By Emma Weidmann | Editor-in-Chief
On the T-Mobile stage at Austin City Limits, a screen reads, “Malcolm Todd and his band had a sleepover last night and they talked about their feelings.”
Throughout the set, the indie singer and his band joke with each other and do bits. The irony culminates in a cover of the “iCarly” theme song. Todd cracks a joke that the “millennial pink ponies,” fans of singer and festival favorite Chappell Roan, were excited for that one.
After an energetic Saturday set, he sat down to answer some questions.
I want to talk about when you signed a fan’s face. What was that like for you?
Todd: “It was definitely my first active, in-the-crowd face signing, like, stopping the set to sign someone’s face, but I’ve signed a face before. I just didn’t want to take too much time because you’ve got to fulfill the set time, right? And I was just a little bit worried about it — just the ink and stuff. But I then found out it was makeup. Then I was stoked.”
It’s hard to miss the irony and whimsy when you guys are on stage. Can you tell me more about that?
Todd: “I mean, if you’re not gonna have fun, why do it if it’s your job? My band is all my friends from home, so it’s pretty easy to go up there and have fun, and I just think to not take yourself too seriously is a good quality.”
So do you guys have a backstage ritual? Clearly, you’ve known each other for a very long time. Is there something that you’re always doing?
Todd: “We try; we huddle. Sometimes we don’t even huddle. Everyone’s always just in their own world. And — I don’t know — not enough people played team sports in my band, besides me and then maybe my bassist. But they were all just kind of like, just go on and play the show.”
Can you tell me a little bit about what is influencing you guys, especially as you’re playing unreleased music as well — what’s going into that new stuff?
Todd: “My big influences when I was in high school were like Steve Lacy and Omar Apollo and Dominic Fike, Rex Orange County. They influenced me a lot to start playing music in high school, and then from there I just grew whatever my sound was supposed to be. They definitely were the initial big inspiration. And then, you know, I love a lot of old music. I love the Beatles and Paul Simon.”
For this question, you might take a second to find an answer. If you had to explain the concept of music to an alien, what song are you picking?
Todd: “Probably ‘Hey Jude’ or something. It’s a good one. I’m like, we’re trying to make friends with the aliens. It would be a good togetherness song.”
Is there a song that you enjoy playing live the most, or one where you get to it on the setlist and you’re like, yes, let’s do this?
Todd: “That’s a really good question. I love ‘iCarly’ and ‘Roommates,’ the last two songs — really electric. ‘Roommates’ is so fun jumping around with everyone. It just never gets old. And then everyone loves the ‘iCarly’ song. When they figure out what the song is, they’re just so pleasantly surprised.”
It always surprises me how a musician is able to really pump up a crowd and really have this sense of crowd control. Can you kind of talk to me about what that feeling is like?
Todd: “It’s pretty sick. Definitely you have to work up to it. You feel lame if you do it and no one does it. It takes a lot for a person to be completely confident and be like, one person versus however many, But you know, at the end of the day, it’s your job. So I’m gonna try to do my job the best I can. And it feels great when they listen to you.”
I want to come back to the unreleased song that you played. How does it feel to play something that maybe people in the crowd can’t know?
Todd: “It feels good. I mean, one of my in-ear monitors broke while I was playing that song, so I really wasn’t even thinking about anything but how I was gonna hear what I was playing. It’s really cool when everyone knows everything, and you feel less pressure because they’re all just stoked that you’re there with them. And then when someone doesn’t know the song or you’re opening for someone or something, it’s way more of a ‘I gotta really play to the best of my abilities’ because they’re really listening, they’re [not] just screaming the lyrics.”
What are you thinking when something like that happens? What do you do in that situation?
Todd: “Kind of like, ride it out. I just tried to hear my voice and my guitar as best I could, and then, you know, just kind of roll with it. It’s like sports; it’s not exactly as planned as you think it is. You might have a set to play, but might not go that way. You gotta improvise. It’s part of the job.”
So what’s next for you?
Todd: “I’m just making an album right now. It’ll be my debut album, and I’m just living in New York, writing and trying to get really inspired. And I learned a lot about myself and my music and having fun.”
Is there something in New York that you feel has been inspiring you the most?
Todd: “If anything it’s just people being around and just seeing everyone existing. It’s the best people-watching place ever. But it comes from within. A place can do a lot for it, but if you can’t pull it out of yourself, it’s never gonna happen.”
