Meia Voss / Daily Nexus

Alternative indie singer Malcolm Todd stopped by UC Santa Barbara’s The Hub to perform at a sold-out, students-only concert put on by the Associated Students Program Board. Accompanied by acoustic opening act Kyla & Sicilia, Todd transformed The Hub into an electrifying night of live music, crowd interaction and student recognition.

The Jan. 30 concert had herds of students lining up outside of the University Center (UCen) hours before the doors even opened, eager for the concert to begin. As students shuffled in, murmurs of anticipation flooded the UCen basement, with many audience members expressing excitement over the events to come. 

Due to Todd’s growing popularity, anticipation was high for the concert. “I saw the seconds on the [Associated Students Program Board (ASPB)] post and went ‘Where is the link?’” second-year communication and film & media studies double major Allie Saetern said, describing her experience upon learning about the concert via ASPB’s Instagram.  

Saetern made her admiration for Todd clear, lining up against the barricade several hours early with her friends in hopes of hearing some of their favorite songs. “We had some friends who came at 1 and took shifts,” Saetern said. “We’ve been here since 12:30 p.m.” 

As the crowd inside continued to grow, opening act Kyla & Sicilia took to the stage for their debut performance as a musical duo. The pair, consisting of lead singer and second-year psychological & brain sciences and music studies double major Kyla Becker and acoustic guitarist and second-year sociology and comparative literature double major Sicilia Holmes, performed covers of “Valerie” by Amy Winehouse and “BIRDS OF A FEATHER” by Billie Eilish, warming the crowd up with catchy fan favorites to sing along to. 

“We know we’re not Malcolm Todd, but we love him as much as you guys,” Becker said mid-set. 

Opening act Kyla & Sicilia warming up the crowd. (Meia Voss / Daily Nexus)

Friends of the musical duo supported Kyla & Sicilia from the crowd, yelling out, “I love Kyla & Sicilia!” and even calling Holmes’s mother on FaceTime so she could watch the set. At the request of the musicians on stage, the entire audience shouted “Hi Sicilia’s mom!” and cheered.

Kyla & Sicilia closed their set with “wish you were gay” by Eilish. Smiling ear-to-ear, the girls walked off the stage, with the crowd applauding to show their support for the first-time performers and express excitement for the night to come.

The lights then dimmed and Todd’s band came on stage, setting up their instruments to prepare for their set. Soon after, Todd walked to the front of the stage amidst roars from the audience. Wearing a dark blue hoodie, cropped white tank top labeled “82” and baggy pants, complete with a red electric guitar slung around his neck, Todd stole the hearts of many. 

Laughing off the various shouts from the crowd, he began his set with “Earrings,” smiling as students in the crowd screamed “I love you!” During instrumental moments Todd looked over to his band members, nodding his head to the beat. Toward the end of the song, the audience chanted “Extra, extra, read all about it,” alongside Todd’s ad-libs.

Following “Earrings,” Todd crooned “I just want you” in his raspy rendition of “4Me 4Me.” After the song concluded, Todd took the opportunity to address the crowd. 

“How’s it going, everybody?” Todd said, which was met with cheers from the audience. “I’ve never really done a college show before. I never went to college so this is kind of like my experience.”

Todd kept it lighthearted with the crowd, cracking jokes and dancing during any interlude within a song. “I’m a little buzzed. But I just turned 21 so that shit’s illegal … I mean legal,” bringing his hands to his face in embarrassment over his slip-up. Fulfilling his “college experience,” Todd then jokingly asked the crowd, “So like is there class tomorrow, or no class?”

The band then began to play a cover of Eilish’s “BIRDS OF A FEATHER.” “I don’t really know the words,” Todd disclosed, allowing the audience to guide him through the song. Stepping in front of the microphone and down to the barricade, Todd stood nearly face-to-face with the crowd and prompted everyone to sing along with him, making for an intimate moment with the singer. 

Todd made several appearances in the crowd, signing illustrations, holding signs made by his fans and leaning on students while holding their hands. 

“Everyone’s holding up shit; they don’t know I’m fucking illiterate,” Todd chuckled, encouraging the crowd to pick which song the band should play next, “Rodrick Rules” or “Art House.” 

The singer also asked for advice on what to do during his time in Santa Barbara. “So, what happens after this? I’m trying to find the action, I’m tryna hang out,” Todd said. “Like I said — didn’t go to college. Shoot me a DM wherever you go.” This prompted  members of the audience to shout out various local spots, with some even saying, “our place!”

Meia Voss / Daily Nexus

The students-only crowd was treated to an exclusive performance of one of Todd’s unreleased songs. “We’re going to play a song we were working on the way here. It’s not ready yet but fuck it,” Todd said. 

The crowd went quiet during this performance, listening to the never-before-heard lyrics in a personal moment between just Todd and fellow fans. Once the track concluded, Todd teased at a potential upcoming release, saying, “Not really sure how that went over but feels good … it [includes] a really cool feature you’ll be stoked to hear.”

Performing his latest hit, “Chest Pain (I Love),” the audience repeatedly chanted “I love” during the chorus, swooning alongside the flickering blue strobe lights. Communicating with the audience, Todd said, “Please, a little louder,” prompting feelings of unity as the crowd followed his request.

At one point in the performance, Todd addressed the crowd for a heartfelt moment. “So much could happen at a student-only event, this is like probably the best years of your life, right?,” Todd said. “This is probably going to be the best night of your life if you think about it.” His set then transitioned into a cover of “Leave It All To Me,” the theme song from the television show “iCarly,” which was met with excitement from the crowd.

Todd wrapped up his set with “Roommates,” requesting everyone to jump in the air for the last 30 seconds and playfully threatening anyone who didn’t participate.  

“Alright, listen up: this is the last 30 seconds of the show. I want everyone to jump up and down on the beat drop, and if you don’t want to do it, go home!” he yelled into the microphone. “I’m serious, it’s not fun if you don’t do it!” Todd ran back into the crowd and played the guitar riff right on the barricade, his red electric guitar right in front of students’ faces. Those lined up against the barricade bent backward and put their hands up, inching to get the chance to hold his hand. 

Meia Voss / Daily Nexus

Before leaving the stage, Todd exclaimed, “Thank you UCSB, I love you!,” running his 6-foot-4 self backstage (with shoes on, per the lyrics to his song “Rodrick Rules”).

At the very end of the concert, Todd and his team threw pieces of the setlist, guitar picks and other stage items into the crowd, with people reaching beyond their grasp to catch the keepsakes.

On a night full of excitement, sing-alongs and countless crowd interactions, Todd won the hearts of many UCSB students, putting on an electrifying performance with an elaborate setlist of many fan favorites.  

Earlier in his performance, Todd brought up the acronym “ILY”: “It’s short for ‘I love you,’” Todd stated, winking at the crowd to indicate that he was addressing the audience. 

And given the resounding success of the Todd-headlined ASPB concert, it’s clear that the crowd loved him as well. 

This appeared in the Feb. 6 print edition of the Daily Nexus.