Christian Lee Hutson, Fenne Lily, Why Bonnie
Black Cat, Washington, DC
June 4, 2023
Review and Gallery by: Erica Essigman

Why Bonnie is an indie rock band hailing from Austin, Texas. Their opening set was dedicated to all the queer people back in Texas who are fighting for their basic human rights to be acknowledged. Their music was soft and sweet with a bit of a punk vibe at times. Why Bonnie is a great band with even greater personalities. Lead singer Blair Howerton got the crowds attention by asking if there were any congressmen or senators in the building, even going as far to say that Joe Biden was put on the guest list.

Co-headliner Christian Lee Hutson put on an amazing performance following Hey Bonnie. His indie folk vibe was one you could simply stand around and sway to while you take in the sweetness of his voice. His sense of humor and down to earth personality really showed during his set. Christian took time in between songs to talk with fans and encouraged them to ask any questions. One of the most popular questions he received was “What is your favorite Boygenius song?” to which he replied, “it’s not released.” About halfway through his set, he asked his bassist, Kaylee Stenberg, to introduce the next song. She introduced it by talking about pride month and how Christian decided to write a song dedicated to, what she named, pride month eve (May 31st). Kaylee went on and on about how Hutson is such a great ally to the LGBTQ+ community. Hutson could not contain his laughter, to which, Stenberg revealed that the whole introduction was a joke and the next song is Northsiders. The real highlight of the set was at the end when Christian Lee Hutson asked fans what song they wanted to hear that was not played yet. After many songs were yelled, the band played Creature Feature.

Ending the show was co-headliner, Fenne Lily. Fenne Lily is a singer-songwriter from England. Her indie folk music was a bit softer than the other two performers and extremely soothing to listen to. Before Lily began her song Birthday she asked if anybody in the room had a birthday tonight. A couple people cheered and there was a look of disbelief on Fenne’s face. Fans got a preview of her earlier in the evening when she came on stage to play a song with Christian Lee Hutson. The crowd was just as receptive to her performance then as they were when she came on for her own set. Fans were singing along with the band and enjoyed being in the presence of the musician. Fenne Lily has the type of music where you can close your eyes and be transported to another place while listening to her sing. You’re able to have that “main character” feeling most people long for.