On a brisk November evening, Virginia’s ALDN and Los Angeles/Atlanta’s grandma were set to perform at the Crocodile’s secondary concert stage, Madame Lou’s. ALDN is the musical moniker for Alden Robinson, an artist similar to his contemporaries ericdoa, glaive, and juno. All of which sport infectious choruses, modern hyper pop instrumentation, and a hint of emo influence.
Descending the stairs into the venue around 8:00pm, I could see that the crowd had already begun filling the underage section to near capacity. In the back held the 21+ section, which had at most maybe 15 people. My friend and I filed to the back where we could have a bit more breathing room (and a drink or two) and took in the crowd. It seems as though the eclectic mix of genres in ALDN’s music appeals to a plethora of demographics (albeit heavily with a youth bias), as people were dressed in styles ranging from cat headphones with plaid skirts, grungy flannels and jeans, and all black with piercings. Honestly, it evoked strong feelings of when I attended Warped Tour back in 2008 where every clothing style under the sun were represented. Although I must admit a lot of those styles have NOT aged well (try taking a look at most band press photos from that era).
Grandma kicked off the show promptly at 8:30 to play a brisk 30 minute set. Fronted by Liam Hall, the band primarily focused on songs from their latest EP ,Angelhood. The first half of the set took a more rock and roll approach, with guitars and large choruses taking center stage. Hall did his best to put forth a convincing rock star demeanor akin to Julian Casablancas, complete with dramatic guitar strumming and aloof between song banter. “Seattle, what are we talking about?” was a common question to the audience, which as a millenial I interpreted as, “what’s going on?” Other gems included asking the audience what they were thankful for (tis the season), and starting a “FUCK HOWARD SCHULTZ” chant. However, the rock star persona did not mean that grandma wasn’t lively and entertaining. For one song, Hall jumped into the middle of the crowd and performed while in a circle of people jumped and danced around him. The second half featured a more varied collection of songs that showcased some differing vocal stylings, including a falsetto not heard in the more energetic first half. Even more impressive was Hall’s unexpected trumpet usage in two of the remaining songs in the set, which elicited loud cheers from the crowd. Before closing the set, Liam Hall introduced the members of the band (which includes NPR’s Jack Corbett as it turns out!) and egging the crowd on to cheer on ALDN.
ALDN was up next, hot off the heels of the release of his latest EP post spring, self destruction, which showcases the tumultuous back and forth nature of young love. At 9:15pm, ALDN and his band came on stage to the cheers of the dedicated audience and they launched into 2021 cut “n2o”. Robinson paced back and forth emphatically on stage with microphone in hand, bouncing on beat with the songs. He was wearing what looked to be a yellow and grey sweater with a white collar poking out, which I only point out because it reminded me heavily of the titular character of the kids show Arthur. Similar to grandma, ALDN was no stranger to the off kilter in-between song crowd interactions. A notable one including pointing directly at someone in the audience and remarking that they are the spitting image of someone named Omar that went to elementary school with him. Naturally Robinson proceeded to dedicate the next song to his old classmate. Another favorite was a person in the crowd asking for ALDN’s opinion of his dog to which he responded, “that..that is a cute dog, you should have brought him!”
The set consisted of a healthy mix of both older material and songs from the latest EP. Five of the seven tracks from post spring were represented, leaving out the final two tracks “green eyes” and “hold it love it”. The crowd was engaged for the entire 16 song performance, but was noticeably energetic for the popular ALDN singles like “say what you mean,” “glittr”, and ALDN’s collaboration with glaive “what was the last thing you said,” which closed the encore. These songs had the crowd singing even louder than ALDN himself, highlighting their love for the songs.
As a 30 something concert goer that reviews the occasional show for fun, it was honestly a joy to see the youthful crowd show out on a Wednesday evening for ALDN. Like I mentioned in my ericdoa review, I can imagine ALDN and other bands with a similar sound championing a new wave of artists at Warped Tour, taking the reigns from bands like 3OH!3, Secondhand Serenade, and The Maine. Their songs continue the same themes of the bands that came before them, which was particularly evident in ALDN’s latest release. From the conflicting emotions of feeling simultaneously too good for anyone and not good enough (“good for no one”), reeling from heartache in a fashion Jim Carrey from Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless mind could related to (“kill you”), or even knowing that the relationship is not healthy for you despite always returning to that person (“fall at the same time”). These are themes that resonate deeply with so many people. I know when I was in my late teens and early twenties, relationships and heartbreak consumed so much of my own emotional energy. It’s no surprise that bands today are creating art that continue in the same vein and that people can feel a deep emotional connection to it.
ALDN’s post spring, self destruction is out now on Spotify.
This was the setlist to the Tampa Show according to Setlist.fm, but I recall it being very similar with “kill you” in the middle and “glittr” in the encore.
Main Set:
- n2o
- tellmewhatuwant
- ignorance is bliss
- overpaid
- m box
- fall at the same time
- sink
- good for no one
- kill you
- acceptance
- denial
- predictable
- swim
- say what u mean
Encore:
- glittr
- what was the last thing u said
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