NEW Jersey band Little Hag is Mandeville (she/her) on guitar and complaining, Matt Fernicola (he/him) on lead guitar, Owen Flanagan (he/him) on drums, Chris Dubrow (he/him) on bass, and Noah Rauchwerk (he/him) on keys and emotional support.
Little Hag emerged in 2020 with “Tetris,” a two minute slice of pure pop pugnaciousness. A compilation LP titled ‘Whatever Happened To Avery Jane?’ followed, chronicling Avery’s many pleasures and pains, and made a splash on college radio and commercial specialty shows.
‘Leash’ is Little Hag’s sophomore LP. The record came together in between night classes, bartending shifts, first kisses, last kisses, shitty gigs, karaoke nights and all the emptiness of the quarantine that came after.
It’s a sarcastic but seriously cynical pop rock soundtrack for the dropouts and the disappointments; for that moment when your head hits the pillow and you relive your every shortcoming and mistake.
Mandeville and producer Erik Kase Romero (The Front Bottoms, Deal Casino) began testing the waters of this record together in 2018 with “My Last Name,” a stripped down and sentimental ode to the memories that derail us.
Things only get louder from there, with tracks like the fuzzy, complaint laden “The Whole World” and the brutal rocker about killing before being killed, On Leash, Bitch rockers Little Hag elaborate on their favourite themes; calling out abusive men, stalking social media, and reckless driving.
Something is holding a defeated and nostalgic Mandeville hostage, tethered to her misanthropic perspective. But she’s not wrong in her grievances; men are disgusting, women are beautiful, fear is paralysing and death is imminent. Time to face it.
Little Hag play at Feile Na Greine Festival this Saturday August 20 at Pharmacia (9pm-2am)
Also playing The Commercial on Monday August 22.
Féile Na Gréine 2022
The grassroots music festival happens this weekend Friday August 19 to Sunday August 21 across multiple venues in the city. Among the highlights playing an eclectic range from quirky folk, electro punk, glitchy techno, jazzy hip hop to hypnotic slowcore are:
Friday 19
Junior Brother at Treaty City Brewery (6-8pm);
Post Punk Podge at Pharmacia (9pm-2am);
Saturday 20
Lastminuteman at Crew Brewery (3-5pm);
Of All Living Things at The Commercial (6-9pm)
Sunday 21
Natalia Beylis / Citrus Fresh / Fixity at Treaty City Brewery (1-4pm); Vacuity / Messyng at The Commercial (5-11pm)
Limerick breweries (Crew Brewing and Treaty City) have collaborated to create The Féile Pale Ale. Available at all participating venues for this weekend only.
FNG Organisers created a playlist of many of the acts on the bill on Spotify, Search for Feile Na Greine 2022
