Concert review: The Head and the Heart w/ Houndmouth | 07.22.26, The Factory (with photo gallery)

Photo of Jonathan Russell of The Head and the Heart by Laura Jerele

There’s something I particularly like about covering an artist more than once. I’d previously caught both Houndmouth and The Head and the Heart on separate bills, so watching them share a stage together at The Factory felt like a genuinely smart (and quite right) pairing. These bands complemented each other beautifully without making for a one-note or single-genre-feeling evening. Really cool songs with a lot of variety, a lot of vibe, and it all really worked.

Houndmouth opened the night as a stellar four-piece, joking between songs about hailing from Indiana and not having much else to do there, which may explain why they’re so relentlessly good at what they do. Although they sang a song about it (“Palmyra”), so it can’t be all that bad! They pulled out John and Matt from The Head and the Heart for the song “My Cousin Greg,” laughing as much as they were singing. It’s clear to me that these guys love life on the road and performing, and they seemed to be having a particularly kick ass time last night. 

For as much fun as they were having, it’s worth noting they are seriously good musicians without an ounce of pretension and they are full of vocal harmonies. I watched them trade vocals between Matt Myers and keyboardist Caleb Hickman and thought it was so fluid and impressive! It was a cool bit of vocal interplay that’s hard to pull off live, and they do it well. They closed with “Sedona,” their biggest hit, and most of the crowd seemed to know every word and they sung it loudly to bring their set home.

The Head and the Heart followed with a stage design that deserves its own mention. Glowing lamps, living room furniture, an electric fireplace, and floating wall art transformed a large stage into something surprisingly intimate, complete with personal touches and small tokens scattered throughout that gave the whole setup a lived-in feel. Living room or venue stage, you be the judge! The lamps themselves were in constant motion, shifting with tightly synchronized lighting cues that added a genuinely fun, offbeat energy to the show. It’s a staging trend that’s popped up on a number of tours lately, and I’ll admit, I’m not tired of it yet. When it’s done this well, it still feels fresh.

Musically, the six-piece matched that visual energy without letting one element overshadow the other during their two-set performance itself. Vocalists Jonathan Russell and Matt Gervais traded lead lines throughout the night, with Charity Rose Thielen weaving in violin and harmonies, making it feel like there are three front-people leading the way. Super chill Chris Zasche is their bassist, Kenny Hensley the pianist, and Tyler Williams on drums kept the arrangements played well underneath all the stage theatrics. The Head and the Heart are clearly a group that loves being on stage and were very high energy. At one point, Matt leapt down into the photo pit to hug and high-five fans over the barricade, and later turned to sing directly to the crowd by jumping right in it. Small moments show just how connected this band is with its audience. 

Between Houndmouth’s understated musicianship and The Head and the Heart’s immersive, high-energy show, this was a bill that balanced two distinct and fabulous sounds and styles into a really well paired, memorable night at The Factory. | Laura Jerele