On first glance, it may seem strange that St. Vincent could accrue such a devout following.
Her music pays visceral homage to the daring glam rock of the ’70s (as shown in her 2021 album Daddy’s Home) and, most recently, her album All Born Screaming, seems so in tune with grunge or sort of 90’s detached romanticism.
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Yet her performance at the Palais on the 25th of November not only hearkened back to a past of musical reverence for classic guitar solos and soulful lyricism but also demonstrated what happens when you put that many talented artists on the stage at once, and how they completely captivate the audience while evoking St. Vincent’s bold artistic vision.
Lotte Gallagher opened the night with a paired back, yet soulful collection of songs and a voice that shows incredible potential. Her songs are simple yet evocative, exercising a delicacy that is solidified by a humanistic sorrow.
Annie Clark (St. Vincent) has always seemed to evoke this vision of the creative as a figure evoking the past yet embracing the future. Songs such as Put Your Way in Pain or Candy Darling become far more infused with sultry vocals live than in their recorded counterparts, yet when performed live they become infused with a sumptuous yet contained playfulness that is evoked by her absolute control of the stage, paired with her searing, almost blisteringly wild ability with the guitar.
Throughout the night, the audience poured out from the aisles and their designated seats to fully immerse themselves in the music. The grandeur of the Palais was simply not enough to contain the anticipation of the audience or the bombastic surety of Annie’s voice. Seeing as how it has been years since St. Vincent’s last performance in Naarm (since 2018) it was a lightning strike of a performance, a rarity of true quality, a night of wonder from what is now a legendary performer.
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