The Sewing Club Steps Out in Style at The Blue Room

Take a spin through the catalog of shoegaze-kissed bedroom rockers The Sewing Club, penned primarily by singer-bassist Hannah McElroy, and you’ll find songs about love and loss and reflections that make personal experiences universal and relatable. They’ve been a consistent presence in Nashville music for years and tour regularly, so it was a little bit of a surprise that their show Saturday night at The Blue Room at Third Man Records marked their first time headlining in their hometown. They made it one to remember with material new and old, a full-body massage with drums and bass and wicked guitar solos — and a little help from some friends.

TSC booked experimental rockers Melaina Kol to open the show, but an illness forced them to cancel. (By the way, watch for the group’s forthcoming album Okay That’s a Great Idea Because If I Do That Then, out Aug. 14 via Julia’s War.) One of the great things about Music City is that there’s usually a good chance you can call up a friend of a friend to help you out. And so at 8 p.m. sharp Ella Molsee and her band stepped onstage. Along with her gratitude for the opportunity to play, she shared that her set came courtesy of Billy Ayers — frontman of Billy!, who’d be playing next — who rang her up and asked if she wanted to have band practice in front of an audience at The Blue Room. Molsee and company brought their dreamy rock that sounds soft and hits hard, opening with “Lego Bricks.” The single was released last year and leads her April EP Unsaid Truths, whose “Secret” and “The Dog” were also part of the set list. Near the end of the performance, she played “Newer Clothes,” in which she name-drops Ayers — a solid segue into his portion of the show.

Including singer-guitarist Ayers, Billy! is a six-piece outfit sporting three guitars, bass, percussion and drums, and they make heavy, twangy rock with textures that draw strength from shoegaze. It’s been a little more than a year since their debut album Holding On, and their infectious camaraderie was apparent from the second they hit the stage. They played songs old and new, including “Fire Marshal,” “Big Star” and “Milk,” and ending with “Cheek Full,” the closer of 2023’s This Is How It Started EP. You could feel the bass in your chest and the guitar solos were full-throttle. The set never fully came to a stop, as the group was aiming to maximize the amount of playing they got to do in their limited time slot, and Ayers didn’t speak much between songs. Sporting a camo hat in place of his usual Braves cap and a T-shirt celebrating legendary Crimson Tide football coach “Bear” Bryant, the Alabama native made one brief statement few would argue with: “What a great night to be at The Blue Room.”  

After a short break, The Sewing Club took over. The audience drew closer to the stage as McElroy sang into a phone receiver repurposed as a mic. She told the crowd we’d be hearing a lot of new songs from an unreleased album, which the band will disclose more info about at a later time. Among the unreleased highlights was the thunderous, head-banging, punk-schooled “Alright, OK.” Then McElroy and band switched gears effortlessly into the slower almost-ballad feel of “Pocket,” a classic TSC song she explained to us was about being shy and in love. Another longtime fan favorite, “Wyatt” has become a set list staple, and it felt like the whole crowd was singing the lyrics in unison. They wrapped with “Strange,” one of their best-known songs, which recently got the music video treatment.

McElroy seldom stayed in one place onstage, enhancing the feeling of intimacy natural to the venue, and she danced and interacted with the fans all through the night. The Sewing Club worked hard to make the show warm and welcoming, and it paid off with a thoroughly engaged audience, in which it felt like everyone was having the time of their life singing at the top of their lungs. Making music professionally can be overwhelmingly difficult, and it’s frequently unpredictable. But shows like this are part of what makes the struggle worth it.

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