first band to take them out on tour was Surprise Me Mr. Davis, a side project of The Barr Brothers. 2008–2009: Oh My God, Charlie Darwin The Low Anthem recorded in January 2008, and self-released its second full-length studio concept album, Oh, My God, Charlie Darwin on September 2, 2008. The band traveled to Block Island in the middle of winter and spent ten days recording the tracks in the basement of a cabin with engineer and co-producer Jesse Lauter. After the album was completed, the band returned to the island to handpaint and silkscreen the first 2000 copies of the album. While touring, The Low Anthem first gained some recognition in the UK when Rough Trade decided to make it an Album of the Month. End of the Road Festival then booked the band and released a 7" single of "Charlie Darwin" coinciding with the celebration of Darwin Day. At Newport Folk Festival that year, Miller and Prystowsky joined the recycling crew to get backstage and handed out copies of Oh My God, Charlie Darwin to Paste (magazine) and Jay Sweet, the festival's director, hoping to catch a break. Paste featured the record in an upcoming issue, and Sweet booked them for the next year's festival. The band signed record deals with both Nonesuch Records and the UK label Bella Union and both rereleased Oh, My God, Charlie Darwin after Bob Ludwig re-mastered the disc. There was new artwork and the track order was resequenced. In the summer of 2009, the band played US festivals Bonnaroo, Lollapalloza, the Newport Folk Festival, and Austin City Limits. In addition to headlining shows throughout Europe, The Low Anthem also played Glastonbury, Hyde Park Calling, Wireless, and End of the Road Festivals in the UK. In November, The Low Anthem released its debut music video for Charlie Darwin, a claymation work by Glenn Taunton and Simon Taffe. On November 20, 2009, The Low Anthem made its television debut on Later... with Jools Holland. During its November 2009 tour in Europe, Mat Davidson, an old friend and multi-instrumentalist, joined the band. The beginning of 2010 saw the band's first of three US television appearances on the Late Show with David Letterman, where it performed "Charlie Darwin", and a short tour in Europe, including its biggest headlining show at Shepherd's Bush Empire. The band returned to the US to support The Avett Brothers and then