DISMANTLING THE BAND

MATT GOOD (NOT GREAT) CAUSES A SNORE; MOTHER MOTHER STEALS THE SHOW

REVIEWED BY LACKlustre

Mother Mother blew Matt Good out of the waaaater. No questions asked, haaands down. They have got to be one of the tightest, melodic bands that I have ever seen grace any stage. Now, I have listened to Mother Mother since “Touch Up” came out, but my love affair only truly started at their “O My Heart” album release in November 2008. My boyfriend and I have been to every live performance of theirs (in the lower mainland) since then. So, when we saw that Mother Mother was opening for Matt Good, we leapt on the opportunity to go to the show. Boyfriend is a Matt Good Fan.. I, don’t know a lot about him but could most def appreciate his musical career.

Mother Mother hit the stage at about 7:30 pm, an hour before Mr.Good was expected to start. They played an incredibly sharp 40 minute set which included a ton of tracks off of “O My Heart” including: Ghosting (the opener of the set), Hayloft, O My Heart, Body of Years, Wrecking Ball, Arms Tonite, and Body. They also gave us the delightful treat of hearing two songs that could be on an… UPCOMING ALBUM?! DUN DUN DUNNNNNNN! They played so wickedly tight that they sounded like the album, if not more dynamic. Each member knew their parts flawlessly and exceptional musicianship was displayed.

They ended their set on a super high note with, title track, O My Heart. The energy in The Centre was tangible; people who didn’t know Mother Mother walking in, left as fans. Then… Matt Good hit the stage… leading off with THREE slow tracks off of his new album, Vancouver. Boring, lifeless, whiney, self indulgent… all words that I would use to describe the beginning of the set. I know that “Vancouver” was an album to appease his aging fan basis and to get some more plays on AC radio, but it really does not translate into a live show. Matt is known for his kick ass, high energy music… and that was lacking in a big, bad way. It was, in fact, so boring, that we left. We had had about enough of Good.

It bothers me that after a long and prosperous career in the music industry, Matt Good still doesn’t understand that you can’t start a set with crap! You CANNOT follow a high energy act with slow, doom and gloom tunes that put people to sleep. That is begging for a bad review.

If you don’t know Mother Mother’s music, or haven’t seen them live… it is something that you have to do. They are the epitome of what music should be and how it should be performed live. Mad props to one of the best exports that Canada has ever had.

And hey, Matt, if you’re out there… SNORE.