A sightseeing tour of Camden with a hungover Hello Mary: “It’s a lot more like New York than I thought”

Posted On September 15, 2024September 15, 2024

Wandering around Camden can be a struggle at the best of times, with the relatively small north London haunt brimming with bizarre characters and floundering tourists unfamiliar with the high-octane pace of city strolling. Add a hungover American band to the mix, and you’ve got the makings of a day that could quite easily end up in total catastrophe. Thankfully, the urban gods were kind that day, and all was well in the big smoke. Hello Mary were on hand to offer insight into their stellar new album, Emita Ox, and everything that makes the band tick. 

To be frank, I did not know what to expect. I’m a music journalist by trade, not a tour guide, and I would usually stay clear of Camden. Yet, for a group so steeped in the essence of good guitar music and punk, it turned out to be the perfect setting to show the trio around, who, despite being at the onset of their 20s, have produced one of the year’s best albums.

I arrived at Camden Town station and lit up a well-deserved fag after enduring what felt like an eternity on the rickety, sweltering Northern Line. No matter how many times I’ve been here, stepping out of the station is always a jolt to the senses. As usual, a mix of goths, grebos, tourists, and, for extra flavour this time, a bloke completely off his chops, belting out the chorus of Amy Winehouse’s Valerie with absolute confidence, greeted me.

As I was there to deliver a tour of Camden’s musical sights, it was apt for him to select such a song. After the man had staggered across the road remarkably without being clattered by a vehicle, I smoked to the bone and watched a nearby busker shredding Jimi Hendrix on his electro-acoustic—Hawaiian shirt, shades and all. 

As I’d expected, the band were a touch late. Navigating London’s intricate mesh of public transport has been the undoing of many, let alone for someone new to the city with a stonking hangover. Once the trio – guitarist/vocalist Helena Straight, drummer/vocalist Stella Wave, and bassist Mikaela Oppenheimer – and their tour manager arrived, we were straight into it.

The band had played at the Brixton Windmill the night before, and had gone back to a patron’s house for drinks afterwards. Their night hadn’t finished until 5am. It would’ve been understandable if they couldn’t think of anything worse than to trek around busy Camden with some random northern bloke chewing their ear off about the area’s musical ‘history’. But the trio were undeniably courteous, and as the first stop, Camden Underworld, was right across from our meeting spot outside the station, it broke the ice pretty quickly. 

That’s right, Radiohead did play there on the Creep tour in 1992. “So awesome,” drummer Wave said, leading the interest, echoed by Straight, “So cool”. The three of them are big fans of the Oxford band, so a chance to ponder nostalgically for a moment felt fitting.

It’s a funny thing to use your phone as a makeshift microphone and stick it awkwardly in someone’s face, but somehow, the absurdity felt suitable for a place as famously eccentric as Camden. The band had clearly been enjoying their time in London. In just a few days, they’d already checked off two of the city’s most important grassroots venues—The Shacklewell Arms and The Windmill. Even more impressively, they’re set to support American Football at the legendary Camden Roundhouse on September 14th. That’s a clear sign of a band on the rise. Having already opened for the likes of Dinosaur Jr and DIIV, two acts known for endorsing up-and-coming talent, their trajectory is unmistakably upward.

Bassist Oppenheimer remarked that the city is “awesome”, reminding me just how much we take our everyday surroundings for granted. They’d even experienced their first-ever ride on a double-decker bus. “It was very scary,” the bassist grinned, and it hit me that something so ordinary for locals is a total novelty for Americans. Culture clashes like this popped up throughout the day, amplified by the quirky, quintessentially British atmosphere of Camden.

Walking around the corner onto the High Street, the hustle and bustle opened up. Oppenheimer said it reminded her of the East Village and Straight, the 34th Street area of Midtown Manhattan. What’s that like? I asked. “Just exactly like this,” the band’s guitarist laughed. I pondered whether our two countries are quite as different as British people like to think.

We headed to the Music Walk of Fame, our much shorter version of the Hollywood pavement stars, featuring stones for the likes of The Who and the late Winehouse. “I feel like I actually just started listening to more British bands in the past year,” Straight says before being rightfully distracted by a stall. “Oh my god, look at those strawberries…”

“But yeah, I was more into American bands as a teenager. Recently, though, we’re getting into more of an experimental realm,” she explains. One band that has had a significant recent influence on the group is the now-defunct Black Midi, and naturally, playing at their spiritual home, The Windmill, was a special moment. When they arrived, Straight immediately recognised the shimmering corner where the stage was and expressed that it was mind-boggling to think they’d just performed there.

Which was better out of The Shackewell or Windmill, though? The Hello Mary drummer instantly sounded that the Brixton hub was “much better”, which prompted a raised eyebrow from Oppenheimer, who asked, “Really?” The bassist shrugged, “It was a very similar feeling”.

The audiences have been good, Straight says, before noting: “It seems like we have a lot of middle-aged men that like to see us, which is a bit surprising because, I mean, we’ve never been to London before, obviously. So I’m like, ‘How do you find out about us?’ But it’s great.” They feel at one with the area—accepted and embraced.

As with any location that you dream of visiting for years, there’s always a certain jeopardy attached to touching down. However, London has lived up to expectations. It’s been a hoot, and they expected it to be, adding a layer of satisfaction alongside the shows. Straight comments: “It’s a lot more like New York than I thought. I just love public transportation so much, and it seems very efficient.”

Infrastructure chat, however, prompted a call for a change of scenery. It was a left turn down Inverness Street to a hallowed old boozer called The Good Mixer. Britpop fans know it as the favoured watering hole of some of the most influential figures of the ’90s, including Oasis and Jarvis Cocker. Legend has it that Creation Records boss Alan McGee also used it as an ad-hoc office for a period of time. 

Allegedly, it’s also where the Oasis and Blur rivalry began, a time when Noel Gallagher somewhat inexplicably blurted to Blur guitarist Graham Coxon: “Nice music. Shit clothes”. If true, that quote tells you all you need to know about the era’s essence, and Hello Mary was aghast. “No way…” Oppenheimer trailed off deep into contemplation. “Shit clothes? That’s so weird,” Straight said, chuckling, who seemed to be the first one to be emerging from the alcohol-induced torpor.

Just as thoughts of how similar our two nations might be began to surface, a humorous cultural misunderstanding reminded me otherwise. When I suggested the trio take a picture in front of the pub, Wave misheard and thought I was suggesting a pitcher of alcohol. Their quick denial was proof of how rough they felt, but after a comical clarification, they agreed to a few snaps. We even bumped into the local gremlin from earlier—the one who’d hassled me for a cigarette before the interview. Now sporting a pair of shiny knock-off Oakleys, he was in much better spirits, adding another layer of Camden’s eccentric charm to the day.

As we walked up the High Street, an admittedly drained Oppenheimer, who was commendably persisting with the pesky tour guide, discussed working with producer du jour Alex Farrar on Emita Ox. Farrar is the man who brought to life both MJ Lenderman’s Manning Fireworks and Horse Jumper of Love’s Disaster Trick, two recent Far Out albums of the week.

“Oh, I’m so excited,” the bassist energetically says about the new album. “I love this album so much. I’m so glad that you liked it”. Regarding Farrar, she says: “He’s awesome, he’s so chill and sort of hands off. Then, he’ll come in just at the right time when we actually need advice. It was so great working with him.”

The band decamped to Asheville, North Carolina, for a month to make their new record at the prestigious Drop of Sun Studios. They stayed in an apartment attached to the studio, with this close proximity fostering creativity, meaning they could go down in their pyjamas and socks if they fancied.

For those curious, Asheville is musically happening and far from redneck territory. According to Oppenheimer, it’s more “hippy-dippy” and full of people who “make their own kombucha”. In yet another reminder of the cultural differences between America and its much smaller progenitor, despite Asheville’s progressive vibe, Straight shared a startling anecdote. While ordering food from DoorDash, the delivery man arrived with a gun tucked into his pants. “I guess it’s just standard out there,” Straight reasoned, “but it was very shocking.”

As we continued the stroll up High Street toward the Lock Bridge, the trio were taken by the array of tourist trinkets on display. They semi-seriously toyed with the idea of buying matching leather jackets from one of the stores—a decision that would have made for quite the sight on a tour already packed with memorable moments. Given their recent shift toward heavier sonic tendencies, the leather jackets would have fit the vibe in a strange but fitting way.

At the start of the bridge, a quick stop for refreshments was needed for the flagging band, providing the perfect opportunity for a photo in front of the iconic Dingwalls, just over the lock. During the break, Straight revealed they’d experienced some hostility for being American. On their first day, they were told to go back to their own country, and most surprisingly, while Straight was sitting alone, reading and listening to music in a coffee shop, an elderly woman approached and kindly asked where she was from—only for the conversation to take a less pleasant turn.

She then coldly instructed her: “Tell everybody from New York never to come here ever again.” The clearly objective vocalist summarised: “I’m like fair enough; she probably thinks I’ve moved here and I’m ruining the vibe.”

On the bridge, it was only fitting that we paid for Hello Mary to get a picture with the iconic punks that gather there before heading into the belly of the beast: Camden Market. After spending a while perusing a vendor who sold strange, one-eyed, small furry animals – which the trio purchased a collection of – they attempted to define their sound.

“We kind of like to keep it vague because there’s a lot of different sounds within the band,” Wave says, maintaining it is not meant to be pretentious either. “Maybe it’s just rock, but it’s not like what you think of when you think of rock.”

In crafting a truly multifaceted sound, it is only natural that each member has different musical contexts. “I think we all have different corners that we reside in, but we do have a lot of overlap,” Wave explains, with this occurring mainly in the van on tour when showing each other tunes. Just the previous night, they had attempted to figure out what bands they all unequivocally adore, but typically, only two of them ever tend to agree.

“It’s hard to like a band’s entire discography,” Straight asserts. She starts by saying Radiohead are the only exception, but correcting herself, she says, “That’s actually not true.” Like many, she doesn’t particularly enjoy Pablo Honey. “We agree on albums, not artists, that’s what it is,” she clarifies. Plus, Radiohead wasn’t even a significant influence when they started; that came into play later as they grew up and expanded their music tastes. 

Naturally, the band was also reticent about discussing the influences behind Emita Ox. “Just listen, and you’ll probably make the obvious comparisons,” Wave confidently expresses. 

We headed deeper into the prismatic clutches of the market, luring with its warm aromas and assorted wares. Not knowing what to expect or how long we’d spend roving, this felt like venturing into the heart of darkness with an unsuspecting crew. The band were wilfully roped into an anachronistically themed photo shop where they paid an eye-watering premium to dress up in medieval garb, and, on the other end of the spectrum, explored the donk-soundtracked weirdness of Cyberdog.

Given that the show at the Roundhouse will be their largest to date, there was no better place to conclude the tour. We went out of the market and up Chalk Farm Road, with the final destination unbeknownst to the band. As you might expect, the reaction was mixed. “It’s literally round,” Wave said with a look of pure astonishment, taking in the stature of the towering brick edifice.

Moving over to the big listing board on the side of the building, Straight piped excitedly, “Oh shit, American Football. Awesome. It’s really cool.” The band still couldn’t believe the venue was spheroidal. “This is amazing,” Oppenheimer said, staring up at the ultimate symbol of how far they’ve come, and where they are heading. They buoyantly read out some of the prominent bands who are listed to play there – the company they now keep.

“It’s beautiful,” Wave said, with the dry Oppenheimer adding solemnly that it is “absolutely” the largest venue they will have ever played. Understandably, the trio felt nervous and excited about the show, but I have no doubt they will chalk it off with verve, and continue pushing upwards.

That was the end of the excursion, and off to The Hawley Arms, it was for a crisp pint and a smoke. All in a day’s work.

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