LOS ANGELES, CA-Saturday, April 1. A day affectionately (for the most part) known for pulling harmless pranks and sorted frivolity. I traveled to the A&R Music Bar in Columbus, OH, to bear witness to a “new to me” musical discovery in Maggie Lindemann. I had found her whilst looking for the video for Flyleaf’s “All Around Me”. It was a solid cover and she has a magnificent voice. Then a few days later, I got an email about her new album, “Sucker Punch” and subsequent world tour. So I decided to explore her music and videos. She is currently on her first headlining tour in support of her debut album entitled, “Sucker Punch”, and to her merit, most of the tour has been sold out. This night was no exception, as the room was packed with eager fans of her music.
As I stood in the midst of her rabid fans, I sparked up some conversations to get a heads up on what it is that they love so much about her music and this tour, like why is it so important in their hearts and minds.
Concert goer and fan, Emily Stahl had this to say:
“I’ve been listening to Maggie since 2017 and I basically grew up with her. she’s gotten me through thick and thin and turned to her music when I needed a shoulder to cry on. I also watched her evolve as an artist that found her sound as well as growing into herself as a person. this show was much more to me than just a show, it was a healing space.”
When I asked her what specifically about the lyrical content speaks to her she waxed poetic about how Maggie dives into the stages of heartbreak such as anger, sadness, frustration and grief of that loss or being stuck in a shitty/unhealthy relationship and the way she uses subtle metaphors to touch on mental health.
Singer-songwriter, Kailee Morgue opened the show. Accompanied solely by drummer, Molly Rose and a backing track. Her clean vocal along with the energetic drums made for a strong performance to start the night off with. Opening with “This is Why Im Hot,” set her pace as she maneuvered through her 10 song set. The audience vibed well with her as they sang along with her matching her energy.
Musically she leans more in the direction of alternative and pop-rock. The majority of her songs came from her latest release “Girl Next Door”. Her songs are lively as well as intimate at times. She seemed to welcome the latter often with her sweetly coy tamber, which bolstered a blend of self-doubt and ferocity. She seemed to invite the audience into her realm and allowed them to take part in her songs as a gracious story-telling host. The liveliest singalong came on anti-ballad “Fuck U.” Morgue closed with “Good Day to Be My Dealer” and “Siren.”
As we waited during a quick change over, the anticipation in the room was at a fever pitch. The lights went down and the crowd began chanting her name before we heard the pre-recorded
“Intro/Welcome”. The palpable expectancy broke as The stage was bathed in lime green hue as the strobes danced and Maggie emerged from the side stage to deliver “Take Me Nowhere.”
She pulled her audience in as they swayed, and cheered and sang along with her. That was just in the first song, but this set the atmosphere for the entire 60 minute set. Lindemann’s ability to effectively deliver dramatic hard rock is impressive and a bit of a surprise to me as I am newly acquainted with her. There are many elements to a great show, in my opinion, and she hit all of them.
The lighting rigs made the room seem larger than it was, she made her way through a 21 song set, which was comprised mostly of songs from SUCKERPUNCH, was energetic and entrancing. She was fierce and at times meek in her delivery. As she engaged her fans by standing center stage to standing on the bar that is positioned in front of the stage, occasionally crouching on her knees or leaning against the drum riser to deliver a quiet verse before pushing forward to the more aggressive parts. She is flanked by an ace trio, fusing riff-heavy hard rock with jumpy pop-punk, laying the foundation for a night that was all gas and no brakes.
The pop-punk aesthetic of her songs was pleasing to my ear. The duration of them is reminiscent of The Ramones as most never top more than 2.5 minutes. Her voice, in my opinion, has the same tamber as Hayley Williams of Paramore or Lacey Strum of Flyleaf. She openly acknowledges her “pop Princess” beginnings, but also feels she’s found her true voice in the rock genre. She closed her set with “She Knows It,” before making a quiet exit despite the cheers and chants for an encore. If the goal was to leave fans wanting more, she succeeded.
As I sat in my car, waiting for traffic to clear out, I reflected on what I just witnessed. These are the conclusions that I drew; She has a lot of passion, a great voice and a clear vision of what she wants to say. One thing is for sure, she lit that little bar up with a 1-2 punch of rock n roll yummy goodness. I believe that both these young women have a bright future in music and recommend that if they are coming to your area, that you should get to that show.
The US leg of the SUCKERPUNCH world tour runs thru April 12th and then she is off to Australia and the UK in May which also includes some festival dates and a support slot for MGK.
Follow Maggie Lindemann on Facebook Twitter and Instagram.
Follow Kailee Morgue on Facebook Twitter and Instagram.
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