Alex Lahey Covers Avril Lavigne’s “Complicated,” Debuts New Song

Take off all your preppy clothes, it’s time to head to a rock show—specifically, Alex Lahey’s show in New York City Tuesday night, where she delivered a high-spirited cover of Avril Lavigne’s iconic “Complicated.” The casually dressed Australian singer-songwriter performed at the Bowery Ballroom, where she played songs off her debut album I Love You Like a Brother (2017). As pointed out by Brooklyn Vegan, Lahey also dropped a new, untitled song into the set and “something special,” that is the “Complicated” cover.

Lavigne released “Complicated” in 2002 (16 years ago), but from Lahey’s crowd’s reaction, it’s obvious that the hit still holds a place in the hearts of many music fans. Although Lavigne is considered to be in the pop rock/punk world, “Complicated” doesn’t have a lot of punk energy and Lahey brings that extra punch in her cover. Lahey speeds up the song’s pace and pushes its heavier aspects—the bass in Lahey’s rendition is at the forefront and the electric guitar notably steps up its presence. “Life’s like this you, and you fall, and you crawl,” she sings heatedly as the drums crash behind her.

During the performance of her new song, Lahey mellows out somewhat (well, for the first verse, at least). “It might not be my place to help, but don’t be so hard on yourself,” she sings. Announcing the song, she said “just for you guys”—presumably debuting it especially for the Bowery Ballroom crowd. Where the song goes from here is yet to be seen, but it is an exciting new prospect.

Below, you can watch Lahey’s performance of “Complicated,” as well as a recording of the new, untitled song from her show last night. Keep scrolling to see her show’s setlist.

Alex Lahey Setlist:
Love You Like a Brother
Perth Traumatic Stress Disorder
Let’s Call It a Day
Awkward Exchange
Wes Anderson
Let’s Go Out
I Want U
Ivy League
(Untitled new song)
Backpack
Lotto in Reverse
Complicated (Avril Lavigne cover)
Every Day’s the Weekend

Encore:
You Don’t Think You Like People Like Me
I Haven’t Been Taking Care of Myself