In Review: Mustard Service at Subterranean

Photos by Linnea Cheng

Mustard Service is an indie-pop (self described as “zest pop”) band based in Miami Florida. Their discography is filled with light surf-like guitar, fast paced percussion and vocals to match.

The band is in the midst of their “Variety Pack” tour, titled after their latest album which was released in early August of this year. On October 12th, they stopped in Chicago to play a show at Subterranean in Wicker Park. 

The concert started off with openers Ryan Wright and JW Francis. Two notable performances that began our journey into a night of “zesty pop.” Mustard Service opened up their show with “Late Night Drive,” a song from their latest album. The crowd began swaying to the soft guitar and subtle synth but soon transitioned into head bobbing as shakers and drums entered the chat, giving the song an element of depth. 

The next song the band played was “Get F*cked,” a fan favorite and definitely a crowd pleaser. Being a huge fan of Mustard Service, I was really looking forward to hearing this song live. As soon as I heard the intro, I was more than ready to sing along to the first line: 

“I keep my shoes untied just in case I don’t fall

Maybe I might find a cold, hard piece of pavement

Rushing up to me to greet my broken face

And maybe I might be a little bit more friendly

But for now, I think I’ll stand around”’

Much to my surprise, the band began from the second bridge, making me question how big of a fan of Mustard Service I really was to forget the lyrics. After the song had ended, Lead singer Marco Rivero acknowledged that he had slipped up with the first few lines of the song, earning a laugh from the audience. Neither the band nor the audience took offense to the slip up, but rather found it endearing. 

“Getting There” switched up the vibe of the room a bit with its more melancholic feel. The song was sung in a lower register with smoother, longer guitar chords that allowed the crowd to come down from the energetic high of the last song. To bring the vibe back to that high the audience was feeling, Mustard Service started their next song, “The Dominoes” by yelling “ONE, TWO, THREE, FOUR,” preparing the audience for another amped up song. The guitar was so prominent in this performance that it could have punched a hole through the ceiling and the crowd could have jumped through the floor.

Mustard Service’s more smooth jazzy sound was a fan favorite throughout the night. Such was evident when they played “Need” from “C’est La Vie.” The song opened up with sexy chords of a synth, paired with lyrics like:

“I need your loving (need your loving)

And I’ll give you what I can, baby, help you understand

I need your loving (your lovey doving)

I’ll come running when you call”

This song really slowed things down, showcasing their range in sound and lyrics.

The part of the performance that stuck out to me the most was when Mustard Service played “Hijo de Papá.” The song is sung entirely in spanish over a smooth instrumentation and various percussion. What I really loved about this song was the keyboard solo played by Leo Cattani, who absolutely nailed it. It was sultry, smooth, and really scratched an itch in my brain.

Before the encore, Mustard Service invited JW Francis back up on stage to play his song “Swooning,” allowing Francis to take the lead. They then moved on to playing “the song that pays their rent,” “Taking Up Space.” It is common for artists to resent playing their most popular songs live. However, the band kept it interesting by mashing the song with the Pixies’ “Where is My Mind.” They even added some comic relief by replacing the song's lyrics with “where is my vape.” I really appreciated this rendition of “Taking Up Space” and thought it was such a cool way to keep the audience on their toes. 

The show ended with Mustard Service inviting Ryan Wright back to the stage to play a cover of the Killers’ “Mr. Brightside.” I will admit, I thought it was a little corny to cover that song due to its popularity. That being said, it is popular for a reason and nobody was reluctant to jump up and down and sing along. Toward the end of the song, Wright dove off the stage, crowd surfing among a crowd that ate the performance up (rightfully so). The show ended on such a wildly energetic note, making it a very memorable one. 

This was a show that I had been anticipating seeing for years and am so glad that I finally got the chance to attend. Moving forward, I am excited to hear more releases from Mustard Service and even more excited to hear them live again. 

Photos by Linnea Cheng