By Peter Quincy Ng
Photo Credit: Peter Quincy Ng
St. Vincent – Horseshoe Tavern – August 8, 2009
I’m not quite sure how the concert-ticket business goes in Toronto, but it seems to consistently baffle me. Without another scalper in sight and with a mixed following of casual and long-time fans, the concert at the Horseshoe Tavern seemed to sell out overnight. While I waited patiently for the concert to start, St. Vincent was finishing up her soundcheck and already fans were lining up two hours before doors opening. Anyway after a long wait I found out that at 9PM when doors opened there suddenly was this massive line standing all the way outside to the club just to get in. There was no doubt that this show was sold out.
As the doors opened, it was starting to get crowded way before the opener was even to be seen. Anyway, at 11:10PM the local Toronto opener Gentleman Reg had hit the stage in his American Apparel batwing black shirt and frosty-white platinum blonde hair and curls. Although I never heard of them personally, they have seemed to establish a name for themselves as a staple within the Toronto indie scene and are even signed to Toronto indie-label giant Arts & Crafts. Gentleman Reg with their steady following were a refreshing blend of good ol’ fashioned rock and roll, laced with steady punk-rock beats and the occasional touch of synthesizer. The sassy frosty-white vocalist Reg Vermue joked and flirted along with fans as the his soft female-like voice graced the microphones and even brought a solemn yet delightful ballad “Rewind” lamenting “There’s no point in going back when our masterpiece is crumbling”. In all, the opener was a pleasant and unsuspecting surprise that was both fun and delightful.
Shortly after, St. Vincent and her band took to the stage. Thinking they would play right away, instead they fidgeted around plugging in soundboards and such, a button here and a button there. I wasn’t sure what I was in for but I was sure it was something good. At a rather late 12:30AM St. Vincent finally took the stage with a nice and soft “Marry Me”. With frontwoman Annie Clark now on stage, the “legendary” Horseshoe Tavern was starting to feel like a can of sardines. When I refer to the word “legendary”, I’m basically saying old and small, but St. Vincent and company somehow managed to make it work. Dressed with three sheets of white fabric against the wall, they somehow brought color to the rather no-frills bar with vivid spotlights and the sound despite its size of the club was clear and audible.
The nice and soft opener “Marry Me” was a nice little example of the marvel that is the “Actor” record, however with the next song, that all seemed to change. Opening with a multitude of whimsical Disney-inspired woodwind arrangements, “Strangers” this slowly self-destructive song spiraled into a vicious blend of angry gut-wrenching/ass-kicking guitars that shook the very foundations of the building. With the audience obviously phased from that riveting performance, Annie toned down with “Save Me from What I Want” grooving along with tricky riffs and nice soothing vocals. Staring down at the rather full Horseshoe Tavern, Annie stopped suddenly to explain that there was something weird about the sound. All of a sudden the lights went low and ghost noises came out, sending a row of laughter down the venue. After she exclaimed that it was a long two-year absence from Toronto and that Canada was a big delicious piece of cake missing from her East Coast tour that she just had to eat up.
Following her little analogies, “Now, Now” finished with one hellishly awesome guitar solo while “Actor Out of Work” was a fast-paced song that help pick up the momentum before Annie would stop again to chat. With band emptying the stage, Miss St. Vincent had an intimate moment with the crowd and told that she was going to do something special. Following that statement, she added that as they say in America; “If it feels good do it… and I’m going to do it right now”. What later followed was the fact she was going to play the Beatles hit “Dig a Pony”. Although never hinting at the song she suggested that “you scream it out or clap if you know it” but then hilariously followed with a “…but I’m not going to tell you what to do. I’m not going to micromanage you”. Before moving on to the rather grimly titled track “Laughing with a Mouth of Blood” she explained that admiring her record requires a bit of black humor and continued with the sinister “Black Rainbow” and the anatomically-correct “Marrow”. Finally St. Vincent came to the end with “Just the Same but Brand New” which like all her songs start off in a fluttering, dovish-type manner before drowning out in noisy guitars. The song slowly evolved from a soft dream-pop sound into a fuzzy, distortion-filled nightmare.
St. Vincent left the stage briefly only to return with another encore. While I only normally use this word with extreme discretion, her next song “The Party” was something I would define as the word beautiful. Opening with Annie singing softly and the gentle plucking of the guitar and violin, a short flute solo followed midway and suddenly Annie burst out in the most captivating choir-like falsetto that continued for a good minute and more. With only one more song left, fans shouted for the last song out loud with Annie exclaiming “What is this a piano bar?”. Appropriately she left off with your “Your Lips are Red” a song that features Annie’s stark contrasts of light and heavy. When I was just thinking that nothing could be wilder than a few of the tracks I just heard, the closer was so violent that pieces of the hi-hat off the drum were literally coming off. The raging beast that was St. Vincent flooded the stage with pure distortion for a good minute before finally wilting away.
It was 1:30 AM by the time she finished but I’ve never been struck with such energy after the concert. Before I finish this review however, here’s my advice if you’re expecting the dainty little flower that is the studio magic of “Actor”. Go to the nearest St. Vincent concert near you. Do it now, but hey don’t say I didn’t warn you.
Setlist
Marry Me
Strangers
Save Me
Now, Now
Actor Out of Work
Dig a Pony
The Bed
Laughing with a Mouth of Blood
Black Rainbow
Marrow
Just the Same but Brand New
======================
The Party
Your Lips are Red