AlunaGeorge at The Crocodile 10/18
Sundays are usually reserved for Netflix binging and sweatpant lounging, but who says you can’t rock sweatpants on a stage and still look like an absolute rock star? That’s exactly what Aluna Francis did this past Sunday during AlunaGeorge’s stop at our beloved Crocodile. And, as if she wasn’t already, she is now my everything goals.
Kicking off the night was Atlanta MC, Rome Fortune opening up with a song featured on Toro y Moi’s LP, “Samantha”. After missing out on those songs at Toro’s last show, I was thrilled to hear the beat beginning. Rome complemented this show very well with impeccable production on every track. He used every inch of the stage- telling a story with every song and making it personal with eye contact as if he was speaking directly to you. All around the blue bearded rapper did not disappoint, and his flow was exactly as I’ve heard it on recordings.
Transitioning into AlunaGeorge’s set was exciting- the lights got dimmer and the atmosphere suddenly had a rush of energy. Initially, George came out alongside their drummer for a short intro. George’s production has always been one of my favorites: though most of the songs are upbeat there is a complexity in them. It’s never simply a beat- there are many layers that make what we hear/see, and that is one of the many things that make AlunaGeorge so special. Once Aluna took the stage the crowd naturally went wild. As a performer Aluna is energetic, unpredictable, and enchanting.
They went straight into the night with the dance anthem “Supernatural”. If you hear the faint cowbell in the song when you listen at home, seeing Aluna play the cowbell while singing and still managing to dance around is extremely impressive. As I watched them slide through their set, something became apparent to me: in my recent interview with Aluna I asked what she hopes her music reflects about them (her and George) and she came back with “the music that we do comes through us rather than being a reflection of us”. I stood there, front row, watching her and George genuinely letting the music flow through them. Aluna doesn’t dance as if shes been choreographed, she moves as if the story she is telling through her song is physically moving her. As she belts these anthems we as fans have come to know, she closes her eyes, and all that comes out: her captivating vocals.
In between songs from Body Music, the duo played songs from their collaborations with other artists. Among those was their newest song alongside Diplo and Skrillex going by the name of Jack Ü. As “To Ü” came on, the crowd lost it. The beat makes this sweet touching track also perfect to dance to, what more do we need? AlunaGeorge wasn’t about to leave us without playing their infamous collaboration with the talented Disclosure. As Aluna introduced the song she asked everyone to take off their shirts- and since it was a fire-pit inside from all the dancing, most fans did so only to sweat more as we all moved to the song.
For an encore, they performed the first song I had heard by the duo- “Your Drums, Your Love”. I had already seen the music flow through them, but this song particularly was heartfelt and honest. You could see how proud they were of their music and that it is their passion, it truly radiated a warm energy as they smiled with gratitude. AlunaGeorge delivers an unforgettable performance and I can’t wait to see what they are working on for the future.
Check out some photos of the night from our friend Jordan!
