Music Makers

getting festival survival tips from hey, nothing

I had a blast at Kilby Block Party. You can read all about it in the recap. And one of my favorite sets of the weekend was delivered by hey, nothing, the emo-folk duo from Atlanta who've skyrocketed in both artistry and popularity since forming in high school just a few short years ago. Acoustic guitars in hand, Tyler Mabry and Harlow Phillips have surfed a familiar post-2020 Big Wave of TikTok virality and streaming success to a surprisingly rare crest: building an enthusiastic audience who will actually show up and throw down.

The hey, nothing Kilby set was a perfect example of live music alchemy. On record, the band are sweet and forlorn. On stage, they are electric and hilarious. With their soaring vocal harmonies and rowdy riffs, songs like "Sick Dogs" and "Too Drunk to Drive" whipped the audience into a frenzy. Mabry and Phillips guided the crowd through their set like friendly park rangers, noting upcoming changes in mood and vibe: "This next song's kinda sad," Mabry said to introduce "33°", "so drink your beer in a sad way." A few songs later, Phillips posed a question to the audience: "Vibe check...who's gay??" Their final number involved snippets of both the national anthem and the Jurassic Park theme. I left the Mountain Stage grinning like a Halloween pumpkin. Emotional records, dynamic live show, call this band Tropicana because they have the juice.

I got to do a quick interview with the band in the Kilby press zone the morning of their set and can report that Mabry and Phillips are just as charming in conversation as they are onstage. Read on for festival survival tips, listening to music with your dad, and their pick for the best (non-real) band ever...

Molly: How are you guys doing?

Harlow: We're doing so good.

Molly: This is your first time playing Kilby, right?

Tyler: First time playing a festival.

Molly: Whoa! What did you do to prepare mentally, physically, emotionally?

Tyler: Absolutely nothing.

Harlow: We made a festival set...

Tyler: ...we practiced it one time, and now we're here.

Molly: Have you been to festivals as attendees?

Harlow: Oh yeah, big time.

Tyler: We went to Shaky Knees growing up. And we went to Bonnaroo with Harlow's dad.

Molly: What is it like to go to a festival with your dad?

Harlow: Awesome.

Tyler: Incredible. He's the greatest.

Molly: What did he want to see at the festival?

Tyler: Everything that we wanted to see!

Harlow: He just wanted to follow us around.

Tyler: He's just like, what do you guys listen to? We tell him, and he puts it on in the car. He likes things just because we like them, it's really sweet.

Molly: Do you remember what you saw at Bonnaroo?

Harlow: Ashe...

Tyler: ...The Backseat Lovers...

Harlow: ...The Regrettes...

Tyler: I saw Dayglow, you didn't see Dayglow. We caught a few of Briston Maroney's songs, caught a little bit of Indigo De Souza.

Harlow: Who was headlining?

Tyler: Oh, Stevie Nicks.

Harlow: We introduced my dad to Machine Gun Kelly

Molly: What did you think of MGK?

Harlow: Uhh...

Tyler: We're not going to talk negatively about anybody. That's what we're not going to do.

Harlow: ...he could always do something different.

Molly: What would he have to do to get you on board?

Tyler: Probably stop.

Molly: [laughing]

Harlow: Try a little somethin' different!

Tyler: Recently he made a song with Jelly Roll, a "Country Roads" cover. But they changed the lyrics. And it was really bad.

Harlow: John Denver was rolling in his grave. I felt like an accomplice just by listening.

Molly: What's your advice for surviving a festival day?

Harlow: Get a Camelbak. Stay hydrated. Maybe hit the beer tent.

Tyler: Maybe have a beer. Have fun. Talk to your friends, talk to people you don't know.

Harlow: Pay $14 for a slice of pizza.

Tyler: Pay $16 for a hot dog.

Molly: I don't know if y'all have seen, there's this sign I've noticed at the fest advertising pizza, and there's a "tomato slice" with three raw tomatoes. It looks kind of crazy.