Well, I certainly don't think any of it is pretentious -- that's absolutely the wrong word -- but it is theatrical and affected. That's the point. She's spoken openly about wanting to do something more staged and theatrical for this tour. She didn't do so in the past, and who knows if she'll do it again. But that's what this tour is all about.

Which is not to say you have to like it, but it seems weird to criticize it for being exactly what it's designed to be.

She has the very best (aka 'coolest') A&R/PR people available in Europe. I'm usually allergic to anything the tastemakers push on us via radio or media. She's probably suffered because of that, here at least. She's almost entirely supported by the hipsters and wannabes. (the most fickle audience of all.) She's divided opinion entirely.

As to the theatrics, we have a Bjork. We don't need a low rent copy. Not to be unkind, but her antics really got in the way of the music. It didn't work and that the tent she was in was half empty by the end of her set, bears that out. She wasn't even clashing with anyone major, Beck was mainstage 30 mins later.

The Irish Times disagrees with me...no surprises there

Picnic highs: St Vincent - all you can do is worship
Peter Crawley

Stylised opera: St. VincentPhotograph: by Andrew Benge/Redferns via Getty Images)
Artist: St Vincent
Venue: Electric Arena

Date Reviewed: August 31st, 2014
5 stars
“You could review this as theatre,” says the guy beside me - and he’s a playwright. It’s one hell of a show. St Vincent, or Annie Clarke before she was canonised, arrives to her stage in a stylised opera and rattles through a series of songs - none simple, all transfixing - with a precision choreography. Without the elaborately zany stage devices of last year’s appearance (such as David Byrne), her set looks a little austere this time around, but she and her band fill it with her favoured animatronic motion, stunning gestures for stimulating sounds. Clarke is an unreal guitarist - actually, her guitar sounds unreal, transformed through an array of tech into something otherworldly. She claims affinity with the freaks, which the nasty strut of Marrow and drifting, stuttering lines of Surgeon affirm. And if the theatrics of Cheerleader or Birth in Reverse suggest that all these wild fireworks are the consideration of a control freak, her utterly fearless last acts - letting the crowd bash at her axe like a piñata, before returning - somehow - wearing a lurid Lucha Libre mask, have a thrilling edge. All you can do is worship.
In Three Words: Something completely different.


and a regular punter on boards.ie's response to my review above:

Love the music, have two of her albums and the one she did with David Byrne. I found her set totally sterile and devoid of life, if you'd seen it on tele from Glastonbury or any of the other gigs she's done lately then you've seen this and it's choreographed to the milisecond. Gave up and just left. I don't mind affected or pretentious if it's part of an act and makes sense in the act but this was overly polished and soulless which is a pity as she's such a talent, a bit of roughing up the stage act would go a long way for her.

then

I think she's amazing and absolutely love the music. The theatrics were interesting the first time I saw her and wasn't expecting it, but would be happy to see her dump them for future tours. Her little speech to the crowd was a bit cringe worthy too. However the music more than makes up for that, I loved it.


I left after she made a speech. Was just disinterested.

Oh God…I forgot that. That was the second most cringeworthy moment of the weekend, Outkast girl obviously being the absolute winner in that category.


Disappointment - St Vincent. Self-indulgent and sterile I thought.



So disappointed in St Vincent, she was in my top 3 to see and it was all a bit meh. Not awful but not great but that was probably the only low point.

wanna hear a truly great band, look up François and the Atlas mountains...they were amazing..

What was the speech she made that was so cringe-worthy?

When the new album came out and she started doing the talk shows, I was VERY turned off by the "robot-isms (for lack of a better term)" ... It was too distracting from her amazing sonic assault with an electric guitar. I'm over all that now, and think it's a pretty cool (but hopefully temporary) peek into her personality.

She IS Mad as a Hatter!

She's amazing and everything she is doing is perfect.

Sometimes I wish I had such low standards.

Thanks so much for your invaluable input.

And to think I do it all for free.

I hate your insults and most of your opinions but I'd kill myself if you ever left us.

Well I can't leave in the middle of a tournament but let me get back to you about this later.

Wait, how did I end up in the Mynabirds thread?

Man, her last album is fucking awesome.

Groovy as hell.

Aw huh

Just noticed who started this thread. All becomes clear.

Guys, I got my vinyl copies of Marry Me and Actor in the mail yesterday! Gonna spin the fuck outta dem ladies TO. NIGHT.