Claud concert review | Lakewood, OH | Mahall’s 20 Lanes | 09.22.23

The venue inside of Mahall’s 20 Lanes in Lakewood, Ohio sees a myriad of different events throughout the year. From Emo Night to small punk shows, and even the occasional Taylor Swift-themed party night, the demographic in the room is different on any given night. On a Friday night in September, however, the room was filled with an audience that bedroom pop artist Claud described as, “just a lot of queer people in stripes.” The observation was incredibly accurate. Claud smiled as they looked out at a sea of smiling faces, ready for a great night of music.

Singer-songwriter Claud began their career in 2018 and has made a name for themself quickly in the last five years.

The small room was the perfect intimate setting for Claud’s three-piece band to take the stage. Despite a few technical difficulties with the guitar and earpiece (which Claud joked about and worked through with ease), the show was a perfect display of new and old music in a space that was safe for all.

Earlier this summer, Claud dropped their second studio album ‘Supermodels’ on Saddest Factory Records.

Claud performed a perfect mix of old and new songs, keeping the OG fans happy and pleasing the newer fans who may have heard their music when they opened for Bleachers, boygenius, or played a wide array of festivals in the past year. Claud kicked off the night with “A Good Thing” from their latest album, before going into “Guard Down” from their 2021 album ‘Super Monster.’ Other favorites of the night from the recent album included “Paul Rudd,” “Every Fucking Time,” and “Wet,” which fans passionately sang along to.

Between the music, Claud shared stories of past shows, reminiscing on a venue near their hometown of Chicago suburb Highland Park that was also a bowling alley. They laughed, remembering the sound of pins crashing and interrupting their set, thanking Mahalls for having separate rooms for their shows and bowling.

Claud threw a short cover into the setlist performing Taylor Swift’s “betty,” which fans sang along to with the same passion as any Claud song.

Throughout the night, fans caught Claud’s attention by presenting them with gifts of artwork and homemade hats, which Claud accepted with immense gratitude. In an era of rising prices of tickets leading to the inaccessibility of live music, it was a touching moment to see an artist express such intent gratitude towards their fans and feel so connected to them.