break from the anger and noise, while keeping the exceptional lyricism. ‘Terms and Conditions’ is the first song that propelled Lowe into popularity on TikTok. An acoustic anthem where he takes the role of two characters, a rich Oxbridge graduate and a working-class northerner, arguing about what it takes to be a Brit.

It was a night that was enjoyed by all members of the audience if the overheard discussions on the way out were anything to go by. If you haven’t heard of Seb Lowe before, you have no excuses now: Follow his TikTok, listen to his music, and buy a ticket for his next tour. Do it ASAP, because it won’t be long until he is selling out arenas.

Seb Lowe Starts UK Tour with a Bang