At her recent performance in Olympia, St Vincent, also known as Annie Clark, delivered a memorable performance that resonated with her dedicated fans. After opening the show with a selection from her latest album, All Born Screaming, she took a brief moment to warmly acknowledge her long-time followers, recalling her debut performance in Dublin almost two decades back.
The concert was a powerful blend of Clark’s recent music, with the narrative song Reckless setting the mood. Clark, donning a reimagined half-tuxedo, paints a vivid image of unrelenting devotion. The performances of Fear the Future, Los Ageless and Big Time Nothing, all hint at influences from the legendary Prince, adding a darkly enchanting layer to her musical narrative.
St Vincent’s similarity to Prince is apparent as she moves around the stage with a disorientated elegance, reminiscent of a rogue ballerina immersing herself in a world of gothic intrigue. Her songs, particularly Dilettante, Pay Your Way in Pain, and Cheerleader radiate this sense of enigma.
Joining Clark on stage is her spectacular band consisting of Jason Falkner, Mark Guiliana, Rachel Eckroth, and Charlotte Kemp Muhl. Their robust talent becomes particularly apparent during the performance of Violent Times, a song narrating tales of “wasted nights pursuing mortality”. This majestic arrangement echoes iconic performers like Shirley Bassey, known for her capacity to manifest emotional narratives through music.
It is Clark’s ability to immerse herself in these emotional narratives that made the show intensely engaging. Coupled with her wit and playful demeanour, the atmosphere in the room elevated to the point where an audience member joyously yelled out “yippee!”.
Overall, the core element evoked by St Vincent’s show in Dublin was a potent and beautifully complex sense of romance. Yet, it came about through immense emotional effort rather than effortless serendipity. And, noteworthy was the respectful focus on camaraderie and music over the need for alcohol – making it a show that truly felt like money well spent.
“Wexford Festival Opera 2024: The performers rejoice in the division of labour, where singers needn’t bother with extended dialogue and actors are relieved from singing duties.
Pa Sheehy: Perhaps All This Was Meant to Be – Set aside the melancholy titles of the songs. These tracks are triumphant.
The creations of Clark are typically a reflection of contradictions and contrasts, yet they also immerse themselves in the waxing and waning rhythms of life, recognising the inevitable shift and change, producing tunes that can oscillate from turbulent emotional states to unpretentious folk melodies – these are consistently unexpected journeys. She starts her song, New York, contemplatively remarking on how many rural dwellers have ventured into the immersive city to seek personal authenticity, a mumble running through her audience, but by the finale, she leads us to something truly essential and fundamental.
Love is the vital force of this performance, yet it’s a strenuous, squeezed-out, battled-for kind of vitality, a force that aims to communicate not only with the living but also the departed and recognises our perpetual existence amidst apparitions. As Clark reappears for the encore, her song, Somebody Like Me, resonates a salty sweetness as she poses a question “is it a divine act or an act of oddity to have faith in somebody like me?”, the reply is unequivocal: it’s both.”