Written By Maeve Sterling
photos by Callie Kent @cjconcertcam
Returning to George’s Majestic Lounge for the second time, stopping in Fayetteville for the third time, the indie rock band Twen blew my mind on November 13th, setting off what I hope will become an annual tradition at my favorite local venue.
Founding members Jane Fitzsimmons and Ian Jones first decided to join each other in the great pursuit of music in 2016, formally emerging onto the east coast music scene in 2017 as the band Twen, and releasing their first single onto streaming platforms in 2019.
Currently Nashville based, the band’s latest exploits take music into their own hands by booking their own tours, designing and screen printing their own merch, directing and editing their own music videos and producing and mixing their own albums. Their entire process is based out of the mobile home that Fitzsimmons and Jones built together, the same van they use to take on tour across North America.
There is a divide in the music industry right now that has been on my mind as I’ve explored the Fayetteville local scene. Musicians imbued with dreams, pushing for accessibility and camaraderie through making music, truly making art, are pit against high school pretty-boys that appealed to the attention that playing a guitar could bring them. Perhaps this is my extreme view, formatted to step on toes, but I’ve found myself begging for the return of passion, activism and power to local scenes.
Bands like Twen, duos like Fitzsimmons and Jones, make music alluring and valuable, they deserve to be listened to because sound and noise mean something to them. I felt a buzz standing in the front room of George’s that is incomparable to anything I’ve known before, bordering on an out-of-body experience, possibly on the verge of transcendence.
The set list explored Twen’s most recent releases, hitting the incredible highs of One Stop Shop (2022) and dropping to the mellow lows of Fate Euphoric (2025), the band’s latest self-produced LP. Their performance also included singles like SeaStar (2023), Allnighter (2025) and Godlike (2025).
Feeling in Love (From the Waist Down) ☆
Tapdance in Limbo
Dignitary Life
Chase You
Keep Your Company
Fortune 500
Prelude to Waterloo ☆
Tumbleweed
Bore U
SeaStar
Allnighter
One Stop Shop (For a Fading Revolution) ☆
Godlike
HaHaHome ☆
Their performance at George’s has yet to reach setlist.fm, but I was able to collect a physical copy of the list after the performance. The songs Sweet Dreams (In the Parking Lot), Starmaker, Brooklyn Bridge and Fate Euphoric did not get played due to time, much to my dismay.
Jones, the second half of the duo, plays lead guitar and is an absolute personification of calm and collected, his deep and smooth vocals balance with Fitzsimmons’ and serve as a solid vocal foundation for the band’s sound.
Fitzsimmons is a shining example of an incredible performer, her stage presence alone is encapsulating despite the lack of obvious exuberance. The way she sways across the stage, unafraid to take up space, isn’t obnoxious or demanding, instead it’s full of subdued intensity, which left me standing there wholly entranced.
My favorite part of Fitzsimmon’s performance, the reason I solidified my intent to write this review, is her expressions and facial features while performing. Throughout the show, Fitzsimmons would grit her teeth while singing, forcing them into an uncanny grin. Then, she would widen her eyes and move them all around the room, from the crowd, to the ceiling, to the back of her head. Though she did this periodically, I could see her smile shift back to genuine each time, almost as if she was having too good of a time to keep up the uncanny charade.
Truthfully, it was my proximity to the band that truly made me notice each intricate detail of the members faces, movements and personalities. That fact alone is why I am so thankful for George’s as a live performance space.
At one point during their performance, Twen invited audience members on stage as back-up dancers, with Fitzsimmons citing that “anyone can do anything for one chorus.”
From the beginning to the very end of the night, Fitzsimmons continually mentioned how much she enjoyed spending time in Fayetteville. Despite the simple obligation that many artists feel when they enter a new space seeking appeal to their audience, Fitzsimmons feels like a funky Fayetteville local, and I will forever enjoy my time spent sharing a town with her.
“I sweat for Fayetteville,” she said. That night, I was sweating for Twen right back.
10/10 ☆