Gabrielle Aplin offers salvation at Slim’s

Gabrielle Aplin offers a safe haven from the mindless lyrics and techno beats that litter today’s music scene. Throughout her career, Aplin has evolved through each album or EP creating an entirely different sound with each release, yet she still incorporates sincere lyrics and a pure voice that is often compared to the likes of Joan Baez or Joni Mitchell.

Gabrielle Aplin’s final stop on her 2018 North American tour proved that her musicianship extends far beyond the studio and was able to deliver a stripped down show, accompanied only by her guitar. Throughout her entire set, Aplin filled Slim’s with a sincere passion that is often overlooked by many of today’s musicians.

John Splithoff started the night off with a mix of Top 40 pop that attempted to incorporate blues and folk elements. Splithoff was able to get the crowd dancing and excited for the rest of the show, but his performance served as a large contrast to Hudson Taylor and Aplin’s folk styles. After his set, I was left feeling that Splithoff claims to be “different” but is really just a wannabe Justin Timberlake, failing to create anything unique from other pop musicians.

Hudson Taylor took the stage with nothing but smiles and a vibrant energy. The brothers were accompanied only by their guitars, furthering their reputation as a love child of Simon and Garfunkel and Bob Dylan. Their set featured a brilliant mix of upbeat tracks with dueling guitars as well as slower ballads, all complete with harmonies and riffs that point towards years of practice and sheer skill. Hudson Taylor made it clear that they were thrilled to play at Slim’s, encouraging the audience to see their upcoming headlining show in a few months.

Gabrielle Aplin was able to completely control the stage and capture the audience’s attention through her natural musical talent. Aplin performed a wide array of her catalog, transforming pop-dance hits such as “Miss You” and “Sweet Nothing” into acoustic masterpieces, as well as performing fan-favorites such as “Home” and “Panic Chord,” and even covering some of her favorite songs, such as “Helplessly Hoping” by Crosby, Stills, and Nash with Hudson Taylor.

Aplin’s meek demeanor melted away as soon as she started her set, opening with “Night Bus” from her 2016 EP Miss You. Her humility was present for the whole show, often blushing and mumbling a small “Thanks” when people would yell their admiration for her. She took a few minutes, however, to gleefully exclaim her fascination with Red Solo Cups stating, “They aren’t cups. They’re culture.”

The crowd met each song as if it were an old friend and quietly sang along ensuring not to overpower Aplin. One of my favorite aspects of this show was Aplin’s ability to bring people of all backgrounds together: couples, older audiences, parents and children, and everyone in between. Perhaps, this is in part because of the honesty and vulnerability of her music as she speaks very openly of the human experience. Whatever it is, Aplin’s performance resulted in something pure and beautiful, allowing the entire audience to be present and together. The 25 year old artist has made her home in acoustica and is surely making her way amongst the new folk and pop singers of today.