Walk into the Sea

The recent death of Mimi Parker - co-vocalist and drummer with Low - hit me harder than I was expecting. I never met her but her music meant a lot to me..

i first became aware of Low at the ‘Dirty Three’ curated All Tomorrow’s Party festival in 2007, and it felt akin to that scene in ‘2001’ when the astronaut enters the Star Gate. I was astounded by the depth of the music. The very sparse set of of guitar, bass with Mimi on drums filled up the space and reverberated throughout the site. From that moment I was completely head over heels in love with Low.

I am one of life’s fans and over the years I bought all the Low music I could get hold of , and they already had a great back catalogue. Their music unfolded and soared with every album. I took every opportunity I could to see them from that moment on, many many times at the Trinity in Bristol which - as a still operating church - was a natural home for Low and their spiritual music, sometimes going to see them felt less like a gig and more like a communion.

I did struggle with their 2018 album ‘Double Negative’ just because the sound was so discordant, but they managed to find the balance for me with last year’s ‘Hey What’ and the band seemed to be embarking on a late career purple patch. This feeling was reinforced when I saw them at the Trinity in April. They were majestic. At that gig I had two more Low sets lined up for the year. They were to headline Greenman and play Cardiff in November. It wasn’t to be, but the last song I ever saw Low play was my favourite, the achingly beautiful ‘When I Go Deaf’.

This death of Mimi Parker is more significant than the end of one of my favourite bands. When I first discovered Low it was during a new chapter in my life, and now I can’t shake the feeling that this is the first in an inevitable series of endings, which will increase in frequency as time goes on.

I am blessed that I was able to enjoy their music and was fortunate to see them live so often. Mimi Parker and Low were special and sacred, I still have them but I will miss them terribly.