Tift Merritt at The Lower Third

Tift Merritt

The Lower Third, 28 June 2026 

What a pleasure to see the marvelous Tift Merritt back in London doing an outstore for Rough Trade at the Lower Third (formerly the 12 Bar) on Denmark Street in support of her first album in nine years, the wonderful Sugar! It's so good to have her back releasing music after so long and I'm happy to report she is as good as ever. What a treat it was to hear her play all the new songs too. 

I got to see Merritt last year of course, her first concert in London in years but I couldn't pass up the chance to see her do another intimate show. This was one of those "outstore" gigs, in conjunction with Rough Trade Denmark Street. Since that store can only accommodate about 50 people, this little show to promote her new album Sugar was instead held right next door in The Lower Third, the place formerly known as the 12 Bar. I haven't been there since 2008 when I once won tickets to see the Watson Twins and when we went inside it looked nothing like I remembered but it had a small stage and a bar and I could see Merritt's guitar and keyboards set up, which was quite exciting. They were also playing lots of Bobbie Gentry over the loudspeakers, which is always a good sign.

When Merritt finally ran onstage a few minutes late, she apologised saying she was waiting backstage for them to tell her to come on! But she had a big beautiful smile on her face so I think she found the situation amusing and we were all just happy to see her. She looked radiant, wearing jeans and a cream jacket with a pretty printed blouse underneath. I always forget just how tiny she is and she actually laments the fact that she was unable to fit any high heel shoes in her bag coming over and was forced to wear flat boots tonight!  

She picks up her well-worn and well-loved acoustic guitar and launches into a beautiful new tune from the just released Sugar, called Locks, that really showcases her voice as she sang about making a emotional connection with someone, pleading "I'm trying to sing the locks off your heart." Merritt often stares off into the distance when she sings, like she is lost in the words and reliving the feelings that created the song in the first place. There's something really affecting about it and it makes her performance all the more powerful.

After she explains that she will be playing songs from her new record, but because she hasn't played live in a little while, she was going to first play an older song to warm herself up and get in the swing of things. The delightful performance of the upbeat and uplifting Traveling Alone, with its driving acoustic guitar, was definitely an unexpected treat and of course went down well with the appreciative crowd.

She then moved over to the keyboards and tells us when she looked at her schedule today and saw this show was supposed to be a live performance and a Q&A (which it was promoted as and we had found that puzzling!), she was amused and said she really answers all the questions in her songs! But we could ask her questions later if we wanted. I think we were all more than happy to let the music speak for her but there's no doubt that Merritt is so charming and warm when she chats between songs that I'm sure no one would have minded that either.

She then performed a truly spellbinding version of the song Last Ditch Ultimatum, which was so soulful and includes some biting lyrics about the state of America today, with Merritt insightfully singing about the gates of heaven being temporarily closed: "this is a last ditch ultimatum, now we're stuck with all our sins, until everyone is going nobody's getting in."

Back to her guitar she explains that the next song, Everyday Singing, is based on an article she read about letters written by Rosetta Rietz (owner of the feminist label Rosetta Records) and poet Dachine Rainer, to each other over the years, and how their resilience and how they navigated their lives yet still managed to champion other women, was truly inspiring to her. She played this last year at Oslo too and it was a highlight then, so it was wonderful to hear it again. It feels like a triumphant feminist anthem, sang in an Americana style, which couldn't be more perfect to me. 

Next the gentle but quietly devastating Generous, where her voice cracks as she sings "changing girls is like changing clothes". This gorgeous lament is obviously a divorce song with Merritt pleading in the chorus "you just forget my heart was generous." It is truly spine-tingling and I hope she is doing better now than the sad place she was in when she wrote this beautiful song.

She returns to the piano for the title track of the album and, because she hasn't played it before, has a little false start as she strikingly begins: "I didn't really want to be here tonight, I don't want you looking at me, I don't like the light bright" before quipping "because I have wrinkles!" (honestly she looks amazing and is still as beautiful as ever). The song beautifully builds to the lines referring the album title, "all the sugar, the spaces in between, I'll show you all the sugar that only I can sing." It also includes a tremendous and almost classical piano interlude near the end before Merritt sings the final verses. It really is incredible.

Another song she performed last year was the then unnamed, Fate Of Man Is Sarah's Eyes. This is the tune where she records a vocal refrain in her loop pedal, which almost acts as an instrumental backing track, and then sings over it. It feels like a trio of female vocalists singing a cappella, yet it was just Merritt alone on the stage, singing her heart out and raising her hands to the heavens as she sang, like a gospel singer.

There was more critique of the modern world (Merritt proclaimed she was a socialist, communist and all those good things, to cheers), with the appropriately titled Mad, Mad World, a beautiful reflection framed as a sweet country song.

Returning to the keyboards, she sings a song about looking to nature to find the answers, in the beautiful Philosopher's Song and also gave us the first single from the album, Finest Feelings, an absolute classic Tift Merritt track, showcasing her incredible voice. Honestly it's amazing to see just what a natural singer she is, her voice is just so honeyed and strong, yet has a beautifully raw and sometimes slightly husky feel. It's always thrilling to hear it on her records but to hear it in the flesh is something else altogether.

She ended with the uplifting Look At What Love Just Did, Merritt putting her whole body and voice into the performance and beaming with an infectious smile throughout. It is such a wonderful way to end the show and it feels like such a privilege to hear so much of the new record live for the first time.

After she signed records for everyone and when it got to me, I asked if she had chosen the Bobbie Gentry that was still playing over the speakers, which of course she did, and we talked about how much we loved the elusive Gentry. She then asked me to help her break apart the big bouquet of flowers her publicist had sent her to congratulate her on the show, which earlier she had brought out with her onto the stage. "I'm going home to the States tonight and I can't bring them with me". 

When we finally got the big bunch of flowers out of the big box they came in, we splashed water all over ourselves which made us both laugh. She then handed me a bunch of the flowers to take with me and was so lovely and down to earth. Apparently she continued to give them out to other fans after I left. I brought them home and put them in a vase and they are still looking and smelling fantastic.

What an absolutely lovely show this was! It was amazing to hear the new songs and, despite the fact she hadn't played many of them live before, they sounded so good and Merritt's voice was as incredible as ever. Plus the bonus of meeting her and finding out she is as lovely in person as she is on stage. There's no doubt this was a super special night.