Angel Olsen
14th December 2016
Kings Arms Tavern, Auckland, New Zealand
Review by Sarah Kidd. Photography by Chris Zwaagdyk.
As twilight settles over Auckland and the moon hangs heavy and full just above the horizon, The Kings Arms seams are almost audibly creaking to accommodate the crowd for tonight’s sold out Angel Olsen gig. The audience is still jostling for the perfect spot – when a tall figure appears on stage, guitar strung across his front and hair flopping to the side. He steps up to the microphone and looks over the audience with a wonderfully disaffected stare – and then he begins to sing.
The last time Jack Ladder & the Dreamlanders were in NZ it was in support of Florence and the Machine. Tonight we are treated to a solo performance from the Sydney born singer. His baritone voice easily fills the room, the lyrics of his songs such as ‘Come on Back This Way’ from the 2014 album ‘Playmates’ are poignant. At times he is reminiscent of Nick Cave, with his melancholic subject matter and flawless delivery. A very impressive set was peppered with a few interludes of witty banter [as he tuned his guitar] in regards to t-shirt sizing (“couples discounts” he quipped) and the quality of NZ cucumbers.
After a short interlude – Olsen’s backing band cut a path across the stage in pale grey suits and bolo ties, exuding an aura of coolness most of us could only ever hope to achieve. Hailing from Missouri, Olsen, clad in culottes and a dusky pink satin blouse, her black guitar sitting just above her hip stepped out to enthusiastic applause. She looked straight out over the audience as she launched into ‘Never Be Mine’ from her latest album ‘My Woman’ [2016] – the lyrics resonating with every audience member who had ever had their heart broken. In fact, tonight the set were to pull heavily from Olsen’s latest album ‘My Woman’ with a staggering nine out of ten tracks being featured.
The swagger of the second track of the night ‘Hi-Five’ was infectious – a steely eyed Olsen, observed the audience as she leaned forward into the microphone. Slowly a wry smile moved across her face as she sang the opening lines of “Shut Up Kiss Me’ – everyone immediately bouncing into life as the catchy chorus was echoed back to the band. With the crowd whipped up, Olsen took the opportunity to compliment her fans “You guys look so hot tonight!” “What day is it?’ she asked. An audience member happily pointed out that not only was it Wednesday night but it was their birthday as well. “Well Happy Birthday!” Olsen replied “Thanks for sharing it with me – so intimate” she chuckled. This would be the first of a short series of comical banter that Olsen would hold with the audience throughout the night, involving everything from what alcohol everyone likes to drink to what to do in oversized t-shirts – [hint: take lots of naps]
A full length version of ‘Sister’ had the audience transfixed as the layers of guitars built to an absolute crescendo of a finish. As tendrils of smoke wound around the band members and out into the front row, Olsen slowly began to pluck her guitar – ‘Acrobat’ [from the 2012 album ‘Half Way Home’] featured some outstanding vocal abilities by Olsen, tonight being accompanied beautifully by keyboardist and backing vocalist Heather – the combination of the two voices exquisitely haunting. ‘Not Gonna Kill You’ once again picked up the tempo – and was quickly followed up with the rocky track ‘Forgiven/Forgotten’ from the 2014 album ‘Burn your fire for no witness’ An undeniably stonking version of ‘Give it Up’ rounded out the set, with Olsen wishing everyone good night. The audience by this point wasn’t having a bar of that though and a chant of “Angel, Angel” quickly reverberated around the venue.
Their enthusiasm paid off – as Olsen (accompanied by her keyboardist and lead guitarist) returned to the stage, Olsen having ditched her guitar in favour of a smaller keyboard instead. A delicious version of ‘Intern’ culminated in the three members holding up a hand each as they made the horns symbol to the audience with big grins on their faces. At which point the remaining members of the band strode out onto the stage for the final track of the night; a deep red light glowed across Olsen’s back as her vocals positively soared across the cool night air that was infiltrating the bar. And as Heathers vocals came in over the top – each and every fan was standing absolutely stock-still as if temporarily paralysed by the music itself. It was the perfect end to an exceptional night.
Were you there at Kings Arms Tavern to witness this amazing show? Or have you seen Angel Olsen somewhere else? Tell me about it in the comments below!
Setlist:
Never Be Mine
Hi-Five
Shut Up Kiss Me
Lights Out
Heart Shaped Face
Sister
Those Were The Days
Drunk And With Dreams
Acrobat
Not Gonna Kill You
Sweet Dreams
Forgiven/Forgotten
Give It Up
Intern [Encore]
Woman [Encore]
Want to relive last night’s show? You can purchase Angel Olsen’s ‘My Woman’ on Vinyl or CD from Mighty Ape NZ.