At Mother Mother’s show on Tuesday night, it was hard to tell if the heat was coming from the mob of people or the band’s energy.
Throngs of people packed into the Mansion’s Living Room for a sold out show.
The opening act, Sweet Thing, brought an enthusiastic, pop-rock set, switching from toe-tapping crowd-pleasers to pulled-back love songs.
Lead vocalist Owen Carrier smiled the entire time, taking breaks to leap around, hitting his streamer-covered tambourine.
Sweet Thing’s biggest flaw was false finishes. They would end a song and wait eight bars before launching back in again. After the second time, it felt overused.
When Mother Mother took the stage, the crowd was in a frenzy, which the band counterpointed with a down-tempo rendition of “Hayloft.” It had a solid groove but an ominous feel. When the song finished, they kept playing a simple tune while white lights started blinking.
For a few minutes, while front man Ryan Guldemond was getting in tune, the small room felt sinister. Guldemond instantly dispelled the feeling with the familiar single “The Stand.” The show mainly featured songs from the band’s two latest albums, O My Heart and Eureka. They tossed in Touch Up’s “Dirty Town,” changing the tone quickly into a stomping barnyard ditty.
On every song they paid careful attention to pacing, and rarely was there a complete break. Bassist Jeremy Page steadily plucked away the whole show, keeping the set together as a singular piece that changed moods throughout.
On “Simply Simple” everyone scaled back for a gentle performance, except drummer Ali Siadat, who gave the song a pounding, backbeat that kept the crowd from settling down.
Praise goes to the band’s backup vocalist and newest member Jasmin Parkin. Out of her slight frame came a gigantic voice that blew me away — she hit high notes hard.
They brought the show full circle, ending with the same song they started with. This time the band was sweaty, tired and their hair was helter-skelter as they descended with full force on “Hayloft.” The crowd was at a deafening volume after they’d left, and they graciously came back on stage for two encore songs.
Mother Mother left me with my ears ringing, shirt soaked through and hungry for more.
Tags
Concert review, Eureka, Jasmin Parkin, Mother Mother, Ryan Guldemond, The Stand
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