Camila Grey and Leisha Hailey brought their new-ish musical project Uh Huh Her out to play at Walter's On Washington on Monday, May 5. Fortunately, not-so-friendly neighbors Ryland and Scott Peveto didn't feel the need to call the police with a noise complaint this particular evening.

Full UHH review after the jump

I landed in Walter's during opener Angie Mattson's performance. Only 3 songs remained in her set, so I can't say that I had adequate time to develop a solid impression of her, but what I heard of her voice and music was pleasant, if standard, singer/songwriter fare. She played a version of Alicia Keys' "No One", declaring it "the only good song on the radio". I have to admit that I did rather enjoy her, uh, 'fresh take' on a song that usually doesn't inspire me.

As Uh Huh Her prepared to take the stage, the buzzing-with-anticipation audience readied themselves as well. I have never seen so many cameras concentrated in such a small venue - point & shoots and cell phones hovered in the air, aimed at the stage long before Camila Grey and Leisha Hailey actually appeared. These rabid fans were evidently determined to capture every moment of the performance from the instant the band set foot on stage.

Indubitably, a contributing factor to the picture-taking madness is Hailey's role starring as Alice Pieszecki on Showtime's The L Word. Walter's was full of admiring fans on Monday who came out (har har) to support/ogle her. And much ogling was indeed going on - Hailey and Grey are both very attractive women, even more so in the flesh than in the photos I'd seen prior to the show. Screams of "LEISHAAAAAA!!!" could be heard throughout the set, so it seems at least a few people agreed. Well, more than a few, really. At smaller venues, I generally find that it's best to wait until the third song or so to try snapping photos; the audience usually has calmed down a bit by then and ceased their flurry of photo-taking. No such luck this time. Women stood on chairs, barstools, toes - whatever they could find - and took pictures and screamed for the duration of the show. I wonder if UHH's sets in other cities have been as intense as this one was.

I hope that The L Word fans who ventured out, but were unfamiliar with Hailey's musical catalog, actually paid attention to the show instead of just staring at her, because their set was quite good. Grey (formerly of Mellowdrone) and Hailey (formerly of The Murmurs) exchange turns (wo)manning the guitar, bass, and synthesizer. Grey provides the majority of the vocals, with Hailey frequently adding layers. Two male musicians - a drummer and a guitarist - rounded out the sound. Though their name appears to be a nod to PJ Harvey (who released an album entitled Uh Huh Her in 2004), their music is much softer than much of Harvey's work. UHH's efforts result in a melodic, dreamy indie electro-pop concoction that's easy on the ears (and eyes).

They opened their set with "Not a Love Song" (I'm pretty sure, anyway - correct me out there in readerland if I'm mistaken) and the already-rambunctious crowd grew even more enthusiastic. From there, UHH delivered a consistently enjoyable series of songs and engaged the audience in a bit of banter as well. We learned that Grey is from Texas (though she didn't specify where) and loves barbecue; at one point, she suggested to Hailey that they get Texas tattoos, which drew raucous cheers from the gathered fans.

Uh Huh Her's full-length debut, Common Reaction, is scheduled for release on August 19. I look forward to hearing how their sound in the studio has evolved since their 2007 EP I See Red - rumor has it that the vocals weren't recorded in Grey's bathroom this time around. (Then again, recording in the bathroom certainly results in a more interesting story.) In the meantime, you can catch UHH as they continue touring the US and Canada through the end of May.

Remaining UHH tour dates:

May 9 - Orlando, FL
May 10 - Miami, FL
May 11 - Tampa, FL
May 12 - Atlanta, GA
May 14 - Washington, DC
May 15 - Philadelphia, PA
May 16 - Northampton, MA
May 17 - Boston, MA
May 20 - New York, NY
May 21 - Montreal, PQ
May 23 - Toronto, ON
May 31 - Los Angeles, CA

Find out more information at Uh Huh Her's official website.

Our DC BOTheads will be attending UHH's show at the 9:30 Club next week, and they'll be talking with the band to gain more insight into Grey and Hailey's history and musical vision. Check back for interview coverage!

--Cereal