Lichens hosted a guest show on 18 June 2018. Lichens has been played on NTS over 20 times, featured on 22 episodes and was first played on 25 January 2013.

Lichens is the solo project of composer, singer and multi-instrumentalist Robert A.A. Lowe based in Chicago, USA. Previously known as the bassist with art rock combo 90 Day Men, Lowe channelled his energies into long-simmering solo pursuits after the group went on hiatus following a European tour supporting it's 2004 disc Panda Park. He has appeared as Lichens at that summer's Arthur magazine-sponsored Million Tongues Festival, performing as a one-man show and utilizing effects boxes to the fullest by looping guitars, percussion, and vocals into a reverberated drone on-stage, and self-released a limited-edition CD-R, R. Brown. Looping wordless vocals and avant-folk finger-picking to create otherworldly sheets of deep-listening drone, Lowe soon captivated the attention of Kranky Records co-owner Bruce Adams, and in the autumn of 2005 the label released Lichens' official debut, The Psychic Nature of Being. In 2007 Omns followed, along with a few split LPs with Lexie Mountain, Cloudland Canyon, and White. During same year, Lowe joined the unconventional math rock group Singer with members of U.S. Maple, Bird Show, and his old pal Ben Vida from Town and Country. The band released Unhistories in March of 2008 on Drag City. In 2008, Lichens toured extensively opening for instrumental post-rock band Explosions in the Sky, gaining an increasing fan base and playing at their curated All Tomorrow's Parties music festival. During 2009 he self-released three CD-R albums: Spegulo En Fazo, ∞ and Tanith. Around this time, Lichens also joined stoner/doom metal band Om as an additional musician and performed with them both on stage and during recording sessions in the studio. In 2010 he contributed vocals on the album Monument to Time End by black metal band Twilight, and keyboards on the Twyxt Wyrd album by experimental indie folk band The Cairo Gang. In 2012 Lichens released his newest album Lítiõ Fólk on Morc Records. Not only recording and performing under his alias Lichens, Robert A.A. Lowe also frequently uses his real name to put out albums and during live acts. As Robert A.A. Lowe he released his first album, Gyromancy, in April of 2008 as a contribution to Thrill Jockey Records' creative series of limited-edition CD/book packages. Debut album was followed by Spegulo En Fazo (2008), Fazo IV: La Kvalito de Speguloj (2009), Eclipses (2010), Terre Plate (2011) and Timon Irnok Manta (2012).