by LE Francis
If I wanted to complain about this show I would have to get a little petty. How could Hot Mulligan not play “Feal Like Crab”? Don’t they know it’s my favorite song at the moment & I really needed to hear it? I’m so fucking offended.
But if I’m being serious, what I caught of the show at McMenamins Crystal Ballroom on March 8 with Carly Cosgrove, Hot Mulligan, & The Wonder Years was pretty much perfect. All three bands were on point, the crowd was caught up in the music, & it was a great time.
I was late catching the bus & only made it for the last bit of Carly Cosgrove’s set. They are a “nostalgiacore” band from Philadelphia & released their debut album See You in Chemistry in 2022. As I listened over their LP to write this review, my mushy poet-heart couldn’t help but delight in their lyrics. They have a bouncy vibe that initially reads pop punk but there’s a soft drag to it, a sparkle of emo, & the more you listen the more you hear little mathy details. Their live energy was wild & they still sounded tight. My favorite part of their set was “Really Big Shrimp.” You can find the band on Instagram @CarlyCosgrovePA.
I came out for Hot Mulligan & I definitely wasn’t disappointed. My brother recommended them a while back & I really got into their 2020 album, you’ll be fine. He also recommended that I watch some of their live clips on youtube & I immediately saw why he’d recommended them. Listen, I’m always willing to give something a listen & fall in love with it, but if you’re openly to the sociopolitical left & you make great art, I’m going to be obnoxiously into it. But all bias aside, what is striking about Hot Mulligan is how perfectly their songs translate to a live format, especially with some of the vocal layering & style being a potential recipe for disaster – chaotic screams mingling with & dancing in and out of closed, nasal Midwest emo style vocals. It doesn’t just hit, it hits hard, & keeps hitting throughout the set. They sounded as great on Bckyrd as they did on OG Bule Sky. This was my first time seeing them live & I hope I’ll be able to catch more shows in the future. The band’s setlist for this show is available on setlist.fm, I uploaded some clips to TikTok, & you can find more information on them at hotmulliganband.com.
By the time The Wonder Years came on I was really starting to feel the six hours behind the wheel, the 45 minutes on the bus, & the three hours of sleep I managed before all of that. The caffeine buzz was fading & I was starting to feel really overwhelmed by the crowd. I had decided I was going to listen to a couple of songs & duck out early. But I ended up staying for five because they were so fun to watch. The Wonder Years are a pop punk band from Lansdale, PA & while pop punk typically isn’t my thing, I was really pulled into the energy of their set. The performance strangely reminded me of the first time I saw The Dear Hunter live – this larger than life sound constructed by marrying a ringing, atmospheric, instrumental tone with lush vocal harmony. & there is a heaviness to the songwriting, both in lyric and rhythm that has an inescapable gravity to it. The more I listen to their 2022 album The Hum Goes on Forever the more I love it. Right now I’m really stuck on “Songs about Death” & “Lost in the Lights.” You can find them at thewonderyears.bandcamp.com.
The crowd was varied & enthusiastic & damn did these bands draw for a Wednesday night. The fact that they were able to pull such a big crowd ranging from children with their parents to folks with a whole head of silver on a school night during the work week was impressive. & people were really into it, a couple standing near me shouted along to Hot Mulligan’s entire set & I love to see that – how much the art affects the fans, how the concert experience immerses people & relieves them of their day-to-day.
It was my first time at McMenamins and the venue was gorgeous. I was surprised how far up the actual ballroom is – a couple flights of stairs or elevator access. There were several bars accessible & the line in & security was pretty quick despite it still being pretty busy by the time I showed up. The venue is downtown & there are lots of nearby pay lots if you’re driving in. It’s also convenient to Trimet routes.
This was my first concert of 2023 & it was an amazing kick off. I’ve already got tickets to Spiritbox; The Sounds of Animals Fighting; Wage War & nothing.nowhere; & Between the Buried & Me & Thank You Scientist. & I plan on writing about them all. & if you’re out at these shows in the Pacific Northwest, maybe I’ll see you there.
LE Francis (she/her) is Sage Cigarettes Magazine’s fiction editor. She’s a writer, podcaster, visual artist, & musician. She is a co-host & editor of Sage Cigarettes’ A Ghost in the Magazine horror review podcast. Her debut poetry chapbook, This Spell of Song & Star, is available through Bottlecap Features. Find her at nocturnical.com.
