Words and Photos by Kae Cox
Earlier this year, Alabama singer-songwriter Brenn! released his debut album, AMATEUR AT BEST, and throughout this year’s summer and fall he’s been taking it on the road with the Amateur at Best World Tour. I’ll admit that I had never heard of him before the show came to Atlanta in October, and I had also never been to the Variety Playhouse. I went in with no expectations, and I left pleasantly surprised.
I’m someone who normally goes to more alternative and rock shows, so this was definitely a different crowd than I was used to. Luckily, a group of very nice girls near me were happy to fill me in. Before the opener even came on, they were singing Brenn!’s praises and comparing him to artists like Noah Kahan, a comparison Brenn! seems happy with. He’s discussed being a Kahan fan in interviews, and has even covered a few of his songs on Tiktok and at live shows.
We didn’t get to talk much longer before the opener, Mor Ilderton, walked out. He set the tone for the night, performing with nothing but his voice and an acoustic guitar. His original songs were incredibly emotional. At one point, he told the crowd that he lost his mom when he was only two years old. A chunk of his set was dedicated to her. Those songs were incredibly heartfelt, so much so you could hear it in his voice. It was gritty and raw, which worked perfectly for what he was singing about. He also seemed so happy just to be there. Near the end of his set, a fan gifted him a hat, and he said he almost teared up! It’s always wonderful to see a musician who puts that much passion into what they do.
When Brenn! Finally took the stage, he started alone at the piano with a slow ballad, “LIKE YOU DO NOW.” His band joined him after, all wearing baseball jerseys with “Amateur” printed on them. The baseball theme definitely runs through the whole album; as Brenn! told The Concert Chronicles, “I just think everyone likes baseball.” Fair enough.
Before “Upstate,” Brenn! dedicated the song to Georgia, laughing that as someone from Alabama, this was the closest he’d been to home in months. Then came the title track, “AMATEUR AT BEST.” One of his bandmates played a keyboard part that sounded a lot like the organ you’d hear at a ballpark. I’m not sure if that was on purpose, but either way, it was a fun nod to the album’s theme. The next song, “MIDWEST, I’LL BE BACK,” really stood out to me. I might be a little biased since I grew up in Illinois, but his vocals were especially strong on this one. The instrumental was really pretty too, with a nice balance between big choruses and softer moments in between. There was even a fun guitar solo thrown in.
A couple of songs later, I heard what I think was my favorite song of the night, “ROTY.” The title is short for “Rookie of the Year,” which feels like the perfect song for a debut album. It had more great vocals, and some of the best lyrics of the set, once again tying back to the album’s baseball theme. During “Rearview,” the folk influences behind all those Noah Kahan comparisons really came through. One of his bandmates played the banjo, and later on, Brenn! even played the harmonica! “SOMEHOW MADE IT OUT” seemed to be a real crowd favorite. I also really enjoyed “Days on End,” which again, brought back the harmonica. At one point, the whole crowd sang one line together: “Do the mountains call your name louder than I did?”
Brenn! closed out the night with his most popular song, “4runner.” I walked into the Variety Playhouse knowing nothing about him except what a few strangers told me before the show. By the time I walked out, I understood why they were so excited. Brenn! might call himself an “amateur at best,” but if you ask me, he’s already in the running for “rookie of the year.”
