Malcolm Todd closed out the American leg of his “The Wholesome Rockstar Tour Pt. 2” with a tight and electrifying setlist at the Fillmore New Orleans last Thursday, Sept. 25.
Newer fans of Todd might recognize him as the younger brother of singer-songwriter Audrey Hobert, recently made popular through her friendship with the popular singer Gracie Abrams. Those more familiar with him may know the 22-year-old from his start on TikTok, where his songs “Art House” and “Roommates” went viral in 2024 and landed him a deal with Columbia Records. His current tour follows the Aug. 8 release of the deluxe edition of his indie pop and R&B self-titled album, “Malcolm Todd (still).”
The show began at 8 p.m.with a pop-rock band from New York, LAUNDRY DAY, also a product of the TikTok algorithm, with members Jude Ciulla Lipkin, Sawyer Nunes, Henry Weingartner and Henry Pearl. The group played a short, energetic set of around 30 minutes, including their most popular songs “FRIENDS” and “Jane,” which got the crowd singing along.
I was particularly impressed by the song “Lavender,” a slower emotional ballad that emphasized the impressive vocals of the drummer, Nunes, a New Orleans native. Immediately after, the band launched into their new release, “APEROL SPRITZ,” which lacked maturity and sophistication in comparison to “Lavender.” That being said, LAUNDRY DAY had an excellent stage presence that did a great job of setting the tone for Todd’s set.
Todd took the stage just after 9 p.m., clad in a button-up shirt, a tie and sunglasses, reminiscent of artists like The 1975’s Matty Healy and The Dare, earning cheers from the audience as he opened with his song “Harry Styles,” going into “Make Me a Better Man,” the first two tracks off “Malcolm Todd (still).”
What followed in the set of approximately an hour and 15 minutes was nothing short of grand collective excitement. Despite the Fillmore’s capacity of only about 2,000, the crowd was engaged in a way rare for smaller shows. The crowd’s energy stayed high the whole time.
I began listening to Todd earlier this year and would consider myself a casual enjoyer of most of his discography. Standing on the floor during the show proved not only that there were numerous super fans in attendance, but that those less familiar were learning quickly as the audience got louder throughout each song’s duration.
Todd’s performance of “Earrings,” featured on his 2024 mixtape “Sweet Boy,” marked the first of many energy highs. Later in his set, Todd pretended to begin to play songs by other artists, including Katy Perry and the Arctic Monkeys, a nod to his mixture of both pop and rock genres in his own music and an embodiment of his playful “Wholesome Rockstar” persona.
These influences were apparent in his later performance of “Florence,” my personal favorite in his catalogue, which gave his band time to shine with the opening grungy synths and bass as they were accompanied by flashing stage lighting.
For his last song before the encore, Todd played his viral “Chest Pain (I Love),” currently his most popular with over 190 million streams on Spotify, earning a venue-wide harmony to the song’s chorus.
The show was not quite done yet, as he and his band returned, finally playing the long-awaited “Roommates,” which physically made the floor shake as he told the audience to jump.
As the show ended and the crowd poured out onto Canal Street, there was a clear buzz in the crowd, a testament to Todd’s performance capabilities and a hopeful indicator that he is still just getting started.