Athens saw the vibrant performance of indie artist Alex G at the 40 Watt Club. The audience, composed of young adults dressed in understated and mellow wardrobes, found themselves engaged in emotional performances and mosh pits. While the main event did not fail to entertain, the opening act and the overall sound quality of the venue detracted from the experience.

The venue itself provided an intimate but open space in which people could gather and dance under the leftover Halloween decorations. The overall decor of the 40 Watt Club resembled that of a Halloween party crossed with a high school prom. Orange lights hung from the rafters, illuminating plastic ghouls and dingy corners with warm light. Bars bookended the open black floor which soon found itself littered in crushed beer cans.

The setting proved perfect for the high energy but the soft performance from Alex G, however, the opening act greatly delayed what audience members had come for. Instead of the indie-rock performance they expected, opening artist, Exum, hyped up the crowd with his aggressive and emotionally charged rap. Initially confused by the man adorned in a black and white striped prisoner’s uniform and baby onesie-turned mask, viewers met Exum’s first song with awkward apprehension. While he showed no lack of talent, it quickly became obvious that the audience did not fall under his target demographic. The tone of the venue had shifted by the end, as after energetic attempts at encouraging audience interaction the concertgoers found themselves running rampant in mosh pits and cheering at the end of each of his songs. Despite this, the vague awkwardness lingering between the attendees and the aggressive performer never truly dissipated.

25 minutes elapsed between acts, resulting in Alex G’s inevitable debut inciting rapid applause from the crowd. He wasted no time getting into his set. “Gretel”, the fourth song off of his newest album, “House of Sugar”, shook the venue and rattled sternums. Purple, yellow, red and blue stage lights swept over the crowd as he treated them to walls of sound composed of twinkly guitar tones and ear-splitting drums.

“The venue was inviting, and I liked the way it was decorated. The opening act seemed shockingly incongruent with Alex G. Alex G’s music had warmth and personality to it- something that many Top 40 songs lack. I would advise others to bring ear protection, though,” reveler Thomas Loveland said.

Alex G played for just over an hour. While fans of his earlier music, including tracks from albums such as “DSU” and “TRICK”, would find disappointment in the concert’s utter lack of their favorite songs, most would not find themselves let down by the song selection. On top of their favorite modern songs of his, Alex G treated fans to minor moments of audience interaction. His laid back and humorous personality shone through in moments of downtime between songs, and a gag in which he threatened to “punish the crowd” by playing Billy Joel’s “Piano Man” for 25 minutes managed to garner laughter from the whole venue. This joke, which took upwards of 10 minutes to set up and deliver, served as a segway into the high-octane mosh pit the audience created to the sound of Alex G’s industrial “Brick”.

The old school fans that stuck around after the sorrowful and longing final song of the evening, “Sugar House”, did not leave ent

irely disappointed, however, as shortly after the curtains fell Alex G returned to the stage to deliver an encore. After playing through classics like “Icehead” and “Gnaw” the concert finally and truly concluded with his nostalgic song “Sarah”. 

 “Alex G’s music is just really well written while also staying true to his indie roots. It’s hard to make good sounding music when you use something like GarageBand but he certainly has done it,” Kell senior Presley Knudsen said.

Overall the concert did not fail to entertain and treat fans to an unforgettable experience. Shortcomings like a phenomenal yet seemingly out-of-place opener and a sound system that peaked and turned already shrill guitar noises into nearly deafening sounds detracted somewhat from the experience, but fans left the performance satisfied. With his final concert of this tour falling on December 2, 2021, fans still have a chance to see him at any of the next 11 shows.

“One of my favorite aspects of Alex G’s music would be how the instrumental really hooks the listener in, along with unclear vocals! I love how the instruments drown out the vocals! I would recommend him to others for the overall positivity one might feel after listening, it’s nice to zone out in a good mood listening to,” senior Eleanor Boyle said.

The Chant’s Grade: B