Mom Jeans | Oso Oso | Gaffa Tape Sandy
Electric Ballroom, London
Saturday 25th February 2023
The internets favourite sad boys Mom Jeans take to the stage in front of a sold out crowd bring both their Midwest emo band origins and new pop-punk sound
Opening for the Californian legends on Saturday night were the Brighton based english garage rock band Gaffa Tape Sandy. It’s been said before that GTS are one of those rare bands that sound better live than studio recordings. Musically, they are as on point as on record but it’s with the vocals where these guys really shine.
With Lindley-Neilson making dynamic changes to the lyrics on the fly and fellow vocalist Kim Jarvis doing the same, every song feels unique to the night, yet incredibly familiar. Gaffa Tape Sandy proved to be a hugely successful opening act for the evening even if their sound didn’t sit as comfortably as follow up support act OSO OSO.
Long Beach’s OSO OSO brought their signature jangly indie rock tunes uplift and unapologetically heart wrenching tracks to the ballroom this Saturday. heartstrings. Jade Lilitri (formerly of STATE LINES) is the band’s only permanent member, and it’s easy to see why the songwriter had some very dedicated fans in the audience.
The band’s take on a genre that can often be weighted down in angst and melancholy proved to be exceptionally refreshing. Whilst not as immediately energetic as the openers, OSO OSO quickly whipped the crowd into a frenzy with many eager fans singing their hearts out to their favourite tracks.
Moving onto the main event for tonight Mom Jeans open strong with arguably one of their biggest tracks Scott Pilgrim vs. My GPA. The post-breakup anthem is expectionally moving with the track holding a special place in my heart. Lead vocalist Eric Butler is then joined by his fellow bandmates with Butler reaching over with a cheeky wink to grab his trumpet for the song’s famous horn section. Tonight’s attendees begin to sing along with the crescendo bringing the whole crowd together for an exceptional 75 minute set.
Following this emotional start to the even the band break into Something Sweet, their opening track from their 2022 record Sweet Tooth (named for its sugary pop-punk tunes) goes down a treat with the crowd.
What’s Up gets the crowd jumping as Eric (lead vocalist) lets the audience scream the song’s self-aware, self-loathing bridge “I’m such a fucking piece of shit/and you hate me for it!”. Things slow down a little for *Sobs Quietly*, a delightful return to the bands 2016 debut album Best Buds.
Mom Jeans setlist proved to be stacked up hard hitting set with only White Trash Millionaire missing the mark with the notable absence of the horn section from the album recording. Regardless of this MOM JEANS’ raw sound translates incredibly well in Camden’s Electric Ballroom live setting.
With the band heading out to Europe and with an Australian tour and Download appearance we can’t wait to see what this group of incredible musicians bring with them as we head into the summer.
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