We were on our way to The Garage, positioned at an angle across from Highbury and Islington Station. It’s a venue I’ve passed too many times to count. Regardless of the gig or show, it seems that queues have never been short of rammed, heaving with excitement to get inside. We were led around back to meet the two lead singers of American indie outfit Momma in the green room for a quick chit chat before their show. Band founders Etta Friedman and Allegra Weingarten talked me through the newest album, Welcome to My Blue Sky (Deluxe Edition), as well as their first ever European headliner tour experience, a flat-tire debacle near by Gatwick Airport, and their favorite dive bars in BK, NYC.
The record includes heavy hitters like “I Want You (Fever)”, “Bottle Blonde”, and “Rodeo”. They expressed their concurrent excitement and surprise to see international audiences pick up interest in songs like “Ohio All The Time”, singing their lyrics right back to them in whole-hearted unison between wide teethed smiles. Before their headline show at The Garage, they’d already played in Bristol and at Pitchfork London. But on the morning of, the band faced a flat tire which burst outside of Gatwick Airport. Despite the setback, they managed to get everything together and make it into the city.
Momma is composed of four band members — Etta and Allegra founded the project after becoming friends in high school. They are joined on stage by their drummer Preston Fulks and bassist Aron Kobayashi Ritch. The duo expressed that the feel of this tour was reminiscent of a more energised tone, comparable to previous visits to The Big Smoke. Etta shared that “every other time, we’ve either been sick, or drinking too much, or it’s just tiring, and I feel like we’ve had a pretty smooth ride.” It was clear that this tour spelled something different.
Before setting off on their European headline tour, the band did a run in the states to gauge their audience, having been featured on lineups almost exclusively as openers up until that point. The four-piece hails from California but currently lives in Brooklyn. The two singers noted their favourite dive bars.Allegra made a point to say that “a dive bar isn’t necessarily good. The shittier it is, the better”. Her pick was Windjammer Bar, while Etta chose Jenny’s.
The passionate vocals and gravelly-bitter lyrics are all dosed in a layer of self-effacing irony. Laugh to keep from crying, you could say… But the audience was all grins. Singing along to lyrics like “I’m fucking up my life” from “Ohio All The Time”, the crowd’s energy bounced off the walls in what felt like a grown up version of teenage angst. The lyrics contorted on themselves stretching outward into enthusiastic screams. Allegra said her favorite track off the new album to play is “I Want You (Fever)”, while Etta said her pick changes. At the moment, it is Rodeo.
The band is unafraid to admit its inner turmoils with lyrics like “still need a drummer, the last one quit the band” in “Rockstar”. Acknowledging that their songs don’t actually, if ever, land on happy endings, Allegra expressed: “nothing ever really works out in the end.” There’s an inherent anemoia about their performance, toting around grungy outfits and leopard guitar straps reminiscent of 90s riot grrrl bands and rock projects. We peer down the crowd onto a stage of young rockstars imbued with the vitality and references part of a time they didn’t live through. They simultaneously embody the seriousness and passion of individuals who leave you wondering if maybe… they actually did?
Despite this being their first ever headline tour, they’ve already got tour dates in Japan and Australia coming up in 2026. Momma is bringing something special to the industry – and you don’t want to be left out.