Alain Whyte Plays An Intimate Set For Altadena
Singer, songwriter (of 84 Morrissey songs!!), and Altadena, CA resident, Alain Whyte, played a stirring solo set last night at everyone’s favorite new all-ages music venue, Backyard Party. The capacity crowd was warmed up with DJ sets from Ray Kaos and Protolkall, who played darkwave classics and britpop deep cuts from Depeche Mode, Til Tuesday, The Cure - and everything else you would expect :)
We spotted fellow Morrissey alums Boz Boorer and Brendan Buckley in the crowd, as well as all-ages venue veteran Jim Smith, owner of The Smell, and Wild Records’ own Reb Kennedy, also an Altadena resident who, like Alain, lost his home and studio in the ‘25 Eaton Canyon fires.
Whyte took the stage at 8pm sharp to perform an acoustic set of originals and a few Morrissey/Smiths classics to an adoring audience. The crowd seemed to move as one from song to song, clapping, swaying, knowing every word, and spotting each new song after the very first few notes were played.
Elise Lamond with Alain Whyte
Mid-set, Whyte invited 15-year-old Elise Lamond to join him for a delicate and emotional cover of The Smiths’ “Back to the Old House”. The lyrics to this song took on an entirely new meaning and resonated especially deeply with the mostly local audience in light of the devastating Eaton Fire that ravaged through the Alta-Pasa area barely a year ago. Whyte dedicated the song to the fire victims of Altadena.
We had a minute to chat with Alain after his set -
InSpite: Out of all the venues you could’ve chosen to play tonight, what made you choose Backyard Party?
Alain Whyte: Well, being a victim myself of the Altadena fires, I knew they were connected to the Altadena Musicians charity. I just felt like I wanted to give back. It felt like the right thing to do.
IS: What was the highlight of the night for you?
AW: For me, I think the intimacy of the show. I loved young Elise getting to perform. I also loved how my own kids and other kids were there. I love how it was all-ages. It felt like a really intimate place where you could just have a good time and really celebrate something that was so horrid.
