St. Vincent

Give it all away, you give it all away

‘Cause the whole world’s watching you

All eyes on her. It's impossible not to talk about magnetic seduction when introducing the charismatic figure of Annie Clark, aka St. Vincent, the prodigy who passed through the ranks of Glenn Branca and Sufjan Stevens, and through Tim DeLaughter's big band, The Polyphonic Spree, before taking flight with the debut "Marry Me", amid baroque-pop flourishes, art-rock experimentation and jazz touches, and finally reaching her status as a glamour diva devoted to art-pop from "MASSEDUCTION" onward. Back in the spotlight with the excellent "All Born Screaming", the Tulsa-born artist included a stop on her supporting tour at Fabrique in Milan, a full six years after her last visit to Italy, at Circolo Magnolia.

Doing the honours is the intense voice of Anna B Savage, who appears on stage in a stunning coral red dress, a colour the artist loves and often sports, to perform a solo set of just over a handful of tracks, juggling backing tracks and acoustic guitar. After a gradual start entrusted to "Corncrakes", the only song drawn from "A Common Turn" (2021), the English singer-songwriter introduces, with that touch of irony that has always set her apart, the new "Donegal", which will appear on the album due out at the end of January 2025, "You And I Are Earth" (officially announced just a few days after the show). The rest of the performance focuses exclusively on her latest release "in|FLUX" (2023), with emphasis on the torments carried by the unsettling rhythms of "The Ghost", a brighter "Pavlov's Dog" and some moves on the title track.

Clark's is a star's entrance, lit up in dim half-light, and flanked by vampish bassist Charlotte Kemp Muhl, guitarist Jason Falkner, Rachel Eckroth on keyboards, and Mark Guiliana on drums, ready to build momentum on the drumming and shimmering tail end of "Reckless". It takes off with the opening double shot from "MASSEDUCTION", featuring the powerful riffs of "Fear The Future" and the electropop flashes of "Los Ageless".

Throughout the concert, amid constant changes, a parade of the American musician's signature guitars file past; black, red, white, and every shade in between. The funky, seductive airs of "Big Time Nothing" come paired with dance moves that carry on through the razor-sharp phrasing of "Marrow", giving way to an intimate, minimal version of "Violent Times", carried solely by Annie's voice. The mood stays low-key amid the jazzy flourishes of "Dilettante", before rising again with the funk-soul choruses of "Pay Your Way In Pain" and the guitar-riffs of "Digital Witness". Some of the finest moments come courtesy of the prominent guitars on "Sweetest Fruit", beefed up live, the sing-alongs on "Flea", and Guiliana's lengthy closing drum solo on "Cheerleader".

The long-awaited, explosive "Broken Man" once again proves to be one of the live peaks, just as it is on record, paving the way for the fast, clattering rush of "Birth In Reverse" and a new moment of calm with the languid "Hell Is Near" and "Candy Darling". The second pair of tracks pulled from "MASSEDUCTION" sees Annie first give herself over to crowdsurfing, letting the jubilant crowd cradle her through the cabaret-style notes of "New York", then ramp the energy back up on "Sugarboy", a propulsive push toward the show's closer, "All Born Screaming".

The brief final act includes a subtly "self-promotional" encore, with Annie returning to the stage to perform "Somebody Like Me", accompanied only by light keyboard notes, sporting a t-shirt from her own tour.

St. Vincent's captivating concert experience now leans ever more heavily on the performance side, compared to the past when the artist played more, but the perfectly calibrated rollercoaster between more intimate moments and others that are more rock or pop—all of them consistently excellent, and without losing an ounce of bite—makes it an unmissable event.

Ride the wave of great music

Add OndaRock to your favorite sources on Google Discover. Don't miss our reviews, milestones and latest news straight in your feed.

Follow on Google