KALI and Claud take pride in their identities at Brighton Music Hall

Claud (with KALI)

March 27, 2022 at Brighton Music Hall

As the world becomes more open to the LGBTQ community, many artists have been made to feel especially connected with their music and fans. The same can only be inferred from KALI and Claud’s sets Sunday evening at Brighton Music Hall.

KALI opened the show with their supporting band. They had all coordinated outfits, with the drummer and guitarist wearing matching white dress shirts with black ties, and KALI following suit with a black and white checkered shirt. The sweet twist to their music is the punk-rock inspiration of distorted guitar and effect pedals paired with indie pop. KALI passionately shouted out the words of “Too Tired” as the band backed them up. During a brief pause as they readied for their next song, somebody (in a very Gen-Z move) yelled out for their Snap, to which they laughed and responded that they didn’t have Snapchat.

After getting the crowd moving for “I Just Wanna,” with a bouncy keyboard mix and the thumps of a snare drum, the band briefly left the stage, leaving KALI with all of the spotlight. “I hope you like sad songs,” they said, to which the crowd responded with cheers. In one smooth move, they switched guitars and launched into “Again,” keeping their eyes closed as they sang. The crowd resonated with lyrics like “we always follow the same old trends,” mutually understanding the experience of saying we won’t do something until we do it again.

KALI. Photo: Sabrina Ruiz.

The band returned after their solo set, and delivered a punchy riff for “Back to the Start,” KALI’s most streamed song from their EP CIRCLES that was just released last year. By the end of their set, the crowd’s loud applause and whoops stayed true to KALI’s hope that their second to last show would be memorable.

Claud made quite the entrance shortly after, running onstage and pumping their fists in time to “Eye of the Tiger” playing in the background, hyping up the audience instantly. “Iconic,” somebody remarked. The air was buzzing with excitement as they dived into “Cuff Your Jeans,” a hit song from their album Super Monster.

Claud could be considered the love child of Clairo and Crumb, with the way they mix elements of alternative indie and bedroom pop while still maintaining a beat. Being a nonbinary member of the LGBTQ community, they have garnered a fanbase who looks up to them and their songs. Claud also took the time in between songs to interact with the crowd.

“Have you ever been mad?” Claud asked the crowd. They exclaimed in response. “Yeah. Yeah I’ve been mad.” In cue, they played, “That’s Mr. Bitch to You,” a crowd pleaser. “I won’t let a straight man throw me off,” Claud sang confidently into the mic. During a pause, they introduced the audience to Donut, a frog that had been traveling with the band on tour. “Donut is gay,” they said, to which everybody cheered in support.

Claud. Photo: Sabrina Ruiz.

“Jordan,” “Tommy,” and “This Town” were other successes that didn’t miss with the crowd, especially when they changed the lyrics of the latter to “Walking up and down a hall in Boston,” in comparison to Chinatown in the original. 

KALI joined Claud onstage later in the night to help them perform, “I Wish You Were Gay,” the ultimate anthem. The support and eagerness radiating off of them were contagious. Claud continued to keep the audience entertained, by telling a story about a haunted keyboard they witnessed in a show in Arizona before finishing the night off with “Soft Spot,” to which everybody was singing along.

Having grown such a supportive fanbase in a short amount of time, it can only be expected that KALI and Claud will continue to flourish in their music as they continue their journey in young adulthood.