Shearwater + Loma + Any Kind

A London concert bringing together the Austin-based acts Shearwater and Loma, with Any Kind also on the bill. The two groups share members and a record label, and neither has played live since 2018.

Shearwater is an American folk group formed in Austin, Texas, in 2000. Their debut album, The Dissolving Room, came out in 2001 on Misra, and the songwriter Jonathan Meiburg leads the project. Loma, also rooted in Austin, is built around the calm, enveloping voice of Emily Cross. Its self-titled debut appeared in 2018, followed by Don't Shy Away in 2020 and How Will I Live Without A Body? in 2023. Both groups are released by the Seattle label Sub Pop.

The two acts overlap in personnel. Dan Duszynski works as engineer and producer on both, and each group has a member named Emily, Emily Lee in Shearwater and Emily Cross in Loma. Musically they differ: Loma's 2018 record has a quiet, pastoral character, while Shearwater's 2017 album Jet Plane and Oxbow sounds more outward-facing. Shearwater have since released The Great Awakening (2022) and the more recent The New World, and Loma have added two further albums.

Neither group has performed live since 2018. Jonathan Meiburg attributes the gap to the pandemic, which led members of both groups to leave the country and made touring difficult to arrange. The Garage, the venue hosting the evening, presents concerts and shows in London.