Babehoven's Captivating Headlining Debut at DC9
Written by: Olivia Mezzullo
My introduction to Babehoven was in October of last year when they opened for Slow Pulp at Union Stage. As I witnessed the band dressed in Luigi costumes (it was a few days before Halloween) and performing an impeccable blend of folk and shoegaze elements – I knew I had stumbled upon something really special. So when I heard that Babehoven would be releasing and touring a new album, I knew I had to be there. Sidenote: I actually got the opportunity to interview Maya of Babehoven a couple of weeks before the show, which you can read about here!
It was what felt like a typical Monday night on U Street, but the atmosphere at DC9 was one of anticipation and excitement. It was the first night of Babehoven's first headlining tour for their new album, Water's Here In You. I arrived super pumped to hear these new songs live, as well as to check out the openers – DC-based Aunt Katrina and the band Grocer from Philly.
As Aunt Katrina took the stage, I was surprised by just how many of them were in the band (six of them!). Aunt Katrina was originally the solo project of feeble little horse guitarist Ryan Walchonski, but he eventually recruited five other DC-based musicians to help him bring the songs to life, including Ray Brown of Snail Mail. Similar to feeble little horse, Aunt Katrina blended sampled sounds and synth elements with shoegaze-y guitar riffs - with the added breakbeat-like drums from Brown. There were sounds coming from Walchonski's guitar I didn't even know could come from a guitar in a live setting. In the song "Optimistically", Aunt Katrina played over a looped sample of a newscast about senior citizens' gambling addiction – which was something that was so out-there but it really worked. Needless to say, Aunt Katrina left the crowd quite pleased, and they are definitely an act I will keep my eye on.
Next up was Grocer, a three-person act from Philly. I don't know what I was expecting from Grocer – but they delivered something completely different. They all just had a really unhinged 80s vibe I don't particularly know how to explain, kind of like if the Wiggles just went off the deep end? You kinda had to be there. Their set was riddled with chaotic polyrhythms, discordant vocal harmonies, and a level of energy I think the audience didn't know what to do with. Their set was very reminiscent of egg punk bands, especially Devo, and it also felt super theatrical in some ways. During one song's break, the lead guitarist pulled out a recorder and started playing it crazily. The band was all so skilled at their instruments and having so much fun that I couldn't help but have fun too.
Then it was time for what we were all there for, Babehoven's set. After being in the crowd themselves watching the openers, they all took the stage with a buzz of anticipation. The band opened with "Chariot", one of the first singles off the new album, which is a slow shoegaze-y ballad that felt so incredibly full with the whole band. A few songs in, Babehoven shifted with ease into a few more acoustic songs – still with support from the full band. On "I'm On Your Team", I was completely blown away by Maya's vocals as they soared above the indie twang instrumentals. In fact, every song blew me away, especially getting to hear tracks of the new album brought to life for the first time in front of a crowd. Two songs that especially stood out to me in the live setting were "Lightness is Loud" and "Rocket", which are more subdued acoustic tracks on the album, but the full band brought them to new life. Speaking of the band, in the middle of the set as Maya was introducing the band, she revealed that the three supporting band members playing were the original musicians Maya played with when she started Babehoven in college.
The show was marked with a sense of love, gratitude, and human connection – much like the album. Throughout the show, Maya constantly thanked the audience for being there and expressed how special it was to have their songs recognized and connected to by a group of strangers. She then expressed that it was an "important human moment" for all of us to come together for music like this, and that it is something that doesn't happen enough. I agree, live music can be such a powerful connector, especially at small venues like DC9. Towards the end of their set, Maya and Ryan joked about doing an encore (there is no backstage at DC9). They ended up just asking the audience if we wanted them to do an encore, and of course, we all said yes. During their final song "Often" (a fan-favorite from their first album), Maya expressed how touched she was to hear everyone singing along, "This means so much to me," she said. At the end of the show, my friends and I all left with a sense that we now had our own little secret that could very well be really big one day.