When it comes to live music, I've tried to live my life by one rule.
If a band makes the effort to fly all the way to Australia, make sure you commit to the bit and go see them. As you move further down the indie iceberg, in terms of artist obscurity, this idea becomes all the more important.
I can't begin to count the number of bands who have only played Australia once, then broken up or simply decided the trip down under wasn't worth making again.
All that to say, having spent some time living in the US, I felt almost spoiled for choice with the number of artists within my genre wheelhouse that I was able to see perform live.
Even though it's somewhat of a logistical nightmare to travel to as an artist on the road, Orlando in Florida had concerts on every night. In 2022, I was lucky enough to be able to see New York (by way of California) band Momma touring alongside Snail Mail through the summer.
Four years later, Momma have finally graced our shores, touring their 2025 release 'Welcome To My Blue Sky'. As per my rule, as soon as the tour announcement went live, I had to grab a ticket.
Momma played Brisbane on a late Wednesday evening (21 January), and it was awesome to see the Crowbar packed full of people. Melbourne's Armlock opened the two-band bill.
Armlock - image © Dylan Hewitson-Bevis
Primed for a massive 2026, with Laneway appearances next month and an upcoming tour in the US with Snail Mail on the books for May, Armlock have become one of Australia's biggest emerging indie bands to watch.
Their music is patient yet rewarding, with catchy riffs and buzzing electronica that translate beautifully to a live environment. Cuts like 'Guardian' and 'Ice Cold', from their 2024 debut record 'Seashell Angel Lucky Charm', had everybody in the room nodding and swaying along.
Momma - image © Dylan Hewitson-Bevis
Momma took the stage next, getting straight into their new album by opening with 'Ohio All The Time'. A lot of Momma's songs feel like a throwback to '90s MTV indie, with scuffed guitar leads and charming dual lead vocals from Allegra Weingarten and Etta Freeman.
Weingarten made mention of this comparison when shouting out Armlock, saying "[Momma] has wanted to play with [Armlock] for ages now. We'd be played back-to-back on one of those old music video TV shows, for sure".
By sticking with songs from 'Welcome To My Blue Sky' and 2022's 'Household Name', everybody in the room was moving. There couldn't have been a single stationary person the whole evening, especially when the band ripped through songs like 'I Want You (Fever)' and 'Rodeo', both standout lead singles from last year's release.
Momma - image © Dylan Hewitson-Bevis
The biggest response came during the encore, when the band looked surprised that a mosh pit had formed during 'Speeding 72'. Weingarten got in on the fun with a call for a wall of death. I don't think Momma realised they were dealing with Australian punters.
After receiving such a positive response from their first-ever show in Australia, I hold hope Momma will be back soon. All I can ask is they bring some of their friends next time. We haven't seen Snail Mail here since 2019!
