Mother Said @ Wharf

Support: Doctor Doctor and Troutflies

Wharf Chambers

Supported by other up and coming bands, Doctor Doctor and Troutflies, the Leeds based, Mother Said, headlined the beloved Wharf Chambers, and gave one hell of a performance to an adoring crowd. The night coincided with the release of their new self-titled EP, which was, believe it or not, recorded completely to tape! I think this tells you exactly what you need to know about this lot. 

The 5-piece Leeds punk band know how to handle a crowd, and they made their entrance to screams and cheers from a packed-out venue and threw themselves head first into ‘Stigmata’; a loud catchy single that involves the whole band on vocals, with the lads chiming in for the chorus “Stigmata, stigmata!”.

Mother Said have an energy and natural stage presence that can’t be beaten, and, within the first few songs, the lead singers, Katie and Amber, found themselves in the crowd, dancing with and singing amongst the audience members.  

Katie and Amber have an undeniable energy, and their vocals and catchy lyrics make for a fabulous show. In between songs they chat to the crowd with an undeniable charm, and you can’t help but be sucked in by their jokes and witty commentary.

This was Mother Said’s first show since June 2025, so for the band’s fans that have been patiently waiting, it was great to hear a brand new song in the setlist. New enough that vocalist Katie was even holding the lyrics in her hand! It was truly, fresh off the press.

The music of Mother Said is always top notch, and even when Katie and Amber take to the audience, it’s hard to keep your eyes off the rest of the band, who truly leave it all out there on the stage. The drummer, Josh, locked in, playing some drum parts so fast my camera couldn’t keep up, their bassist Ewan moves along to the music, clearly having the time of his life, and the guitarist Marcus head bops along and engages with the audience with his own quips. 

The vibes are high and the music is good.

The quintet end with their first ever and most popular single, ‘Tallulah’, and, for one last time, Katie and Amber run into the crowd, and mosh amongst the gig goers.

In an incredibly packed music scene, I truly believe Mother Said offer something fresh and new. If they continue to keep up the pace, I will be expecting to see them a whole lot more. If you haven’t seen them, I would strongly recommend checking them out at their next show. 

Words and picture by Em Artherton (@emartherton).