“See, you can be angry while standing completely still,” Angel Olsen informed us a few songs into her sold-out show at Howler last week. Although it was just a simple bit of in-between song banter, it still stuck with me the entire time.
I don’t think I’ve ever seen a performer captivate an entire crowd while barely moving at all like Angel Olsen. Pulling material mainly from last year’s acclaimed Burn Your Fire for No Witness, Olsen towered on stage appearing wise beyond her years. She somehow managed to make eye contact with everyone all at once. Her voice cut through the air like a knife. At a few points I swear the crowd were holding their breaths.
Playing with a three-piece band, the relatively sparse arrangements still filled the room. Special mention to their bass player, as her additions completely transformed these songs on stage. You might struggle to muster up more than a sway or two for these songs on record (not that that’s a bad thing) but live they seemed to be full of electricity and energy.
I could understand that if you weren’t in the mood to get stared at for an hour while someone poured their heart out, you might’ve walked away a little less impressed with Olsen. But for the emotionally fragile among us, Wednesday night felt special.
Walking home, my boyfriend mentioned it felt like Olsen was singing directly to him the entire time. He shrugged and then added, “But I think everyone there probably felt that way.”
BY LUKE FORESTER
Loved: The seven-minute rendition of White Fire.
Hated: The one dude who decided it was totally reasonable to yell moronic comments throughout the night.
Drank: My boyfriend’s beer, because I like to pretend I don’t drink.
