I Just Read About That…

[ATTENDED: June 16, 2025] Hello Mary

Iwas supposed to see Hello Mary about a half dozen times and it kept falling through for one reason or another.

So when they announced this show at Warehouse on Watts, where I had never been before, I grabbed a ticket quickly, having no idea how quickly it would sell out.  I loved that the venue was so small, and I had great access for seeing them for the first time.

They had a newish album out for this tour and I was ready for it.  I was closest to bassist Mikaela Oppenheimer who plays some awesome basslines.  On the far side was singer guitarist Helena Straight (who makes some gorgeous noise/feedback while not playing cool melodies), and and then at the kit was drummer Stella Wave.   Float started with washes of keys (from Mikaela) and guitar while Stella and Helena ooh’d the intro.  By the end, the song was a wall of noise and screamed vocals.  It was a great opening.

They followed it with a classic 90s-sounding rocker Stinge from their debut album–a great guitar riff and intermittent quiet parts.  Even their quieter songs like Courtesy have a good grunge tone.

I loved how on Footstep Misstep, the guitars maintained a non-fuzzed out sound throughout, but during the louder parts, the fuzz came from the bass and cymbals.  They really do quiet-loud really well, with the quiet parts beings chill and moody and the loud parts (Bubble) and the fantastic way the bass takes over the middle of Down My Life was a great moment of the show–a fantastic, unexpected bassline.

Hiyeahi is a fun, keyboard-based bit of manipulation that plays as a 90 second bridge before Three starts up.  Knowing You was the penultimate song–another quiet song that really showcases their vocal harmonies.  It also had an unexpected introduction of fuzzed out bass a few measures after you might think it would come in.

For the final song–the far more punky 0% Stella came out from behind the drums and sang/screamed on the floor with the audience.

They played a great set and I’m really glad I got to see them. I hope their next album does great and they get to play slightly bigger venues next time around.

1. Float ⊗
2. Stinge ¥
3. Courtesy ⊗
4. Footstep Misstep ⊗
5. Spiral ¥
6. Heavy Sleeper ⊗
7. Bubble ⊗
8. Down My Life ⊗
9. Hiyeahi ⊗
10. Three ⊗
11. Knowing You ⊗
12. 0% ⊗ (Stella sang from out in the audience and someone else played drums)

¥ Hello Mary (2023)
⊗ Emita Ox (2024)