Canadian indie-rock band Mother Mother electrified the Brighton Dome stage on Tuesday to adoring fans and intrigued music lovers.
Taking the stage with the opening track from their latest album – Grief Chapter – Mother Mother crafted a cult-like environment in the Dome as they sang ‘Nobody Escapes’. The song touches on society as a dystopia: no matter who you are, the world will not treat you kindly.
The band transitioned seamlessly into ‘Arms Tonite’ – a fan favourite from their accoladed 2008 record titled O My Heart. The crowd moved and chanted along to the song in unison with Mother Mother as the strobes flashed inducing an electric atmosphere.
‘Hayloft II’ was the peak for their entire set. The lights flashed a vibrant and deep red – pulsating along with the effortless guitar riffs of Ryan (lead singer of Mother Mother). People skipped from the unserved seated section of the venue into the standing pit when the initial riff started, curating a mosh-pit anthem.
“This one is about living life the way you want to live life,” Ryan yelled before the band played ‘The Matrix’ – another new song from their latest release. The Mother Mother gig, in its entirety, consisted of a lot of philosophical and self-love speeches from the frontman – he ranted about his passion for life, wishing for everyone to feel like they were in a safe and loving environment consistently throughout the show. The Brighton crowd returned the favour by cheering and whooping whenever a convincing and pride-filled statement left Ryan’s mouth. This was especially evident when someone passed out during their set: Ryan continued to ask throughout the show if said person was okay and protected by the security running the event.
Intertwined within ‘The Maxtrix’, an interpolation of The Pixies – ‘Where Is My Mind’ – was played. The crowd wailed the lyrics back expectedly to this surprise cover slotted harmoniously into Mother Mother’s performance.
Ryan passed the torch on to his sister, Molly, for a small segment of the set. He said: “It feels like medicine for the soul performing with you,” as he introduced ‘Sleep Awake’. Noting that this was the first song he ever wrote for his sister to sing in the band, Molly took the stage and graced Brighton with her shrieking yet angelic vocals.
An acoustic melody that included ‘Ghosting’ followed a back-to-back burst of energy from ‘Oh Ana’ and ‘Wrecking Ball’. Both these songs lead to crowd participation – ‘Oh Ana’ had the crowd clapping in a sea of unison. ‘Wrecking Ball’ involved the crowd shouting: “Because I can,” with their fists in the air, mirroring the self-love mantra dictated by the frontman earlier on and throughout the rest of the set.
‘Verbatim’ and ‘Hayloft’ – arguably Mother Mother’s most popular songs – went off. The crowd fed the band their undying and riff-hungry energy. The band’s performance for these songs was spotless – the jaunty riffs combined with the vocals insinuated an aura of true artistry. Mother Mother are first and foremost musicians: their performance stylings and stage presence proved this.
Midway through ‘Hayloft’ – Jasmine (vocals and keyboard) took centre stage and serenaded Brighton with a haunting cover of Lana Del Rey’s Tumblr-era anthem, ‘Video Games’. The crowd turned into a choral arrangement as they sang: “Heaven is a place on earth with you.” The song then swiftly returned to ‘Hayloft’, and the crowd jumped simultaneously.Li
The band left the stage as the crowd demanded an encore – to which Ryan took centre stage alone with his acoustic guitar to perform the title track of their new album, ‘Grief Chapter’. Dedicating the song to a friend who inspired the song, a friend who had lost many loved ones recently, Ryan said: “The world changes colour when someone you cared for leaves the world. It leaves a giant hole. Through the pain you feel it helps you find inspiration to live life more fully than you ever have.” Another heartfelt and tear-provoking moment of the show – Mother Mother are emotionally dedicated to their craft and feel so profoundly.
The show ends with a triumphant performance of ‘Burning Pile’ – the crowd’s arms swayed back and forth as Mother Mother took their final bows proudly. Ryan majestically threw guitar picks into the sea of Brighton concert-goers before waving a final goodbye.
Mother Mother’s performance overall ebbed and flowed – with the audience tending to only vibe and move during the “TikTokified” songs. A Mother Mother show clearly is not for everyone, Brighton crowds included, yet it was a pleasure to see such a well-versed and long-lived rock band perform like their lives depended on it in such an intimate and beautiful venue.
