Haute & Freddy
w/ Rubin Brothers
Exit/In; Nashville, TN
June 7, 2026
Review by Philip Obenschain. Photos by Mary-Beth Blankenship.
At this point in my journey as a music fan and critic, I’ve probably seen thousands of live performances, so it’s exceedingly rare to attend a show that doesn’t remind me at least a bit of others. Which is why it’s especially notable and exciting that buzzy, rising stars of alternative pop Haute & Freddy managed to do just that- deliver a live spectacle that felt so wholly unique, creative, and original- with their recent sold-out performance and Nashville debut at Exit/In!
Made up of vocalist Michelle Buzz (Haute) and drummer Lance Shipp (Freddy), the pair independently moved to LA years ago to work as pop songwriters, the former working with prominent stars like Katy Perry and Kylie Minogue, and the latter with the likes of Britney Spears and Calvin Harris. Though they’d met in passing, the two really didn’t become close until the pandemic, recognizing a strong shared musical taste and feeling somewhat burned out and disillusioned with their careers. What began as a fun, informal, weekend creative outlet quickly blossomed into a full-blown new project, and Haute & Freddy was born, fusing musical influences of ’80s synthpop with visual and thematic inspiration from 17th and 18th century carnival, medieval, baroque, and Renaissance motifs.
The pair began to attract positive buzz beginning with early singles in late 2024, and a handful of live dates and more fantastic tracks last year, ultimately inking a deal with Atlantic ahead of their debut full-length, Big Disgrace, arrived back in March. A testament to just how fast their stock is rising, the duo promptly sold out dates all over North America on their Big Disgrace Tour, including their live debut in Nashville, which, had I not known better, I would have assumed to be a band who’d played here many, many times, given the size and passion of the crowd. There’s nothing more exciting than seeing a new, breakout artist who truly lives up to the hype, and Haute & Freddy have, in such a short time, cultivated a live experience (and an unbelievably loyal fanbase) that’s truly something special. No surprise, since they only have one album so far, but the show featured every single track from Big Disgrace, which is always a really cool way to see a band for the first time (and a sign of confidence in how good an album is).
I’ll admit that I was late to the Haute & Freddy bandwagon, having only heard one or two songs on a playlist before my photographer suggested we cover this show. I would usually then do a deep dive on a less familiar artist before attending, but with the hectic Bonnaroo prep on my plate that week, I had only managed to give their record a spin and glance at a few posts about other shows. Still, that was enough to get me hooked on their music (which has been in regular rotation since) and to give me a heads-up that we were in for a very unique live experience. We arrived just as openers (and real-life brothers) Rubin Brothers were finishing up, with a genre-bending, quirky, and circus-inspired live presence that perfectly set the tone for Haute & Freddy. Exit/In was as packed as I’ve seen it in a long time, and I was delighted to see that many fans- apparently known as the Royal Court- had come dressed in theme, rocking outfits with inspiration from vintage circus and carnival to royal and baroque to steampunk and beyond. It’s not often you see a fandom this committed this early, and it serves as further proof that this band really is something special.
Finding a spot in the crowd as close as I could, it wouldn’t be long before the pair took the stage- which was decorated whimsically in theme with the retro circus and carnival motif- introduced by a short video explaining their in-character backstory as misfit runaway carnies. Dressed in flowy, vintage costumes and accompanied by similarly styled dancers (part of a colorful troupe who would appear throughout the show), Buzz and Shipp (as Haute & Freddy, of course) kicked the evening off with “Anti-Superstar,” met with immediate cheers, singalongs, and dancing. Given that their recordings have a pretty full layer of instrumentation, I was curious if they’d be joined by a live band, but, for the most part, the show was configured to simply feature Shipp on drums and Buzz singing, the rest filled out with backing tracks, though the pair did occasionally swap to keyboards, and, as mentioned, were joined on stage at times by a whole troupe of dancers, clowns, and other performers for a real vaudevillian effect. New wave-y jam “Fashion Over Function,” dance-primed “Sweet Surrender,” and mid-tempo singalong “Sophie” all got the show off to a spectacular start, with Buzz (and occasionally Shipp) taking space between songs to compliment outfits, express gratitude, celebrate pride, call for singalongs, goof around (I was particularly amused by Buzz’s jokes and Shipp’s wild air drumming) and make little quips, a mix of in-character theatricality (there’s no denying that this band’s live show has real theater kid energy, but I love it) and earnestly impressive and charismatic showmanship.
I guess I should take a little space to point out something I find a bit fascinating about Haute & Freddy’s ethos, or, rather, the dichotomy between what their music sounds like and what their show looks like. If I showed you clips on mute, and asked you to imagine the band’s sound, you’d probably expect something a lot more baroque, a lot more horn and string-laden, perhaps something a bit rock-operatic or even Broadway-adjacent. Instead, as mentioned at the top, Haute & Freddy make ’80s-inspired alt/synth/electro/new wave pop, very much indebted to legends like Bowie, Kate Bush, New Order, Pet Shop Boys, Siouxsie and the Banshees, Eurythmics, and Madonna, and akin to contemporary artists like Lady Gaga or (the one I kept thinking of) Chappell Roan. You could strip away the concept, the theming, the costuming, and just have the duo play the songs, and they would one million percent still be an incredible new act just on the strength of the material itself. I am admittedly a sucker for this style and era of music, but Haute & Freddy are damn good at it, and though I love the originality, colorfulness, and camp of their live concept, and think it all works well together, it’s the incredible quality of songwriting that really makes me such a fan.
The show moved on with retro pop single “Fields of Versailles,” Gaga-esque “Femme Hysteria” (one of the songs that elicited an even more enthusiastic crowd response than expected; the passion from the crowd- many, I assume, who were also at their first Haute & Freddy show- was unmatched), and the anthemic “I Like My People Weird,” apparently the very first Haute & Freddy song written, which Buzz introduced (in a little silly, improved sing-song storytelling) with a story about how the band came to be (like, the real story- a lot of audience interaction was sincere and not “in character”). After bringing back their backing performers for a bit of circus fun, which involved ribbons, juggling, and mocking the aristocracy, the band segued into one of my favorites of their singles, “Freaks,” with the clowns dancing around as Michelle delivered one of her best and most hypnotic vocal performances of the night. Apparently a nightly tradition- though one I wasn’t aware of- Buzz next picked out members of the audience to represent characters of a queen, king, pope, knights, and more (I realized then, that some of the costumes people were rocking were in hopes of being selected), bringing them onto stage and giving them prompts to act out to the lyrics of “I Like My People Weird,” which make for such a fun, communal point of audience interaction.
One of the most touching and real moments of the evening came when Michelle took a moment to speak about having previously lived in Nashville while attending Belmont, noting that she worked at a restaurant just down the street, and how she felt discouraged as a songwriter in a town so full of them. And when she again thanked the audience for helping make her dreams come true, and for selling out her first Haute & Freddy show in her former home, the sincerity was beyond heartfelt. After a couple of improvised songs, with Shipp on keyboard and Buzz taking inspiration from audience prompts, “Showgirl at Heart” was delivered with ’80s pop bliss, and another of my absolute favorite Haute & Freddy tracks (probably because it’s one of their most unabashedly synthpop) “Dance the Pain Away,” sounded even better live than in recording. As the show neared an end, that segued perfectly into another “Dance” song, the David Bowie classic “Let’s Dance” (I’m a MASSIVE Bowie fan, and their vibe was absolutely perfect to tackle his sound), with theatrical Big Disgrace opener “Symphony for a Queen” and the pair’s biggest hit, the anthemic singalong “Shy Girl,” finishing out the set.
The backing performers returned to dance throughout the final song, and Buzz made introductions as they gave one last mini circus-style performance, with Haute & Freddy descending into one of the curtained, circus-wagon-style set pieces behind them, sticking their heads through the windows and turning the wheels, as though to signify that their merry, exuberant, loving little freak show was off to the next town. Needless to say, this show was so wonderfully weird, one-of-a-kind, and such a singular artistic expression of two really fascinating creatives, and, beneath it all, a band responsible for one of the year’s absolute best albums. I don’t know where Haute & Freddy goes from here or how the conceptual side of their artistry will evolve, but I couldn’t be more excited for the journey.
_
_
Setlist:
Anti-Superstar
Fashion Over Function
Sweet Surrender
Sophie
Fields of Versailles
Femme Hysteria
I Like My People Weird
Freaks
Scantily Clad
Showgirl at Heart
Dance the Pain Away
Let’s Dance (David Bowie)
Symphony for a Queen
Shy Girl