On a misty and cold Friday night, Allison Weiss brought sunny Californian vibes to The Bodega, joined by fellow LA residents Yellowbirddd and Jenny Owen Youngs. The trio of singer-songwriters sang about love, life and sci-fi TV shows, interspersed with jokes and jests- what we Britons might label “witty banter”, without the laddish connotations. 60% music, 40% comedy.
First up was Yellowbirddd, also known as Liam McCormack, also known as bass player for the Allison Weiss band. Just a man and his guitar, Liam sang sleepy songs about girls and about Los Angeles; this style of music was later dubbed “emo-rotica” by Allison and Jenny, describing the supposedly intensely emotional lyrical content of Yelllowbirddd’s music. Liam preferred the term “gentle-core”. For his last song, Allison joined Liam for a song called “Who Is Your Lover” from Yellowbirddd’s latest record, “Centinela”, named after an avenue in LA.
Jenny Owen Youngs followed on Bodega’s tiny stage, belting out songs about pirates, American bars, and parallel universes. Between discussions about past lives and the existence of mythical creatures such as unicorns and Bigfoot, Jenny charmed the crowd with songs old and new, including a mashup including one of her own songs and the theme from The X Files. Jenny’s energy and humour brought the crowd to life, and set up the night as one to remember.
After an interlude filled exclusively with Fleetwood Mac songs, Allison Weiss and her band manned the stage. Launching into the opening track of her new album “New Love” with “The Sound” with a fervent and passionate enthusiasm, the crowd reflected equal amounts of excitement by emphatically singing along and clapping.
Allison Weiss entertained the crowd with mostly new tracks from New Love, documenting break-ups, riding motorbikes, and moving across the US from Brooklyn to LA. Fans were also treated to classics tracks such as “Fingers Crossed”, and favourites such as “Making It Up” from her previous records. “Hole In Your Heart”, Allison’s own contribution to the “emo-rotica” genre established earlier in the night.
For album track “Counting Down” Jenny returned to the stage for additional guitar duties and backing vocals, having co-written the song. Allison reappeared on stage for her encore after roughly 15 seconds- she shared her plan to hide in the shadows before returning to play a few more songs- “it’s all about honesty!”
Leaving the best until last, Allison’s ode to Top 40 pop “Back To Me” was definitely a highlight, Allison losing the guitar and embracing the pop star role, wandering around the stage with the microphone stand inducing a massive sing-along to the last chorus.
“If you were a Tinder profile, I’d swipe right” Allison commented. I’m sure the audience felt the same way, leaving thoroughly entertained and utterly charmed.
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