Live Shows: Mamalarky, Kennedy Mann, and Doss, The Rockwell, Somerville, MA 5/13/25

I've been looking forward to seeing Mamalarky live since I first discovered them back in 2020. They've made it to Boston since then, but it just never quite worked out for me. Luckily, they just released the excellent Hex Key and had a Tuesday night show at The Rockwell that finally worked with my schedule.

Doss opened the show up. Not to be confused with the DJ named Doss, this was a local Boston "indie folk rock mish mosh." They played a short set that was wonderfully compelling. I'd say they were a bit more rock than folk, but not by much. Doss was a charming opener that won over the crowd quickly. I'm sure they brought some friends and fans with them, but I can't imagine anyone that wasn't already a fan left The Rockwell without becoming one.

Kennedy Mann played next, finishing up their tour with Mamalarky. She played an acoustic guitar, and for the first couple of songs of their set, used some backing electronic music from a phone. After that, it was just Mann and an acoustic guitar, and compelling might have been the word of the night, because the entire crowd was held in rapt attention for the entire set. The Rockwell always seems to get the best crowds, with every single person in the audience paying full attention. Tuesday night, they were rewarded with a great performance from Mann.

Mamalarky closed out the night, and surpassed all of my expectations. It was the kind of night where every song was even better than the one before it, including both my favorite singles and songs I wasn't all that familiar with. Mamalarky's newer music has this great laid back groove bordering on dance music that I wasn't quite sure if it would work out live. It worked, and it worked great. A more rock based song like "Anhedonia" was obviously going to work live, but a more dance oriented one like "#1 Best of All Time" was just as fantastic Tuesday night. The impossibly groovy "Nothing Lasts Forever" might have been my personal favorite of the night. Let's hope it doesn't take another five years for me to see them again.