A negative review of a St Vincent concert in the current issue of Uncut. Will the writer (a woman) be accused of ‘sexism ‘, I wonder?
Pre- recorded backing tracks, with no band, never works in the live context, in my opinion. It's not live music. Lady Gaga: the act St. Vincent could have been.
'The problem is that the smart, flesh-and-blood maxiimalism of the new album is bafflingly at odds with this flat, theatrically brittle and disengaged live staging. Clark's richly expressive voice is on great form, but the songs seem anaesthetised somehow, and there's no evidence of her wicked sense of humour. Despite its gesturing toward flashiness and fun, the show is low on energy and oddly joyless.'
'Clark's heroes, Bowie and Prince, never flew entirely solo at their peaks, and neither have Minnelli, Madonna or Lady Gaga, whose appreciation of high-end razzmatazz Clark shares, even if her interpretation is different. There's an argument to be made that no performer is responsible for their audience's expectations or obliged to satisfy them. But whatever anyone might have presumed this St Vincent show would be, lacklustre was almost certainly not it.'
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