Staff Editor on September 13th, 2018

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OHMME is a band you can appreciate on recordings but really need to witness live. With two frontwomen who both play guitar and sing, Sima Cunningham and Macie Stewart not only harmonize their voices but their instruments as well. They constantly switch off vocally, sometimes within the same line or even the same bar.

While Cunningham often takes on edgy, messy guitar shredding reminiscent of Reignwolf or St. Vincent, pushing her body into her guitar while playing, Stewart executes more technical solos, keeping her body still and just playing with her fingers. The audience is left to guess when the two will switch off again, showing their full mastery and skill. This complexity makes OHMME a favorite of music nerds and people who like strong women, and also those who appreciate great guitar riffs.

That interplay made for a compelling night Tuesday at the Echo, where Chicagoans (along with drummer Matt Carroll) performed in support of their debut album “Parts.”

The two have collaborated with lots of Chicago locals, from Chance the Rapper to Jeff Tweedy. While they could have easily had “Parts” produced by any of their friends, the duo — originally known as HOMME — opted to self-produce.

On Tuesday, they started by greeting ex-pats, saying they saw many familiar faces and asking how many in the crowd are from Chicago, but live in L.A. There was much applause. They culled their setlist mostly from “Parts” but included tunes from their 2017 self-titled EP, as well as a couple choice covers. Midway through the set, Cunningham declared, “This is a Bowie cover, but not the one you think it is,” before launching into “Girl Loves Me.”

After ending their main set with the 2017 single “Woman” and the pulsing, angular album track “Water,” the crowd cheered for an encore. They returned to the stage, with Cunningham saying, “I get it’s L.A., guys, but if you want us to play one more song, you’re going to have to be a little louder than that.” The crowd responded in a big way, and OHMME then invited them to dance to the finale, a cover of the B-52’s “Give Me Back My Man.”

Lily Waters opened the night.

Photos and recap by Annie Lesser

Setlist: Icon, Peach, Fingerprints, Grandmother, Parts, Sentient Beings, Girl Loves Me (David Bowie cover), Liquor Cabinet, Woman, Water. Encore: Give Me Back My Man (B-52’s Cover)