Park Pop Vibes: Mother Mother live in Vancouver

by Ed Collings-Wells | photos by Ian Mawson

“It’s good to be here in the bosom of nature, the enclave of beauty that is Stanley Park,” says Mother Mother front man Ryan Guldemond to a packed-out crowd at Vancouver’s Malkin Bowl. And Guldemond doesn’t save his poeticism exclusively for sweet-talking the audience between songs either. Mother Mother’s lyrics are cheeky and conversational with a touch of the absurd, making them an irresistibly catchy band to sing along with.

Striking a harmony between simple and memorable riffs, Mother Mother write pop songs that evoke both playfulness and compassion. They are at once flippant and driven by a desire to unite the audience. They are serious about having fun.

During the slightly more drawn-out slower songs, participatory vocal sections keep up the momentum. A surprisingly straight-up cover of Nirvana’s “In Bloom” goes down particularly well despite only being made their own with Guldemond’s pleasingly disjointed guitar solo.

Mother Mother prove themselves a fun pop band capable of genuine modesty, too: “This is your house, your party; we are but your humble guests.”