Penny Patterson

Camila Grey (left) and Leisha Hailey brought the joy of ’80s synth-pop to their SOhO show the day before Thanksgiving.

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Ever see the stage rushed after a show at SOhO? Me neither; until last Wednesday night, that is, when a gaggle of girls flew to the front of the club when Leisha Hailey — one half of electro/pop outfit Uh Huh Her — started to tear down her equipment post-performance. The L Word star — who has also lent her talents to bands The Murmurs and Gush — returned to the musical arena about a year ago when she and Camila Grey met at a Mellowdrone show. Since then, the pair has been hard at work on their band’s EP, I See Red.

The SOhO show featured every song off that album, as well as a few new and as-yet-unnamed numbers. Coming onstage, Hailey and Grey — both petite, lithe, and dressed in the epitome of L.A. hipster cool (think skinny jeans, hoodies, and insanely high heels) — wasted no time getting started. They launched into “Run,” wished us a Happy Thanksgiving, and then continued with the ’80s throwback sounds of “Explode.” In fact, most of the tracks off I See Red vaguely sound like something I’ve heard before — whether it’s The Corrs’ “Breathless,” or the recent Davey Havoc/Jade Puget incarnation, Blaqk Audio. But seeing these two ladies — helped out on guitar by a gent named Travis for all but one song — changed my mind about whether or not their music is generic.

Hailey and Grey are great fun to watch. It’s not that they rock out and do flips into the crowd or anything, but they clearly love what they are doing and the music they are creating. Throughout the set, Hailey grooved behind her synth and the two communicated onstage through smiles and laughs. Their effortless stage presence went perfectly with Grey’s breathy, almost ethereal vocal stylings, and Hailey matched them well with her lower harmonies.

Uh Huh Her — named after a PJ Harvey song and album — closed the short, eight-song set with “Say So,” a rousing number about a codependent relationship (“You say that you’re broken / I just want to fix you”).

And, to answer your question, yes, I, too, rushed the stage when Hailey came back on. It was Alice Pieszecki, after all

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