St. Vincent has had quite a year. On the strength of her superb self titled album and stellar live performances on shows like SNL, Annie Clark has effectively left no doubt as to who the queen of indie rock is. Perched high on top of a stage pedestal on Saturday night at Yonge & Dundas square, her headline slot at NXNE felt more like a coronation. All hail Queen Annie.
Playing a set mainly consisting of new material, St. Vincent’s tracks popped to life and reminded us just how excellent pop songs Digital Witnesses and Birth in Reverse are. Between the tracks and epic guitar solos (a St. Vincent show trademark) were random blurbs about space ships and childhoods and now we are all alike. I’m sure most of us were a bit like wtf but we still rolled with it.
Having only seen her previously in small venues, it was great to see how much she had evolved as a performer. Almost everything seems calculated, the robotic dance moves, the synced up choreography with the rest of the band and the semi matching outfits. On a teeny boy band, it would seem cliche. In the presence of St. Vincent, it seems like we are witnessing an art rock production. Not many white people can pull off corn rows, yet there she was on stage with cornrows and not a single person doubted it’s place. When you’ve reached that level, you know you are doing something right as an artist. One of the best sets at NXNE.
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