RECAP: AKA BK, Farmer’s Wife, and Mothé celebrate the last night of the ‘Total Popstar’ tour at Love Song Bar.
Photo courtesy of Nathan Corrál via Local Only
LOVE SONG BAR | LOS ANGELES, CA | AUGUST 30, 2025 | BY RACHEL JOY THOMAS
Alt-pop artist Mothé, who recently played an evocative show at Mohawks in Austin, graced the stage for their final performance of the 'Total Popstar' tour. Throughout the tour experience, they shared the stage with Austin rockers Farmer's Wife and AKA BK, playing venues from Portland to Farmer's Wife's home state of Texas.
Initially planned for The Echo, attendees eventually found themselves at Love Song Bar at The Regent Theater. The intimate venue was nearly at full capacity, with fans sporting band t-shirts and chattering among themselves during the pre-show.
AKA BK, led by Brooklynn ("BK"), took the stage with longtime collaborators Julian Cullars (guitar), Sean Gunner Lee (guitar), Cecile Herledan (bass), and special guest Elijah Wells (drums) at 7:47 p.m., screaming "What the fuck is up, Chicago!" Bemused audience members cheered loudly, excited at the prospect of walking out into a Chicago winter.
During several tracks, Lee commanded attention with solos on his cream-colored Fender Stratocaster, blazing across the setlist on multiple occasions. Cullars, too, had opportunities to immerse listeners with crushing riffs, establishing the group as the night's most virtuosic act when it came to jam energy.
BK leaped onto the bar top multiple times, inciting small mosh pits in the center of the venue. The singer stirred up the crowd with magnetic zeal before headbanging with Cullars and Lee or colliding with them as they played empowered licks.
Before "Frog Song," BK held up a large toy bullfrog, announcing that the crowd would pass the object ceremoniously among one another. As they prepared for the performance, the frog began its journey, snaking toward the bar's right side before making its way through the bustling crowd. Many attendees stopped to snap photos with the amphibian mascot.
The band finished with dual guitar solos, a tiny indoor mosh pit, and occasional hopping, closing with the popular track "Mush." BK called out to the crowd and held the microphone toward some eager participants, who easily repeated the track’s lyrics back with them. Closing out their section of the show with a heavy screech, they unplugged and headed out toward the merch table.
Farmer's Wife, a bona fide Austin-Houston band with members Jude Hill (guitar), Jacob Masson (bass), Derek Ivy (guitar), Jaelyn Valero (drums), and Molly Masson (lead vocals, guitar), took the stage next, setting up cymbals on the house kit at 8:23 p.m. Their sizzling, high-velocity set was loud and proud, building up the crowd with its pedal-drenched sonic assault. Molly Masson started with a quick, appreciative thank you before the band burst into "Dirty Shirley," a metallic, growling track from their latest EP, Faint Illusions. In Love Song Bar's acoustics, the track vibrated floors and walls as Derek Ivy unleashed his guitar work. Masson's vocals struggled to find balance with the guitars' thunderous '80s dream grunge sound, but still rang out to those in the venue's back.
From there, the band worked through their newest EP alongside old favorites, cutting their teeth as Masson danced alongside the buzzing, churning guitars and her brother's heavy basslines.
Halfway through Farmer's Wife's set, a bass string broke, leading to a moment of musical camaraderie. Mothé bassist and frequent collaborator Eian McNeely lent the band his bass guitar for the remainder of their set, politely asking that they keep the strings intact for Mothé's later performance. The band maintained their gravitas as they built each song toward a growling sonic release.
Masson followed BK's lead from earlier, climbing atop the bar and carefully navigating—mindful to avoid Irish coffees and beers on the counters—before returning to the stage.
When introducing the popular and political track "Gregg Abbott's Maxi Pad," Masson pointed out current difficulties and the worsening state of Texas politics, all while maintaining an easygoing presence. Despite the tragic loss of Texas abortion rights and other civil liberties, the band remained in high spirits while continuing to call out Abbott.
Pulling out her guitar for the final song, Masson introduced "Mildew," another cut from Faint Illusions. Still somewhat submerged under chaotic guitars, Masson echoed, "Tangled up in silk again / Cover me in your mildew / The fruit, it rots and falls onto me."
Mothé finished the night with an enigmatic alternative electronic set featuring heavy bangers from Total Popstar alongside cuts from previous albums. Noting tour difficulties, Mothé thanked the audience for showing up after scheduling issues forced the venue change. Notable were tracks like "TOTAL POPSTAR" and "DEATH OF A LIMOUSINE," which drew crowds of nearly 50 people dancing to the electronic pop mixes. Mothé danced and grooved with McNeely, calling out to the crowd before singing into an augmented microphone that gave the show a humorous hyper-pop energy.
"BEAT, DRUGS, SEX, LOVE" closed the night. The twinkling track—reminiscent of a phone buzzing in one's pocket—had the crowd throwing their hands skyward with abandon. Mothé growled, "You've got the sex, I've got the love / Say (yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah) / Yeah, hands up / You need a lover, need a bump..." with electronic vocoding still buzzing in the audience's ears.
Mothé took one final moment to thank the audience before ending the show, closing out the entire night at 10:01 p.m.
Mothé will support Indigo De Souza on their upcoming fall tour across the United States.