Live Review: Griefcat @Petworth Porchfest

Oh Griefcat….how many ways do we love thee? A few years ago, singer-songwriters Louisa Hall and Annie Nardolilli collided like stars to form the wholly new and original universe called Griefcat. A repertoire of “funnies” and “saddies” emerged from their songwriting partnership, and the set-list has been expanding, as have their army of fans, ever since.

The sun emerged just before Greifcat got on the stage…the porch, in fact….at the sprawling 200-performers-80-porches Petworth annual event. The grey day ended in a beam of joy as the audience swelled, filling the street and front yards with every-kind of people, seduced by the mix of wit, melody and diabolical charm of Griefcat. Next to me, a recent fan of the band wore her Griefcat t.shirt (very nice quality, I have one) and sang along to songs about cheese, crypto-bro, pooping on company time (Revolution!), and a sleeping kitten disturbed by humans doing human stuff on the bed under which the feline sleeps. Songs so whacky, so tacky so wise, and so beautifully delivered, heavy with heavenly harmony and “signature choreography” which makes the whole Griefcat package impossible to ignore. The Porchfest grazers, stopped, smiled, laughed…and stayed to the end with the growing crowd.

What’s not to love about Griefcat. The joy and originality of what they do is unique. The subject matter, and the humor is startling, and the performance is so engaging, that you want to keep going back for more. Even if you’ve heard the songs before, there’s always an in-the-moment twist to keep the experience new. I love ‘em.

More info at the Griefcat website.

Catch Griefcat in action, Friday June 9, at Little Penn Coffeehouse Washington DC with Veronneau and Brassie.