Reviewed onTuesday December 6
If you ever want to see a fully mesmerised, perfectly quiet audience, go to an Angel Olsen show. Touring in support of her recently released record My Woman, the Missouri singer-songwriter treated a packed-out Factory Theatre to her markedly refined alt-country dissertations, topped by her appropriately heavenly, lilting vocals.
Opening up proceedings was Sydney’s own Jack Ladder making one of his few live appearances this year, and in an equally rare acoustic mode. Without the accompaniment of The Dreamlanders, Ladder’s stripped-back performance felt like a return to his solo roots, with wry one-liners such as “we go together like salami and jam” jutting out from his ruminations as intended. Playing songs primarily from his last two records, Ladder’s reflective poetry and biting humour served as a perfect foil for the headliner.
The image of a backing band wearing teal Western suits (complete with bolo ties), fronted by Olsen wearing a simple lime green dress, spoke volumes about her music even before the group played a note. Much like the dress code, Olsen’s performance both celebrated and took cues from a rich history of country and blues from America’s South, while fostering an inward-looking voice that’s as tender as the heart it speaks for.
Opener ‘Never Be Mine’ was met with rapturous applause, the crowd captivated by a chorus of guitars and Olsen’s soaring country queen intonations. As the evening progressed, hands were clasped around partners’ waists and loved ones were held tight; standing at the back of the room, you could see romance slowly filter through the audience. Even when singing of pain and despair, Olsen exudes a warm empathy that shone atop the alt-country interplay. At times you could hear her practically whisper into the microphone.
However, through the soaring crescendos and sure-fire pop moments (‘Shut Up Kiss Me’ was a real highlight), it was moments of slow, quiet reflection that felt at once the most anachronistic and traditional. Concluding with a treacle-slow rendition of ‘Intern’, Olsen impressed once more with an angelic vocal performance, lilting atop tinny string pads and casting forth a melody like heaven’s gates opening. The shimmering synth spilled over into one last memento from Olsen – the closing track ‘Woman’, a sprawling meditation on womanhood. The line “I dare you to understand / What makes me a woman” rang throughout the theatre.
