With spastic movements and batting lashes, Annie Clark becomes the object of everyone’s attention every time she performs.
Clark’s performance at the Bluebird Theater in Denver on Feb. 13 was no different. From the moment she opened her painted lips to the moment she bowed off the stage, it was a pleasure to spend the evening with Ms. Clark, aka St. Vincent.
But before the doe-eyed songstress could begin, there was of course the opening act. Opening bands can sometimes elicit a collective groan from an audience, but opening Swedish duo Wildbirds & Peacedrums were a delightful surprise from beginning to end.
With a sound that could be described as tribal-calypso-soul, Wildbirds & Peacedrums were an incredibly delightful surprise. I haven’t heard somebody sing with as much soul as singer multi-instrumentalist Mariam Wallentin in a long time. Who needs Beyoncé when you have a woman pouring her heart and soul onto the stage without the glittering body suits and stadium theatrics? The way Wallentin sings lines like, “I’m lost without your rhythm,” is enough to make the audience wince with empathy for her anguish.
But of course, Wildbirds was just an appetizer while St Vincent was the main event.
Ms. Clark’s performance style can best be described as manic. From soft coos in “Save Me From What I Want,” to yowls in the thumping “Marrow,” it’s hard to know where she stands. Her face is the calm and her brain seems to be the storm as she sings lines like, “Laughing with a mouth of blood from a little spill I took,” with a wide-eyed innocence. Her calm is disarming when so many of her lyrics are so alarming.
The same could be said about the way she attacks her guitar. She does not approach the guitar like your average singer-songwriter. Rather, she twists and turns it, seeing what new sound she can tweak out of it. From delicate melodies that match the violin and flute accompaniment, to chugging crunches that moan along with the unconventional saxophone, her songs are artfully arranged and creatively approached.
When she performed a cover of the Jackson Browne penned and Nico popularized “These Days,” with just her voice and a guitar, the result was stunning. Such a simple song was given so many nuances from Clark. It was hard not to pay attention to every last detail of Clark’s performance because she plays from head to toe. Every twitch is fascinating and every smile endearing.
Contact CU Independent Staff Writer Jenny Gumbert at Jenny.gumbert@colorado.edu.
