all words and photos: Francis Chung
npr stream of the show: here
Annie Clark – a.k.a. St. Vincent – kicked off the Memorial Day weekend on a high-note at the Black Cat on Friday night, treating the packed house to a “strange rock show” (as she put it) that displayed her distinctive musical talents and quirky charms. Touring behind her excellent new record, “Actor,” Clark played an enthralling 75-minute set backed by a skilled band featuring William Flynn on bass, Daniel Hart on violin, Anthony LaMarca on percussion, and Evan Smith on woodwinds. Though she exuded a jovial and gracious stage presence, Clark kept the banter to a friendly minimum, as if preferring to let her polyphonic songs speak for themselves. Indeed, the expansive, schizophrenically-symphonic sound of St. Vincent’s music was manifest right from the set-opener, “The Strangers,” during which Clark sang delicately over a bright and airy instrumental backdrop before stomping on her distortion pedal mid-song to unleash a burst of aggressive, crunchy riffs that demonstrated her impressive chops on the guitar. Such dynamics were characteristic of the performance as a whole, which alternated intrepidly between ethereal, vocal-driven pieces such as “The Bed” and denser, more vigorous songs like “Marrow,” a crowd-favorite punctuated by Clark’s screeching, staccato guitar work and a spirited saxophone hook by Smith.
The infectious new single “Actor Out of Work” stood out as the most conventionally pop-structured song on the setlist, while thematically it served as a perfect manifesto for a musician who trades more in theatrical role-playing than confessional self-expression. From the “wife in watercolors” in “Save Me From What I Want” to the “amnesiac trying to get my senses back” in “Laughing with a Mouth of Blood,” St. Vincent’s songs gave voice to a compelling, yet quotidian cast of characters, while keeping listeners at an ironic distance from the artist herself. A Barthes-reading postmodernist who revels in juxtaposing fragmentary sounds, words, and images from a vast range of inspirations, Clark acknowledges that her music has been influenced by cinematic sources ranging from classic Disney fantasies to French New Wave films. These reference points were discernable during “Marry Me,” the titular proposal of which (“Marry me, John, I’ll be so good to you.”) promises a fairy-tale romance, hopes for which are soon dashed when the protagonist betrays a cynicism worthy of Marianne Renoir from Godard’s “Pierrot le fou” (“I’m as fickle as a paper doll being kicked by the wind. When I touch down again I’ll be in someone else’s arms.”). At the Black Cat, the ballad was given a sparse, slightly languid recital, with fans audibly singing along and Clark thanking her audience for “still laughing” at its oft-quoted biblical allusion (“We’ll do what Mary and Joseph did, without the kid.”).
Regrettably, Friday’s concert did not feature the exceptional interpretations of The Beatles’ “Dig a Pony” and Nico’s “These Days” which were a staple of St. Vincent’s past live shows. Still, the evening came to an appropriately dramatic conclusion with a stunning rendition of “Your Lips Are Red,” with Clark declaiming cryptic lyrics over a hypnotic two-note guitar drone before leading her band into a gloriously cacophonous instrumental outburst that eventually faded into a plaintive, melodic denouement.
Previously in Live DC:
- 2/13: LiveDC: George Clinton & The Parliament-Funkadelic @ 930 Club
- 2/13: LiveDC: Veronica Falls/ Brilliant Colors @ Black Cat
- 2/13: LIVE DC: Steve Aoki/ Datsik/ Alvin Risk @ Fillmore
- 2/13: LiveDC: The Darkness @ 930 Club
- 2/9: LiveDC: Theophilus London @ 930 Club
- 2/9: Best Weekend Bets
- 2/8: LiveDC: Kathleen Edwards @ 930 Club
- 2/8: LiveDC: Thurston Moore/ Kurt Vile @ Black Cat
- 2/8: LiveDC: Thurston Moore/ Kurt Vile @ Black Cat
- 2/7: LiveDC: Demetri Martin @ Warner Theatre
God loves a cheerful giver.
Great photos Francis! (missed you at Animal Collective by the way... I heard you were there but, I never got to see you!)
I really wanted to make this show but had another job. I mainly wanted to go to photograph Annie! lol
This really was a very good show, and her band sounded great and all, but I really missed the immediacy of her doing it all on her own. That drum pad stomping thing last year was pretty effing rad.
Also, somethings got to give. At shows like this, they either need to turn that shit up or the kids need to use their inside voices.
no love for lo moda? thought they killed it as openers. i actually left to get back to baltimore for double dagger's release show.
ditto on the inside voices. but despite the relatively rude crowd, this show was amazing.
I am a little confused about this back up band comment. From what I remember Annie had a back-up band last year at the RNR show too:
http://www.brightestyoungthings.com/live-dc/live-dc-st-vincent-foreign-born-the-hotel/
I couldn't agree more with YSL's latter statement. The BC crowd was especially loud and douchy that night and the volume was plain pathetic.
You know, between the sound issues, the loud crowds, and the ever-charming staff that loves to treat its clientele like shit I'm starting to cringe every time I see a band I love book a show at the Cat. Shame, since it used to be my favorite place to see live music.
Anyway, yay St. Vincent. She still rules.
A and YSL,
There's another side to this. St. Vincent was good, but quiet. So conversation grows. It gets louder. You hear her less. Conversation changes to disinterest. People get annoyed.
I watched something similar happen two years ago at a Mirah show. Not sure how to remedy this except to make the music louder. Maybe the Black Cat isn't the best venue for less raucous acts.
if i recall correctly, at both this weekend's st. vincent show, and at the mirah show in 2007 the acts had their own sound people. part of me wonders if touring sound techs aren't getting that it's not loud enough. i know with mirah one of the issues was her monitors were turned up and she thought she was very loud, whereas in the back it was nearly silent.
Svetlana,
Yer right. And great, now you're really dating me...
I saw her at the show before that one. The show you linked to was her second time in DC. I'm pretty sure it was at the RnR too. The whole show was just her on guitar with a sparse backing track while she stomped all over these elcectronic drum pads. Anyone go to that show? It was amazing. She ended with These Days, and it was like silent in that place...captivated all...
And to really date myself. The first time I saw her she was playing guitar with Polyphonic Spree at Siren Fest many years ago. She absolutely stole the entire festival.
P.S. It looked like this:
(great right)
And check out the stage presence here (this video is not the best example (at siren fest she was on fire) but around th 35 second mark you definitely get the idea that this one is something special:
I'm guessing the lack of volume is probably an issue with the neighbors or something. In the past couple years I feel like it never really gets loud enough in there even for bands like Les Savy Fav and Black Lips, especially when you're standing near the middle or farther back.
Your best bet at the Cat is to get up close because it sounds better and people up there tend to be more respectful and attentive.