It’s been two years since Megan Washington’s last release, the EP Insomnia. However, her popularity hasn’t waned. Tonight’s show at Howler, in support of her new single, Who Are You, was sold out and the crowd is absolutely hers. No money is being made on the bar tonight. The audience is transfixed.
Megan Washington is a potent presence onstage and her voice packs even more of a punch live. She is great to watch. There is nothing extraneous onstage, so your attention is undivided. She is spot-lit and the ambient light is red and hazy. It’s a perfect filter for her brand of emotion laden pop. There’s something bad or sad in every song. Even Megan acknowledges this: “They don’t get happier. They just get louder from here”.
During the more atmospheric numbers, her hands flutter, describing something in the air that we can’t see, or clutch at her heart and hair. She is mesmerising and it feels like a deeply personal performance. She makes it even more intimate with the narrative between songs, filling in the autobiographical details.
Her rapport with the audience is excellent. They especially love it when she takes the piss out of herself: “Here is another song about my feelings”. The crowd isn’t dancing, but they are happy to sing along. They know all the words and she is elated by the effort.
She plays a number of new tracks, joined by the ladies from All Our Exes Live In Texas, and they are very well received…but it’s the old ones that please the crowd most (Clementine, How to Tame Lions and Cement). A sexy and compelling performance.
BY MEG CRAWFORD
Photo by Andy Crawford
Loved: Her voice and Hoodoo Gurus t-shirt paired with a sparkly, ankle length skirt.
Hated: The distraction of the noise from the main bar.
Drank: Diet Coke.
