[ATTENDED: July 3, 2024] Mother Mother
When this show was announced back in January, it was a killer triple bill. Mother Mother, who we love to see live, Cavetown, who I’ve wanted to see live and Destroy Boys, a band that both my kids like and who my son and I have seen once and wanted to see again.
We were bummed that Destroy Boys was unable to play, but we arrived a little late so maybe we wouldn’t have seen their full set anyway.
We also didn’t know who was headlining this show–it appears that Mother Mother and Cavetown have been switching who was the headliner. I rather hoped Mother Mother would go last because I felt like their show would be bigger and Cavetown’s would be more mellow.
But Mother Mother went on second and I think it was all for the best! Because we rocked out to Mother Mother and then we walked to the back of the lawn and chilled out for Cavetown’s more mellow set. Very cool!
So this is the third time we’ve seen Mother Mother and actually the first time they weren’t headlining. As I’ve learned over the years, a double headline bill means neither band plays a very long set, which kind of suck, tbh. But whatever, it usually means a kind of greatest hits package as well.
Mother Mother has a new album out, which I didn’t realize until a few weeks ago. They played a few songs from it, but the did not skimp on the big names.
The band walked out. First came bassist Mike Young (who runs all around the stage during the show and is a lot of fun to watch) and drummer Ali Siadat. Then the applause grew louder as singers/keyboardists Molly Guldemond and Jasmin Parkin were singing the new song “Nobody Escapes.” Finally, huge applause as Ryan Guldemond came out and the song took off.
Then everyone went nuts when they played “Arms Tonite.” And they surprised me by playing “Hayloft II” which I think has taken on a life of its own.
The new song “The Matrix” is super fun with the completely singalonable part “fuck no.” They segued that song into Pixies “Where is My Mind?” and I was delighted and surprised at how many very young people knew this rather old song. Ryan asked at one point how many people in the audience were younger than the band (who celebrated 20 years this year) and scores of hands went up. Crazy.
They played two songs about having “Problems” including the super fun “Burning Pile.” Ryan Guldemond really has his banter down well and when he asked if anyone was having a hard time in life, he commiserated and told them to throw everything that was bothering them on the burning pile. It was a really sweet moment and I love how Mother Mother has really embraced the community that TikTok has built up around them.
The new song “Explode!” is also super catchy–the whole album is really good. All the fans love the O My Heart album the most, so they played seven songs from it. Including “Sleep Awake” a slow, pretty song that Ryan said was the first song he wrote for his big sister to singer. Molly has a lovely voice and I love the way the song was really quiet to start and then got huge.
The band left briefly and then came out for an acoustic medley. They played six songs from their earlier albums and it was really fun hearing the crowd react to the snippets of each song. Sadly, someone passed out (I guess) during “Ghosting” (my favorite song in the medley) and they stopped it but did not resume it. But at least the person was fine (and so were we).
They stayed acoustic for “Oh Ana” “Wrecking Ball.” I said last time that I really want to see them rock out “Wrecking Ball,” but it is more or less an acoustic song so it makes sense that they would play it that way most of the time.
Then they busted out “Verbatim” and the crowd went nuts. And they went even crazier for “Hayloft” of course. Jasmin usually gets a solo moment during the set–it had been “Girl Alone” but for this tour they mixed it up and she sang a beautiful rendition of Lana Del Rey’s “Video Games” before they segued back in to Hayloft to end the show.
When we saw them last time the show was explosive in lights and everything else. It’s a little harder to overwhelm with lights when it’s 7PM and you’re outside. But the lighting was still pretty cool–minimal but cool.
It’s also funny how much of a festival-like atmosphere an outdoor show has. People just seem looser and more prone to doing wild things when outside. It wasn;t my mafvoirte Mother Mother show, but it was a lot of fun.
| July 2024, Mann Center |
October 2022, Fillmore |
February 2022, TLA |
| Nobody Escapes € |
Verbatim ⊗ |
Seven ⇔ |
| Arms Tonite ♥ |
O My Heart ♥ |
O My Heart ♥ |
| Hayloft II ⇔ |
Bit by Bit ≠ |
Let’s Fall in Love ≠ |
| The Matrix € / Where Is My Mind? (interlude /Pixies cover ) |
Infinitesimal ≠ |
The Stand ∇ |
| Problems ∇ |
Body of Years ♥ |
I Got Love ⇔ |
| Burning Pile ♥ |
Creep (Radiohead cover) |
Problems ∇ |
| Explode! € |
The Stand ∇ |
Body ♥ |
| Back to Life § |
Back in School ‰ |
It’s Alright § |
| Body ♥ |
Burning Pile ♥ |
Sick of the Silence ⇔ |
| Sleep Awake ♥ |
Problems ∇ |
Arms Tonite ♥ |
Dirty Town ⊗ / Neighbour ⊗ / Wisdom ♥ / Ghosting ♥ / Little Pistol ≠ / It’s Alright §
(Acoustic, Ghosting interrupted due to a medical issue in the crowd)
|
Sick of the Silence ⇔ |
Life ⇔ |
| Oh Ana ⊗ [acoustic] |
It’s Alright § |
Pure Love ⇔ |
| Wrecking Ball ♥ [acoustic] |
Arms Tonite ♥ [acoustic] |
Ghosting ♥ |
| Verbatim ⊗ |
Body ♥ [acoustic] |
Bit by Bit ≠ |
| Hayloft ♥ / Video Games (interlude Lana Del Rey cover) ⇔ |
Wrecking Ball ♥ [acoustic] |
Wrecking Ball ♥ [acoustic] |
|
Oh Ana ⊗ |
Oh Ana ⊗ [acoustic] |
|
Hayloft ♥ / Girl Alone ⇔ |
Verbatim ⊗ |
|
Hayloft II ⇔ |
Hayloft ♥ / Girl Alone ⇔ |
|
encore |
Hayloft II ⇔ |
|
Ghosting ♥ |
|
|
Dirty Town ⊗ |
|
|
Burning Pile ♥ |
|
€ Grief Chapter (2024)
⇔ Inside (2021)
§ Dance and Cry (2018)
‰ No Culture (2017)
≠ The Sticks (2012)
∇ Eureka (2011)
♥ O My Heart (2008)
⊗ Touch Up (2007) [originally called Mother released 2005]
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Emily Robb is a guitarist from Philadelphia. I didn’t know much about her, but the last time she opened a show (which I didn’t attend) I wrote:
I Just Read About That... 