Gayle and Justus Bennetts Brings First Headlining Tour to Chicago
Concert Review and Gallery by Rebecca Ackerman
After releasing ‘abcdefu” (stylized in all lowercase) and going viral on TikTok, GAYLE gained enough popularity to start headlining shows at only 17. Prior to headlining, she joined as an opening act for six shows with Tate McRae. GAYLE, joined by opener Justus Bennetts, headlined at Subterranean in Chicago, IL on April 5th.
Justus Bennetts kicked off the night playing songs that were intrinsically relatable. He released five singles in 2021 alone and amassed a large TikTok following. Maybe it was the DARE shirt he was wearing or the style of his music, but his set radiated nostalgia. Songs like “Real Life Sux” and “Bad Day” gave the crowd an idea of what inspired him to write music. He also played “Don’t Trip,” a collaboration with GAYLE. Their writing and music style paired well together, and his set perfectly teed up GAYLES’s performance.
GAYLE descended down the spiral staircase behind the stage singing “luv sux,” the first song off her EP, A Study of the Human Experience Volume One. Her edgy outfit with her split-tone hair matched the aesthetic of the music she’s released so far.
In between songs, she talked about pulling from her personal experience, and it was obvious she was sharing the most private parts of her life with us through songwriting. I respect her ability to write so openly about experiences that are all too common at 17. Given that she only has one EP, her setlist consisted of all the songs from that and five other songs that have not been released yet. The crowd still jumped and cheered with the same enthusiasm to the songs they didn’t know.
GAYLE worked her way through the set list playing “e-z,” “ur just horny,” “orange peel,” and “that much.” Before playing her next song “kiddie pool,” she quipped, “I can still write a love song.” The slow, sweet ballad took a detour from the upbeat, angry songs that monopolized her EP. I look forward to her releasing more songs like that as she continues to grow as an artist.
As we approached the end of her show, she noted that she spoke about not being the first woman to sing about love and her feelings, but she acknowledged the women before her paved the way for her to do what she does without too much scrutiny. If there’s one thing that GAYLE did well was support other women in the industry. She followed up her sentiment by covering Joan Jett’s “Bad Reputation” and stated “if you don’t know this song, that’s your fault.”
Easily her most recognizable song, it was a no-brainer that GAYLE would close out her set with “ABCDEFU.” She screamed the words to her songs into the microphone and was met with equally loud screams from the crowd.
After her show wrapped, she met fans at the venue and spent time taking pictures and talking with each one. I left the show excited for the future of music with all this new, young talent. This is just the beginning of a long career for her.
