Mudhoney
w/ Hooveriii
Teragram Ballroom – Los Angeles, CA
Tuesday, November 14th, 2023
Review/Pics: Manuel Gay
Born from the ashes of Green River, one of Seattle’s most notable pioneer bands of the Grunge movement, Mudhoney has been releasing albums and touring since the late eighties. If their compositions have matured over three decades, the raw energy and messy sound has endured. Plastic Eternity, released in April this year is the eleventh studio album released by the band. The four musicians have been on the road since October to promote their new material and play their hits to a loyal fan base. We were lucky to catch them on November 14th at the Teragram Ballroom in Los Angeles.
A few minutes past 8pm, local band Hooveriii (pronounced “Hoover Three”) got on stage to warm up the crowd. It didn’t take long for Hooveriii to seduce the audience and satisfy their fans in attendance. They opened with 2018 single “Guillotine” which cranked up the energy of the entire place. The bass and drums provided a relentless groove and singer-guitarist Gabe Flores’ energy was electric.
The setlist showcased some songs from their recently released record, Pointe such as “Can’t You Hear Me Calling” and single “The Tall Grass”. Hooveriii has been around for a few years already but were a (great) discovery for me. “Destroya” from their 2015 album of the same name was one of these songs that stick with you and that you catch yourself humming still a few days after the show. I would absolutely recommend giving them a listen and catching them live when possible.
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Around 9:15, the lights were dimmed while classical music came out of the venue’s speakers. Mudhoney walked on stage as the audience gave them a warm welcome. The band opened with a personal favorite “When Tomorrow Hits” from their 1989 self-titled album. A mosh pit formed and got shut down after a few seconds, this was neither the venue, nor the crowd for it. It made me ponder on Mudhoney’s early days and how wild their shows must have been in the 1980’s Seattle club scene. I suppose time has passed since then and the band’s fans got calmer. However, Mudhoney’s energy remains intact. “Souvenir My Trip” from their new album is the perfect illustration for it. Mark Arm and Steve Turner’s guitars are still screaming and Dan Peters is still heavy on the drums.
“Sweet Young Thing Ain’t Sweet No More” and grunge anthem “Touch Me I’m Sick”, both from classic album Superfuzz Bigmuff, hit the midpoint of the show and got the entire Teragram Ballroom singing along as one. Steve addressed the crowd and invited us on a drive up north along the coast before starting “Nerve Attack” from 2018’s Digital Garbage.
A good portion of the setlist came from the last two studio albums, however the (almost 30-songs long!) setlist covered most of Mudhoney’s discography. One of the highlights of the night for me was “If I Think” with it’s slow and melodic verses, contrasted by a headbanging chorus. The song ended with a kick-ass solo and the band transitioned into “Suck You Dry” which has to be the fuzziest sounding song in history.
Steve and Mark played alongside Pearl Jam’s Stone Gossard and Jeff Ament in Green River almost forty years ago. And thinking that Mudhoney has shaped and kept alive the grunge sound decade after decade makes their shows feel like the coolest rock music history class one could take. The Seattle legends ended the show with a couple of fan favorites “Who You Drivin’ Now?” and “Here Comes Sickness”.
The show was everything I could have hoped for, so I can say that I am glad that I was able to see Mudhoney perform live for the first time. I will definitely keep Plastic Eternity in my current playlist and dive back into some older records to make sure I did not miss out on some gems. The fall tour will end in a few days with a couple of home shows for Mudhoney, so make sure to catch them next time around.