Last night of the UK tour for Portland’s quirky and enduringly engaging folk-pop performer proved a warm and uplifting evening, despite the sense of foreboding and fragility running through new album The Lookout.
Written as a reflection on “the fleeting beauty of life … and the chaos of post-election America”, The Lookout was showcased pretty much in its entirety – a plangent, melodic succession of vignettes shot through with lyricism and some great tunes, kept tense by that sense of worry about the future.
When It Grows Darkest, Everybody Needs You, Seven Falls, Heavy Petals and Watch Fire were standouts, and as the beauty and wistfulness of The Meadow finished, you could have heard a pin drop.
With a supremely assured multi-instrumentalist backing band of Alex Guy (viola/violin), Eli Moore (guitar/bass) and Matt Berger (drums/keys) Veirs also dropped in gems from her extensive back catalogue including Spelunking, Sun is King, Galaxies and Wide Eyed, Legless, and encored with Mountains of the Moon and Sun Song.
Her music, full of heart, intelligence and honesty, saw a buoyant crowd leave buzzing and uplifted.
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The other day we had a great show in London and I just felt very alive, very much like I was giving what I can give, which is … my heart, really, and soul – and my words and my melodies, and my guitar playing – I care so much about that – and I work really hard, and it felt like it was coming back to me, you know, in this really nice, positive feedback system. And there are other days when I think ‘maybe there’s something else for me?’ You know … I don’t know what I’m supposed to be doing. Read the full interview with Laura Veirs here.