Alex G is an artist who emerged from a generation buried in computer screens, rising to fame from a Bandcamp page where he uploaded his raw and intimate music. Despite being from Philadelphia, Alex G’s sound is often compared with acts like Coma Cinema, Elvis Depressedly, Teen Suicide and other North Carolina lo-fi bands, who saw critical success in America in the late 2000s.
The most captivating thing about the music of Alex G, as well as that of similar bands, is the feeling that it is recorded by someone you know. Much of the energy comes from the DIY sounds, where limited resources breed creativity. Vocals that are almost indecipherable due to the heavy amounts of reverb, and melancholy lyrics that transform the simplicity and mundanity of everyday life into something worth talking about. Alex G’s most recent album Rocket, released earlier this year, contrasts greatly with earlier works in that it is exceptionally well-polished and musically adventurous, which makes equal use of warm folksy instrumentals as it does from strange and twisted auto-tune. Alex G’s show in Dublin was much anticipated, bringing a taste of sounds we hear less often on our shores.
Arriving to Whelan’s around 8.30pm, I managed to catch the last few songs from Alex G’s support act Ó, formerly known as Eskimeaux. Fronted by singer Gabrielle Smith they played song after song of beautiful beat-driven bedroom pop, aided greatly by Smith’s twinkling voice and drummer Felix Walworth’s eccentric patterns.
Intimacy is the key word I would use in describing Alex G’s performance on Tuesday. While Rocket’s songs sound polished on the record, their live show was far more rough and ready. Alex’s mouth seemed as if it never opened, teeth clenched intensely, as he stared at the crowd. The band began with a number of tracks off the new album, with folky anthem “Proud” getting the biggest reaction from the crowd. Some of the friends I attended the gig with had been to see the band play in Vancouver and London, and said that the Irish crowd were far more energetic than the others they had seen. Half way through the set, Alex stepped to the keyboard, where the band played blues orientated music, while he mashed his hands into the keyboard creating a strange cacophony of sounds. A full-on mosh pit erupted to the last song of the set list “Gnaw”, which like the other songs of the night had a completely different context when heard live, the sense of melancholy being replaced with a sort of angsty rage.
After finishing the setlist, Alex asked the crowd for requests, crouching down to hear them. He proceeded to play some songs from his back-catalogue, which went down fantastically, in particular “Mary” and “Sarah” both off 2012 album Trick. While he spoke very little during the gig, the crowd were kept engaged, the artist staying very much in touch with those present. At the end of the night, Alex explained that they had nowhere to stay, asking if anyone could put up five guys they would really appreciate it – encapsulating exactly what the band are about. Their sound and their atmosphere was so intimate, it felt more like we were in someone’s garage in Philadelphia, then a crowded bar in Dublin.
