As the follow-up to their critically acclaimed second album ‘Peach’, which was nominated for a Blues Music Award for Best Emerging Artist Album, Larkin Poe has recently released album ‘Venom & Faith’ that was produced by the band and engineered by their long-time collaborator Roger Alan Nichols. ‘Venom & Faith’ was released last week via Proper Music.
Larkin Poe follow the album’s release with a headline European tour, starting in London at Islington Assembly Hall on November 21 and taking in dates in Germany, Austria, Italy and Spain.
Recorded in Nashville earlier this year in between headline shows, festival dates such as Bonnaroo and Lollapalooza, and a featured guest performer spot on Keith Urban’s Graffiti U World Tour, Larkin Poe approached ‘Venom & Faith’ with fierce independence. From Rebecca’s powerful vocals on ‘Ain’t Gonna Cry’ to Megan’s sultry lap steel on ‘Good And Gone,’ the sisters weave their talents into the fabric of their experience and a picture of the American South. ‘Blue Ridge Mountains’ harkens to the sisters’ hometown, ‘drinking sweet tea every day’ with stomping percussion and churning riffs.
Still, the sisters maintain an outlaw mindset in a traditional genre. Unbound by tawdry embellishments, Larkin Poe infuse pop sensibilities into their sound, blending old-school elements of rock and soul with drum samples, hip-hop production values, and resonant lyrics like “California king-sized dreams in a twin bed.” ‘Venom & Faith’ redefines what it means to make emotionally resonant music while also maintaining boundary-pushing musicality.
Headline European Tour:
Wed 21 Nov London, Islington Assembly Hall
Fri 23 Nov Berlin, Musik & Frieden
Sun 25 Nov Cologne, Luxor
Mon 26 Nov Munich, Strom
Tue 27 Nov Vienna, Flex
Wed 28 Nov Bergamo, Druso
Sat 01 Dec Madrid, Cool Stage
Sun 02 Dec Barcelona, Razzmatazz 2
Check out the album ‘Venom & Faith’ below!
We managed to catch up with sisters Rebecca Lovell and Megan Lovell before the release date as they talked about ‘Venom & Faith’ and more!
So how pumped are you for the release of Venom & Faith?
Rebecca: We’re incredibly excited for folks to hear ‘Venom & Faith’! Of all the albums we’ve ever made, this is by far are favorite body of work; it’s authentically us and really feels like an accurate snapshot of where we are as artists in this moment.
Can you tell something about the album no one else knows?
Megan: The making of the album was fueled entirely by Vui’s Kitchen – an amazing Vietnamese restaurant in Nashville just down the street from the studio where we were recording. We literally ate there every day for about 4 weeks straight.
What’s your favourite song on the album?
Rebecca: Right now, “Honey Honey” is my favorite song. To my ear, it sounds like an amalgamation of the TV series ‘True Detective’ meets an American football game (when your favorite team is losing).
How was it working with Roger Alan Nichols on this?
Megan: Roger Alan Nichols is our champion and truest friend. We made our previous album, ‘Peach’, with him as well and had such an amazing time in the studio that we had to go back and do it all again. We couldn’t have dreamed up a better engineer with whom to work – he is supportive of us, through and through.
How was it being nominated for a Blues Music Award on your previous album?
Rebecca: Whenever we heard the ‘Peach’ had been nominated for a Blues Music Award, we were surprised and honored! We respect the blues deeply and truly hope to be ambassadors of the blues for the coming generations; however, given that we are stretching the boundaries of the blues with our records, it meant all the more to know that we do have the support of the blues community behind us.
If you could work with any band on a new song, who would it be and why?
Megan: As a slide player, I would love to work with Bonnie Raitt. We had the opportunity to meet Bonnie out in LA a few weeks back and it was such a dream to shake her hand. She’s a master of the slide guitar.
What do you get up to in your spare time when not working on music?
Rebecca: I don’t think we’re ever not working on music, truthfully – but we always find time for reading, hiking, and cooking. We’re southern girls, after all. We love getting into the kitchen.
Will you being touring at all in 2019?
Megan: ‘We’re going to be touring a lot in 2019! We’re especially excited to hint at some additional UK dates soon to be announced in the spring of 2019. But what can we say: we’re road-dogs! We’ve been touring since we were fifteen, sixteen and will be touring until we’re confined to wheelchairs.’