“Show of hands, who has a Prince Albert?” These were some of the first – and only – words spoken by St. Vincent at the Royal Albert Hall on Saturday evening. Interestingly, the number of hands raised was not insignificant.
The Oklahoma-born alt-rock sensation brought together an odd jumble of fans for the only London stop on her All Born Screaming tour. The crowd ranged from overtly loved-up couples in their 40s (the singer herself is 41), to older ex-rocker types, plus a smattering of intimidating, Matrix-inspired art school students. There were also, of course, many lesbians – who have largely claimed St. Vincent as their own since she publicly dated both Kristen Stewart and Cara Delevigne (the musician describes herself as sexually ‘fluid’).
And really, what better way to kick-off Pride month than with a sapphic heroine emerging as a silhouette, through the shining archway of a church door? At least, that was briefly the illusion.
Opening with the haunting piano pangs of Reckless, the second track from her eighth studio album All Born Screaming, the stage came alive as the song reached its dramatic crescendo. From there on out, the dark, pulsing energy remained consistent.
The shapeshifting star stayed true to this era’s newest, brooding character, wearing a skirt-suit that matched the colour of her raven hair, cinched at the waist but never preventing her from rolling about the stage or falling to her knees.
She returned to her 2017 album Masseduction for songs Fear the Future and fan favourite Los Ageless, before jumping back to her most recent album for Big Time Nothing – a track that was made for the venue’s cylindrical, reverberating walls.
Her white hot, endlessly cool enigma was upheld through growling vocals and very little interaction with the crowd. Though there was, at one point, an almost-stage dive, as she played subdued hit New York.
Highlights included a beautiful, wailing performance of Pay Your Way in Pain; the chaotic legs-in-the-air emotion of Sugarboy; and the Broken Man baseline that danced on every vertebrae of the spine.
Finishing where she started, the show closed with St. Vincent vanishing into an archway of white lights, accompanied by the celestial ending vocals of All Born Screaming. Whether her intent was to take us to church or not, she certainly had the Royal Albert Hall worshipping at her altar.
