It’s not often I encounter a show which is so fulfilling yet simultaneously sorrowful. Spearheading this elusive lineup was the frontwoman of the successful indie-folk outfit Big Thief, Adrianne Lenker, who recently embarked on her solo work to produce her most recent LP released last year, abysskiss. With support from another female singer-songwriter cherishing such folk roots, this evening at London's Union Chapel marked the turning of the tide in folk - with less focus on the ubiquitous trite pop angle of the genre, but rather returning to its roots of simple, melodic guitar refrains, disparate vocals, and a unique take on the world and one's self.
Hailing from Boston, the supporting role in tonight’s lineup came from Ella Williams, otherwise known as Squirrel Flower, who released her second LP ‘Contact Sports’ last year, garnering a fair bit of appraisal. “Infectious songwriting” and “euphoric” were some of the terms attached to her music, beautifully translating into a soothing live set to commence the proceedings at London’s reverberating-master Union Chapel. Utilising only a guitar, some simple tones, and her vocals, Squirrel Flower exuded a powerful array of heartfelt emotions across a string of tracks which felt somewhat reminiscent of Mitski’s earlier work. Some particularly memorable tracks off her latest LP, ‘Conditions’ and ‘Not Your Prey’, tussle with Flower’s search for independence buried beneath some heart-wrenching lyricism, ‘to give up my belongings, the little things, is to be free of the chains that keep me here, lying in your arms’. The final track of ‘Midwestern Clay’ at last ruptured into the higher end of her vocal range orgasmically resonating throughout the venue pricking up the ears of all in attendance. It is my only wish that she implores in herself to exude this facet more in her music, as this adds such a stark contrast in her softer and more intimate vocals laden in the majority of the tracks.
As the clock struck 9pm on Tuesday night, all in attendance sat religiously in their respective pews, and awaited the folk juggernaut of Adrianne Lenker to enter into the fray of the chapel's sold-out audience. Having brought eager fandom to her 4-piece indie-folk outfit Big Thief over the past few years, Lenker has made a name for herself in the scene - premised by her personally excavating lyrical content and impressive, albeit unique, guitar playing. Commencing her set with the ascending chromatic-scale starter track from her latest LP, ‘Terminal Paradise’, Lenker reinforced this ambient and somewhat ethereal tone within the capacious venue. Her unique, unrefined, and beautifully delicate voice rang true through the audience as she imparted her poetic lyricism within the final lines of the track, ‘I will blossom in your sail, every dream and waking hour’.
The following three tracks were also taken from her latest LP released last October, ‘Abyss Kiss’, ‘Symbol’, and ‘Cradle’, truly portrayed the sheer talent of Lenker’s guitar plucking abilities along with her emotionally-tied voice - harmoniously lacing together into a package of ultimate folk transcendence. For the variation of guitar melodies, ranging from the brooding Radiohead-esque riff of ‘Symbol’, to the softer and more fragile tones of ‘Cradle’, Lenker exuded the versatility in her repertoire, and yet again reinforced my statement within my review of her LP - ‘to be reckoned as one of the most intriguing indie-folk albums of the year’.
Nevertheless, the set did not go without its mishaps as the inevitable awkward tunings between songs interrupted the overall fluency of the set and may have alluded to the fact that Lenker perhaps requires a guitar technician to provide this service for her. Moreover, Lenker threw another spanner in the works with an attempted rendition of any earlier track of hers entitled ‘Spud Infinity’ - momentarily forgotten the first verse of the song and eventually commencing from the second verse which offered a humorous respite for the audience. Littering her set with some unexpected inclusions of previously-unreleased songs, this unpolished facade of Lenker provides a unique and somewhat eventful basis for her shows. Having seen Big Thief twice over the past couple of years, I feel as if this is not far from normality - an undeniably talented and intriguing artist who plays on her ungainly disposition to perhaps lighten the mood of the heavy-handed discography being performed.
Whilst her on-stage presence has remained consistent, one factor which has evolved over the years is her songwriting - markedly shown when delving into the deeper depths of her discography on tracks such as ‘Angels’ and ‘Hours Were the Birds’. These tracks consisted a much more straightforward take on such folk tropes with regular time signatures, less elusive lyricism, and less ambitious vocal melodies. This particular facet is a true measure how far Lenker’s songwriting abilities have come since those songs were released roughly 5 years ago and one can only hope that she retains her ambitious nature within her personal work.
In the latter half of the set, Lenker relied on her more recent work to cross the finishing line. Tracks such as ‘From’ and ‘10 Miles’, preyed more delicately upon the textured vocals of Lenker as she recited her worldly views on topics such as birth and death. Both heart-wrenching songs to the core, her stoic lyricism on these two inevitabilities in life offered such an intriguing tangent from many run-of-the-mill songwriters of today’s current folk scene. One factor that was sorely missed during these tracks in their live format, however, was the extra instrumentation balanced throughout the recorded LP - from extra light guitars and pianos simmering in the background, to soft percussive beats anchoring the song, to the layered vocals condensing Lenker’s already-desperate vocal delivery. As Julia Holter’s entourage proved in their set last December, I believe these added live instruments would have transcended this sonic experience even further above the holy realm of the Union Chapel.
Culminating the evening with a characteristically unexpected choice, Lenker performed a yet-unreleased song entitled ‘Cut My Hair’. Featuring some harmonious vocal and guitar melodies, Lenker ultimately came to the fore with her heavily-symbolic, and somewhat cryptic, lyricism on love and relationships. Lines such as ‘Make a clean incision, hold me for ransom, tell me I’m pretty, tell me I’m rare’, embarked on such visceral and tangible imagery for the audience - almost reminiscent of Lou Reed or Nick Cave’s dark and heartbroken lyricism amongst their respective work.
Likening Lenker to Reed may seem a monumental step, however, her emotionally-perturbed lyricism does conjure a similar resemblance to the legendary musician, as well as Joni Mitchell, Bob Dylan, and Joan Baez, to name a few. Nevertheless, stated in my LP review of abysskiss, Lenker can unequivocally contend with her fellow indie-folk contemporaries, namely Damien Jurado and Mount Eerie - and this particular live set only reinforced her mark on the current scene. Not only did she produce one of the finest folk albums of last year, but has also followed through with a captivating live performance within an almost-perfect venue still tinged by the resonation of her delicate vocals. In spite of her slight on-stage imperfections, Lenker has evolved significantly from the simplified sounds of her first two LPs 5 years ago and has ultimately emerged as one of the most notable singer-songwriters of the decade - I'm sure the sold-out audience at the Union Chapel would attest to that, too.
8/10
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