LIVE FROM THE PIT: Mother Mother and Fish in a Bird Cage

Since 2005, Mother Mother have been rocking stages all over the world, and on the 16th of July it was London's turn to experience their wicked show. Playing their biggest UK Headline show at the iconic Brixton Academy, fans queued around the block to make sure they were inside in time to catch every single song they had in store.

The quintet from Canada have been rising in popularity for many years with songs such as Hayloft II and many more going viral online, creating attention even from non fans. But first to the stage was the very unique Fish in a Bird Cage.

It's not often an act like Fish in a Bird Cage plays a stage like Brixton Academy. The venue packed with over four thousand, was given a much more technical than on the surface performance by the soloist, Dusten Townsend from Canada. 

The one man band sported an Explorer style get up for this show with a hat to complete. He spent the majority of hit set with a mic in front, an electric cello in hand while also controlling a soundboard with his foot and having a foot rattle attached to said foot, using it to create a layer of precision in certain sections of each song, which also encouraged the audience to clap on the beat.

As he played he had a female vocalist join him in some songs to add backing vocals while for some opting for prerecorded vocals on his soundboard. He took moments in between sets to look at the crowd, stating it's definitely the biggest show he's ever played. He's also just finished his first ever solo tour, it's great to see such a small artist have an opportunity to play such an iconic stage.

For the last section of his set he changed his cello for an accordion, giving the song's a more folk music like vibe, some of them trotting in a ¾ time signature to amplify that. His last song was “Fish in a Birdcage” from the album “Fish in a birdcage” which by far got the loudest cheers from the audience who were very involved the entire set, he without a doubt captured a few hearts tonight.

As the lights dimmed once again one by one Mother Mother made their way onto the stage receiving ground shaking screams just for the first song, The Sticks. The light show that came along with the music was something to behold with screen visuals, lasers and lights all pulsating with the music . 

Mother Mother are listed as an indie rock band but their music truly is more than that with elements and influences of all kinds of genres including rap, metal and even country. Ryan Guldemond led the way with his centre stage singing and rapping while Molly Guldemond and Jasmin Parkin brought the raw powerful vocals and Ali Siadat on drums, and Mike Young on bass on their raised platform behind being the driving force of the entire performance.

The show ran smoothly as they would draw attention to different parts of the stage, giving them a moment to shine while another member was perhaps changing a guitar or fetching a refreshment, making it barely noticeable. The whole band sharing the stage rather than the usual leads and backing.

Hayloft II their biggest hit of course got an incredible reception however it seemed that with every single song the crowd got louder and louder which you wouldn't have even thought was possible after this, but they did! With the rise of social media and the concept of ‘blowing up’ overnight, it's getting tougher to cultivate a crowd that will sing every word and cheer for every song, but it's clear this was just that type of fanbase.

They also took a moment to cover Chappell Roans Hot To Go which naturally every person who knew the dance was dancing along which was very entertaining to see in such a diverse crowd. Between songs Ryan took moments to express how happy they were to be on stage, thanking every supporter of live music because without the fans, no one else in the building would be there, not then, the security, the show runners, the techs, it's a very important sentiment to keep. 

As they continued with songs like The Matrix, Explode and The Stand each member took their moments to shine with the others constantly interacting and just looking like they were having a genuinely good time being on stage and being together with the other band members. Explode saw the audience singing backing vocals almost creating a call and return between the band and crowd which was once again very loud. 

For a small section of the concert, the drummer and bassist came forward switching to a ukulele and singular drum and cymbal for an acoustic style set. During this section they mashed up many different songs until Ryan explained that he thought someone in the crowd had something to say… this eventually turned into a proposal between fans in the crowd, a beautiful moment that made every face in the building smile. 

The band celebrated this by letting the bride to be choose a song for them to play a small piece of, she chose the song Gods Plan which the band of course had not prepared for but played a solid minute of regardless. The talent of the band to play a song together without any prompts leaving it just to memory or pure freestyle and still play what felt like a fleshed out version of the song was breathtaking. 

After a short encore the band returned back to their instruments to close out the performance with a few more songs and of course including their timeless track Oh Ana. During these reviews we typically listen for the songs that get loud receptions but it was clear after just a few songs that the crowd was truly ecstatic for every single song. 

The crowd filled the room with their love and admiration for the band, and the band returned by filling it with music. We hope to see Mother Mother continue to spread their positivity across the globe and hopefully see them back soon. 

Words: Amy Smyth

Photos: Tyler Whiting