Sharon Van Etten - KOKO, London - June 5, 2014 (Live Review)
Friday, 06 June 2014
Written by Huw Baines
Photo: Dusdin Condren
Coming soon to a merch table near you: Sharon Van Etten brand tissues. Stood stage left, she smiles at the front couple of rows after revealing her scheme, continuing the easy repartee that has been a constant feature of her set. Then, with advance warning, she turns to her piano and, shoulders rolling, delivers I Know, a solemn parting shot that perfectly encapsulates a wonderfully poised show.
Prior to her arrival on stage, there’s a palpable sense of expectation. Some of this at least seems to stem from the emotional power of ‘Are We There’, her recently-released new record, and it’s easy to see why the crowd, a sell out, arrived prepared to be bummed out in glorious fashion.
KOKO, with its crimson proscenium, has some of the brutal grandeur of the album, which charts the end of an important relationship in a refreshingly unvarnished manner.
Live, Van Etten’s cheerful, sharp wit and playful interaction with her band provide further evidence of the songs as therapy, the more visceral moments given added power by the swift changes in atmosphere.
Van Etten’s voice, even as she battles a cold, is the sort that cuts short conversations. The opening line of Afraid Of Nothing silences a small cadre of city boys who have clearly been working on a red wine funk since 5.05, while her harmonies, in tandem with Heather Woods-Broderick, are perfectly poised, notably on Every Time The Sun Comes Up, the main set’s final song, which is recreated with the same loose charm that emanates from its recorded version.
Tarifa, meanwhile, loses the horns to become a bruising slice of Americana, Van Etten nodding her head and staring at a fixed point as she sings: “Chew me out when I’m stupid”. The setlist favours ‘Are We There’, but several forays into her back catalogue turn up gems. Serpents, from ‘Tramp’, is given a shot of Sonic Youth, while Give Out’s chorus pulls off the rare trick of being both complex and direct.
As the evening winds down, a teary Van Etten runs through a list of thanks, stopping repeatedly at the crowd before her. We’ve all been to enough shows to know when this stuff is real and here, there’s little doubt that it is and that the feeling is mutual. Earlier in the set, one audience member waited for a lull to shout ‘we love you’. Van Etten looked up from tuning momentarily: “Dad?”
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