A few hundred screaming fans lured the electro-indie rock group Uh Huh Her back on stage for a three-song encore at the State Theatre in St. Petersburg this past Saturday, May 14.
Camila Grey, Leisha Hailey and their band played songs from both their debut full-length album, Common Reaction, and their newest EP, Black and Blue, as well as brand new music that has yet to be released. They are expected to release another full-length album, Nocturnes, by the end of this summer. Crowd favorites such as "Explode" and "Dreamer" from Common Reaction and "Black and Blue" from the new EP drew a huge reaction from the audience. The group ended their encore set with the popular "Not A Love Song" from Common Reaction.
Uh Huh Her played some new songs that are set to come out on their upcming full-length release. The new pieces, including "Debris," "Disdain," and "Human Nature," are reminiscent of their previous work, but it's obvious the duo has felt more freedom ever since they parted ways with their label last year, allowing them to explore a more rock-oriented sound. Producing lush, grandiose walls of sound, it's clear they no longer feel as chained to the electro-indie pop label.
The group plays with passion, their dreamy vocals melding together almost as one voice. When not singing, Hailey is most often a blur of blonde hair whipping around above her guitar. Uh Huh Her included a nice mix of upbeat, danceable songs like "Not A Love Song," strong, powerful songs like "I've Had Enough," and slower, lyrical love songs like "Dreamer" that flowed over the crowd, causing them to sway and swoon.
The show drew a large lesbian crowd, largely because Hailey was one of the stars on "The L Word" TV show, playing bisexual writer Alice Pieszecki. The show ran from 2004 to 2009, and Hailey is one of the handful of cast members to be out as a lesbian in real life. St. Pete fans obviously still care about this connection, as one audience member screamed, "I love you, Alice!" in a lull between songs. The musical duo played up the lesbian connection, and the crowd erupted into screams when Hailey and Grey came nose to nose during an intense moment of a song. During a different musical interlude, Hailey went wild on the bass, sitting on the elevated drum set stage. She played the neck of her base up and down between Grey's legs, to the delight of the crowd.
Opening were Elysian Sex Drive, a soul-rock group based out of Sarasota, and Diamonds Under Fire, an unsigned rock, alternative group out of Los Angeles, who is touring with Uh Huh Her. Elysian Sex Drive blends world beats, rock, blues, funk, and electronic sounds into an eclectic mix of music. Diamonds Under Fire has been described as influenced by alternative groups, '80s new wave, '60s and '70s rock, and modern pop — and it shows in their live performance. Even as a new face to St. Pete, her music had a familiar feel and was an instant crowd-pleaser.
This article appears in May 19-25, 2011.