Herald Young Critics

Sharon Van Etten

Leith Theatre

Ryan Gilhooly

four stars

SHARON Van Etten has a talent for making her most toxic stories of love come to life in a calming yet entertaining way. The majority of her songs explore her shattered tales of love, which adds weight and an emotional touch to her music. Her quirky and warm personality came to light during the whole show, and in turn she received a huge amount of praise.

Her First song, Jupiter 4, explored her emotional journey of finding love. The surroundings of the theatre complemented this song perfectly. The crumbling walls and tattered floors resembled her broken relationships in the past and added to the dramatic impact of the song. The audience was touched by her deep and meaningful lyrics.

One of Sharon’s most iconic songs, Comeback Kid, was played during the middle of the concert. Van Etten’s wonderfully confident personality shone through during this captivating song. The singer's powerful voice boomed across the venue as she performed the main chorus. Her energetic performance on stage enthralled me.

What I loved about Sharon Van Etten was her comedic interactions with the audience. The crowd erupted with laughter after she introduced a song about her family and then proceeded to say, “It’s my least favourite song.” It’s the little moments like these that make this incredible artist memorable.

The entire night was captivating and inspiring. Sharon Van Etten’s passion and energy had a huge influence on myself. It is clear that she has a limitless gift of music creation.

*Ryan Gilhooly is a pupil at Portobello High School and this review was submitted as part of The Herald Young Critics project with the Edinburgh International Festival.

 

More Portobello High reviews of Sharon Van Etten appear below:

Festival Music

Sharon Van Etten

Leith Theatre

Erin Menelaws-McCririe

four stars

 

THE isolated in pain but raw and empowered vocals of Sharon van etten resonates amid an abandoned dreamscape. Leith theatre providing the perfect backdrop for the reminiscences of sorrow and the song of praise for a heroine of hope. Sharon Van Etten a New Jersey native singer, anatomised feelings of longing throughout her discography.

 

Leith theatre barren but decadent in an air of anticipation, transformed with childish wonderment. The decay of the buildings interior is insignificant as the walls awash with a wave of  illumination. Hosting an intimate performance that showcases Van Etten’s thrilling exploration of synth-rock, coming from a place of sorrowful folk-songs of soul barring in the face of aggression and affection.

 

She explores her heartache publicly on stage with a fragility soaring into inthralling surges of virtue. She takes on an impersonal but intimate look at the audience, as she performs on stage with the affinity of a bedroom performance.

 

In a 2014 interview Van Etten stated she doesn’t know why she makes music-who was if for? Herself? Surely not, too self indulgent. She speaks of the personal nature of her music and how she is dazed by others intrigue, citing her performances as therapy on stage.

 

One lyric resonated with me-“I want my scars to help and heal” leading me to believe that in Van Etten making music for herself, she Is really making music for all who experience heartache-she is a musical heroine of hope, who is proof of healing in the wake of sorrow.

 

 

Festival Music

Sharon Van Etten

Leith theatre

Finlay Mayers

four stars

 

NOW on her fifth album, Remind me tomorrow, Van Etten brings to the stage a

gut punch of raw, folk rock conviction. The lighting is bold yet never distractingly flashy

or theatrical, adding to the sincerity and atmosphere Van Etten’s commanding stage

presence providing the energy needed to elevate the often already ecstatic sonic environment. Animated, she bounces across the stage during moments of grungy power,

and tones down beautifully amid more contemplative moments in the set.

 

The filthy sounds of her latest forays into electronic-driven music are a stand out;

wobbling bass and ethereal synth arpeggios coupled with Van Ettten’s familiar folk-rock

stylings creating a wonderful postpunk-meets-Springsteen quality, with influences ranging

from Kate bush and Thom Yorke, to contemporaries like Fiona Apple and the wonderful

Heather Woods Broderick, who as well as providing the show’s opener, supplies

the close, poignant vocal harmonies driving much of Van Etten’s music.

 

Van Etten’s voice is smoky and mature, her poetry consistently overt and raw;

whilst lyrically sometimes frustratingly blatant, the conviction in performance convincingly

holds the songs together. Instrumentally, whilst never virtuosic, the sincerity on

stage is captivating, with the audience singing along with gusto to a wonderfully

stripped back rendition of “Sunshine on Leith”, and joining in the electrifying climax of

noise at the apex of “Hands”. Even if you haven’t been particularly captivated by Van

Etten’s previous efforts, the fiery style of her recent releases make this show well worth

it. “Maybe I am a little crazy,” she muses.

 

Festival Music

Sharon Van Etten

Leith Theatre

Orla Troup

four stars

 

SHARON Van Etten – accompanied by the hauntingly beautiful vocals of Heather Woods Broderick and her band – certainly brought Sunshine on Leith.

The show, part of the Edinburgh International Festival, included support from Woods Broderick who brought not just rich, reminiscent vocals to the main act but to her own set as well. She delicately projected an honest, caramel glaze in her sound; and a reverb effect danced her voice across the hall. But with driving synth and bass, Van Etten’s show definitely took a different – yet similarly stunning – road.

Effortlessly strutting across the stage, Van Etten teased the audience – reaching out to them and captivating those at the front with an intense stare from beneath her silky 80s hairstyle. She held a direct intimacy with the hundreds, which was greatly received as well as her passionate gratitude for people coming to the show – her genuine surprise was uncharacteristic for such a popular artist. Among the audience, gazes of absolute adoration did not falter as she alternated between her different musical styles. With sarcasm, style and self depreciation she subtly brought out a chuckle from many.

Her set was varied; while some songs recalled the likes of Phoebe Bridgers and The Cranberries, her heavier songs with synth in particular overwhelmingly screamed Perfume Genius. However, no matter the style, it was undeniably apparent that Sharon Van Etten poetically displayed a yearning honesty in every note. She wore her heart on her sleeve; carrying her vulnerability with a sense of pride and healing.

 

Festival Music

Sharon Van Etten

Leith Theatre

Daniel Ivri-Milton

two stars

 

 

SHARON Van Etten is a songwriter/musician who often finds inspiration in her unpleasant or toxic relationships, this leads to many of her songs talking about her personal experiences with love. In the concert Sharon Van Etten even said ‘you find love in unexpected places and you have to embrace it’ leading me to believe that love and personal relationships are a very important topic to her. This makes her seem more genuine which adds a larger impact and depth to her music.

 

The performance was good with no major mistakes apart form a miss start on ‘Malibu’ which Van Etten quickly and successfully turned into a joke. Her charismatic quips and comments also brought some laughter to the audience throughout the performance creating a more personal connection with the audience, the house acoustics were amazing, the bass sending tremors through the floor and the drums shaking me to the core the room was uncomfortable.

 

For the most part, I enjoyed the concert and the venue severely impacted my experience. My place on the floor meant I was standing for the whole concert, the venue was extremely hot and stuffy to the point someone had to leave for air. A few of her songs where badly balanced meaning some instruments were lost to loud chords or thumping drums and some of the songs where a little pretentious or repetitive.

 

Although the performance was good the music was not good enough for me to recommend unless you are a particularly devoted fan.

 

 

Festival Music

Sharon Van Etten

Leith Theatre

Erdal Bayraktar

four stars

 

THIS past Wednesday Sharon Van Etten and her unified band mates played to delighted fans with all the passion and talent you’d expect. After a warmup by one of her band mates Heather Woods Broderick there was much anticipation for when Sharon finally appeared on stage to a screaming crowd.  As she played unique variations of some of her best song she ranged everywhere from slow and relaxed to upbeat and thunderous, the mix in tone between the songs was a good pallet cleanser that kept things interesting and helped convey the passion behind the music.

 

Additionally the production design of the whole show helped emphasise the power of the music and generally helped to dramatise the performance of her and her talented musicians. As well as this I found her to be quite down to earth as several times during the show she spoke directly to the audience and expressed enormous gratitude for the love they were showing her as well as her love for Edinburgh and told us what she was doing while she was here.

 

Finally in a tribute to the city and the location of the venue, near the end of the show she went on to sing the beloved song ‘Sunshine on Leith’ which of course only acted to make the audience go crazy as she sung her heart out and then followed this with ‘Seventeen’ and a few of her greatest hits before thanking the audience and her crew with immense gratitude and modesty.

 

Festival Music

Sharon Van Etten

Leith Theatre

Rhadija Kabir

four stars

SHARON Van Etten is a singer-songwriter from New Jersey. Her music genre is Indie rock, Folk music and Folk rock. Last night I attended Sharon Van Etten’s concert at Leith Theatre in Edinburgh.

The slightly rundown venue suited the atmosphere of the concert perfectly with mist as an extra added touch. The lighting at the show was used in a strategic way to immerse the audience into the show. Lights in sync with the music and the heavy beat of the drums in her band made me feel excited about the songs Sharon and her band were playing.

Her stage presence was incredibly enthusiastic, and you could tell that she enjoyed taking time to talk to us as her audience. She even earned a few laughs. She was friendly, seemed unapologetically honest and funny. Her dancing on stage was interesting.

I found myself smiling at whatever moves she was making to enhance her music. When she played Seventeen, one of her more popular songs, I found myself strangely feeling connected to her lyrics, even though I’m not even 17 yet. “I used to be free. I used to be seventeen.”

Her story felt relatable to me even though I hadn’t been through exactly what she was singing of, it felt familiar. Although Sharon’s music was exciting, a definite favourite of the audiences was her rendition of The Proclaimers Sunshine on Leith. It sounded like she had managed to get everyone in the audience singing along with her.

It was astounding.

 

Festival Music

Sharon Van Etten

Leith Theatre

Solly Mayers

four stars 

THE silhouette of Sharon Van Etten appeared onstage shrouded in mist, her beguiling voice fortifying the theatrical entrance. With an abrupt flash of atmospheric lights, and the spotlight falling upon her, the performance commenced. With an outstanding opening number, punctuated with enchanting vocals and energetic dancing, her stint onstage started on a definite high note.

Sharon commanded the audience’s attention, not just with her moving singing and dancing, but with her grounded humour and engaging banter between songs. Throughout the course of the evening, she performed numerous pieces, from bouncy, joyous tunes to more somber, mellow melodies that despite the notable difference in tone, didn’t decrease in quality one bit; an audience favourite being the Proclaimers’ , “Sunshine on Leith”, paying homage to the city of Edinburgh and its people.

She delivered an electric performance, her voice and accompanying instruments reverberating off the theatre walls creating a decidedly moveable beat, that the audience, although not as forthcoming with dance at first, were soon moving freely and effortlessly to. Sharon, without a doubt, gave herself as well as the audience a thoroughly enjoyable experience.

I entered with high expectations, which she didn’t fail to meet and surpass in granting a truly spellbinding performance, taking us through many highs and lows with her captivating singing and lyrical rhetoric, which the audience rewarded with raucous applause. A commendable concert, with solid delivery from the supporting act as well, that can be called nothing less than one of the finest productions of the Festival.

 

Festival Music

Sharon Van Etten

Leith Theatre

Louis Polson

four stars

WITH an artist like this you know there will be distinct guitar shreds, thundering drums and zen like wind chimes, all wrapped together in mellow and yellow tunes. Sharon Van Etten managed to captive an audience with her mystical dances and spooky hand movements. Despite some technical setbacks, she managed to create a show so intense it nearly knocked over the derelict Leith Theatre.

From the very beginning as the lights began to dim and the smoke machines twirled, already we knew what sort of performance we were getting. Shadowy figures littered the stage as she appeared from the darkness to perform her first song Jupiter 4. With her captivating but simple voice along with her impressive partner in singing Heather Woods Broderick, they managed to create an unsettling but inviting tone to welcome you with.

The rest of the show had strong highlights, including her down to earth charm. But she didn’t just captivate the audience with her words outside of her performances, as whenever she sung about toxic relationships and downright miserable times the crowd stood with her whilst she let her heart out.

Some songs however didn’t quite mesh well, I was just bobbing my head when what seems like the same songs played. But the performance of Hands which made the entire venue erupt at the end. Along with the surprise performance of Sunshine on Leith, these did more than make up for the faults.

Whilst it isn’t the masterpiece of all music, I’ll remember it.