Can you believe it’s been over a year since I last got to experience New New Girlfriend live in concert? Because I sure can’t. Of course when the Los Angeles duo of Griffin Burns and Kylen Deporter announced that they would be making their glorious return to The Hotel Café (Last played at in 2023) I had to immediately bought tickets and marked my calendar.

I’m certain I’ve mentioned it before, but there’s something absolutely magical and healing about seeing your favorite band perform live. And this magic was out in full-force. The venue is small, cozy, the sort of place where you can stand in the back, and still feel like you’re part of the show—which is exactly what I did so that I could take pictures and dance like a crazy person and not disturb anyone.

Not only did it just feel right to be back in that space, it was amazing to see how much NNG had improved. Don’t get me wrong, they were amazing before, but this show kicked it up 100%. They had new versions of old classics. They were playing the new hits, including my most anticipated I Haven’t Forgotten (Spoiler: It was beautiful, and I cried). Not only that, they just sounded so polished, so in sync. They explained at one point that because of the size of the venue, they weren’t playing to tracks like they often do. This allowed them so much freedom to play around. And play around they did. It really worked for them.

And in between songs, the banter was also cranked up. Griffin joked a lot with the audience about how sad their discography is. Stating at one point, “We’ve got another upbeat one! It’s called Let It Mend!” And if you know, you know, and if you don’t…let Kylen’s response fill in the blanks. “It’s about choosing pain over numbness!” The show was full of moments like those. And, sure, maybe a lot of people didn’t laugh. But I laughed, and that’s all that matters.

It was just so evident that everyone in the room, especially the guys up on stage, were having the times of their life. There was so many smiles and so much joy radiating throughout the room. And that’s a true gift of this band.

Truly though, New New Girlfriend’s strength (other than their kickass harmonies) is really their ability to draw people in with their stories and create a community. One where people will literally fly from all over the country in order to hear two guys sing some very sad songs. And as long as they continue to create songs, we will continue to be there, cheering them on…with maybe some loving heckles mixed in.

At the end, we all cried out for an encore, and they were actually able to deliver. Giving us the classic That’s Why I to close out an amazing set. My only complaint is that I wish it could have been longer, in order to hear even more of the songs. But I know that’s not how the world of concerts work. Someday though…someday.

All of this is to say: this show was really special. It felt like a return home after being gone for so long. I can’t wait for the next one. I just hope that it doesn’t take a year for it to happen. 🙂