Basement Show Vibes in a Ballroom with Why Bonnie
Good ol’ Texas indie rocks campus-area stage
BY KRISS CONKLIN, 3:00PM, SUN. SEP. 18, 2022
In the low-ceilinged, disco ball-illuminated insides of the Ballroom, clusters of Dr. Martens-wearers, mullet-havers, and tote bag-bearers eagerly awaited Austin alt-/indie rockers Why Bonnie’s homecoming show.
Friday night marked the self-dubbed “shoegazeicana” band’s first Texas concert since their summer shoe-store performance at the Domain. Fresh on the heels of debut full-length 90 in November, Why Bonnie drew a hearty crowd to 2906 Fruth Street where an unusually long line snaked around the 29th Street sidewalk.
Hosted by alternative rock radio station 101.5, the FM wavelength’s Homegrown Live showcase boasted buzzy local openers On Being an Angel and Font. The former took the stage 15 minutes after their posted set time, but tore apart the crowd’s broken chatter with a roaring wall of sound. Rumbling electric fuzz nearly drowned out Paige Applin’s faint vocals as the slowcore quartet played heavier renditions of quiet tracks from their self-titled 2019 EP. The night’s thunderous energy continued when Applin boomed, “Yo, move the fuck up!” to the gaggle of audience members curved away from center stage and when a 30-second mosh pit opened halfway through Font’s rowdy cello and cowbell-backed punk noise set.On Being an Angel (Photo by Isabella Martinez)Font (Photo by Isabella Martinez)
The Ballroom floor grew cozy one hour in. Less framed-cross-stitch-decor and plush throw pillows, more beer-stained carpet and ringing ears at a string-lit basement gig… sans the basement. The Nineties nostalgia was strong with this bunch – fueled by Applin’s grunge-y cover of Lucinda Williams’ “Metal Firecracker” and recalled in Font’s flailing limbs and locks.
Post-openers, the inside room reached capacity, selling out at 250 tickets.
Audience anticipation climaxed at 9:52pm when Why Bonnie finally graced the stage. Polite cheers erupted into unexpected cacophony as soon as drummer Josh Malett rattled his cymbals. Another wave of screams washed over the crowd, music yet to begin.
Framed between two golden cherubs, the quintet launched into their 53-minute set with bittersweet “Sailor Mouth.” Dreamy on tape but riotous live, each member of Why Bonnie sauntered and stomped across the grandstand. Excessive headbanging was an unexpected highlight of the evening, but when paired with the Mazzy-Star-meets-the-Breeders vibrations the band exudes, the after-show neck pains make perfect sense.
Why Bonnie quickly eased into their slow-fast-slow rhythm for the night, each member’s fluid movements suggesting security and nonchalance. Lead singer Blair Howerton brightly announced: “We’re so happy to be home,” before pulling listeners into her East Texas upbringing with the sunny synths of “Galveston.” The now Brooklyn-based vocalist indeed looked to be be truly at home, eyes slipping shut and nose crinkling when she doted on the beach city’s timeless nature:
“Candyland beaches/ Water too salty to swim,” the Texan-turned-New Yorker crooned over a slow beat. “Passed all of the dancehalls and dive-ins/ Looks just the same as it did back then.”
Plunging further into her personal life and pondering the significance of her past, Howerton & Co. cycled through stripped-back, key-heavy numbers, including homesick anthem “Hot Car” and folky instrumental “Silsbee.” The singer’s introspective musings remained, but the set regained steam with Malett’s opening beat to “90 in November.” Maintaining a near-perfect match to the LP since song one, Howerton’s vocal delivery finally strayed from the recording in a delightful shift of pitch and timing.Why Bonnie (Photo by Isabella Martinez)
The title track denoted a crucial point during the night: the first time the audience audibly sang over the singer, evoking a surreal stadium-like moment in the quaint halls of the Ballroom. Howerton grinned during the bridge, sensing the crowd’s burst of excitement, as she wondered about pressing her luck and alternated between plucky notes and chugging chords on her Gretsch guitar.
Oldies “No Caves” and “Gold Rush” appeared at the bottom of the setlist while cellist Nino Soberon accompanied the latter track. Following Howerton’s belting notes, axeman Sam Houdek closed out the show with a shimmering solo during “Lot’s Wife” before the band exited the stage and scurried to the merch table where they stood for upwards of 60 seconds before the crowd’s bellowing “ONE MORE SONG” summoned them back to the pulpit. The Austinites silenced the starving audience with the muddy guitar distortions and lilting vocals of “Athlete,” a song that showcases many of the hallmarks in Why Bonnie’s catalog.
For an inaugural hometown performance of 90 in November, the five-piece sounded as if they’d played the album in arena for the last month despite keyboardist Kendall Powell’s shy admission of the band being nervous halfway through the set. That anxiety was nowhere to be found, nor was the canned indie jangle that saturates the genre. Howerton’s powerful vocals and poignant lyrics, combined with her bandmates’ swirling melodies, lend to the group’s ability to make anywhere feel like home – or like a cozy basement show – while you try to make sense of the past.