Glaive Concert Review – Asbury Park 9/15/23

Review and Photography by Manda Martinez

Glaive is an 18-year-old American singer-songwriter and record producer from Florida. Best known for his songs “astrid” and “i wanna slam my head against the wall,” Glaive is a fairly new artist. He began making hyperpop genre music towards the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic in his bedroom. I was introduced to his music in early 2021, when he had only about 14 songs out at the time. My friend showed me the music videos to his songs “dnd” and “cloak n dagger (with ericdoa)” and I was immediately hooked.

Glaive’s debut album i care so much that i don’t care at all was released earlier this year on July 14, 2023. In May, he announced his North America tour with stops in New York and New Jersey. September 15, 2023, the tour made its way to Asbury Park, NJ. I had seen him only a month prior in New York at Webster Hall, and he had put on a wonderful show. I knew I had to see him again.

Local band Loveseat Pete was the first opener. It makes me happy to see local bands getting love. The band had a very welcoming stage presence and ended their set with a cover of “Since U Been Gone” by Kelly Clarkson. I was also able to meet the frontman after the show and he was incredibly nice!

The next opener was Provoker. I hadn’t heard of them prior to the show – Their set had a sort of ominous vibe to it but their post-punk music sounded cool. The lead singer got into the audience for their last few songs, but was audibly frustrated with the lack of energy the crowd was giving him. This was rather awkward, but he still kept his energy up and gave a good show.

One thing I particularly enjoyed about Glaive’s performance was the stage design. He had a tent pitched on stage, a rug placed on the floor, and a keyboard looking desk in the middle of the stage. When the show began, the stage darkened and light began emanating from the tent. Glaive emerged from the tent and took a seat at the desk and turned on the lamp atop the desk. He played a few notes before messing up and laughing into the mic. He then restarted and began playing his first song of the night, “oh are you bipolar one or two?”

My favorite songs her performed were “im nothing thats all i am” and “the car.” For these particular songs, the energy in the venue was absolutely incredible. The crowd, including me, knew every word, and the lighting design was great (A little blinding, but it only added to the vibe). You could tell that he was having fun on stage by the way he was dancing around, which made it
all the better.

I’m excited to see Glaive grow as an artist, he’s very young and already has so much talent. He’s an incredible performer and I am excited for the next time he is in the area. The two hour train ride was worth it. I would like to thank WMSC for this opportunity!