Kate Bollinger & Faye Webster Made Me Laugh and Dance
Indie folk singer-songwriters Kate Bollinger and Faye Webster traversed through Solana Beach and captured the crowd’s hearts with their beautiful, siren-like voices. Faye Webster is headlining her tour for her latest album, I Know I’m Funny haha with Kate Bollinger as the opener. It was my first time seeing them but I was motivated to see them since I was captivated by Faye’s humor through her songs along with vibing with Kate’s music from what I heard through Spotify. So if they’re rolling through your town, is it worth seeing them? Yes but read the rest of the article if you want to be sold on why you should go if I haven’t convinced you yet.
In the architectural wonder that is the Belly Up Tavern, a packed venue were clamoring for some live music. Fortunately all of us didn’t have to wait long as Kate Bollinger took the stage with her band. The first thing I immediately noticed was that her guitarist, Chris Lew, was wearing a Minions shirt. This instantly set the tone of her set for me which consisted of good vibes and fantastic singer. Really hope that she’ll have her own headlining tour and stops by SoCal again. Some of my favorite songs from her set were “I Don’t Wanna Lose” and “Candy” which I highly recommend you listen to. Once Kate and her band bid all of us adieu, we excitingly waited Faye Webster.
Some of my favorite songs from her set were “I Don’t Wanna Lose” and “Candy” which I highly recommend you listen to. She gave me Molly Burch mostly because of her sultry voice. Although she didn’t give too much of a memorable stage presence, she really did a great job of keeping the crowd focused with minimal talking during her set. Once Kate and her band bid all of us adieu, we excitingly waited Faye Webster.
Following Kate Bollinger was the headliner aka the one and only, Faye Webster. With so many signs on stage that said “haha”, there was no better song to open her set with than “Better Distractions”, the opening track off I Know I’m Funny haha. Believe it or not, Faye is really good at playing the guitar. She played a good amount of songs off the new album along with some classics from her discography.
What really sold me as a fan of Faye however was when she rambled about Super Smash Bros and being obsessed with her Nintendo Switch. This conversation pivoted to her talking about Animal Crossing which ultimately ended with her playing a cover of the game’s “K.K. Cruisin’”. This was something I never expected to hear at a show so I was blown, away for the better.
She ended her set with being solo on stage, strumming her guitar while singing “Half of Me”. It was a somber note to end the show after a light-hearted set which included her calling out someone in the audience as a the subject of her song “I Know I’m Funny haha” . She knew how to capture the hearts of the crowd with her awkward but sincere banter. This led to the crowd chanting “One More Song!” repeatedly after she departed the stage.
After a few minutes, the crowd got their wish because Faye Webster and her band emerged from backstage to play one more song. She played “Kingston” with another tie in with Animal Crossing incorporated into the song. With K.K. Slider on the beat near the end of the song, she ended her set with a bang. Faye Webster left me and the rest of the crowd with a fun night to remember.
Webster left the crowd pleased while we all flocked to the exit with a giant shark looming above us, courtesy of the aesthetic of the venue. The vibes were immaculate and another iconic show was ingrained into my memory. This show solidified my decision to see Kate Bollinger and Faye Webster again if they were in the area. Faye Webster really gave off the vibes of “I Know I’m Funny haha “ because she actually is funny and she knows it.