My Brightest Diamond at St Giles In The Field

My Brightest Diamond

Jess Bryant

St Giles In The Field, 17 November 2011

Shara Worden came dancing up the aisle at the start of the show at St Giles In The Field, literally. Wearing a white mask and a costume of felt orange flowers (also worn by the chamber assemble backing her tonight), she twisted and turned and pointed as in some kind of new tribal dance that was both theatrical and fun. After seeing St. Vincent last week at the Queen Elizabeth Hall I wondered what her fellow ex-Sufjan Stevens alumni, Worden, would be like, playing in a church no less, but this was something completely and charmingly different.

I know I always say it but I was surprised yet again at how tiny Shara is in the flesh, she just looked so petite and lovely, I wanted to hug her. The way she danced, laying chiffon scarves on the floor, swaying and ringing handbells as she moved, could well have been seen as pretentious and arty yet somehow with Worden and her theatrical music it seemed natural and just perfect, it actually reminded me of Kate Bush a little, a proper performance combining the visual with the music. Plus Shara just seemed so down to earth and sweet sharing stories and jokes. This particularly came to light during the last few songs when a drunk homeless guy seeking refuge in the church came ambling up to the front and began to talk loudly at Shara, which she dealt with like a pro. It could have been a truly awkward, horrible thing but she answered him with warmth and humour and kept the performance going not allowing him to disrupt or spoil a great show that had plenty of good feeling.

Backed by violins, various wind instruments and a brilliantly tribal drummer and occasionally picking up an instrument herself, from autoharp, kalimba, ukulele to the guitar (when she wasn't dancing around, something she breathlessly admitted she should have prepared for with "the My Brightest Diamond workout tape") the show was basically the gorgeous new album All Things Will Unwind played back to front. This suited me fine because it's one of my favourites this year and it sounded glorious and haunting in the beautiful, atmospheric St Giles In The Field. One thing I wasn't prepared for though was just how soaring and lovely Shara's voice is. I have seen her live before playing The Queen as part of The Decemeberists' Hazards Of Love rock opera and her voice was definitely impressive then but echoing in this quiet safe haven off Denmark Street, it somehow sounded even more pure and moving.

After the performance of the new album ended she returned by herself and strapped on an electric guitar and began a bluesy, soulful rendition of Nina Simone's Feeling Good. With the distorted, raw guitar echoing through the church and Worden's powerful voice soaring above, it really brought back just how incredible the song is and absolutely killed memories of Muse's horrible version. This is exactly how the song was meant to be heard and it sounded amazing. She also brought out Chris James of the band Stateless to perform for the first time a song they had recorded together for his solo album called I'm On Fire but the most special moment came with one of Shara's older songs, the only non-All Things Will Unwind track of the night, the stunning Inside A Boy. The chamber ensemble was absolutely beautiful but there's no doubt there is something special to hear Shara alone with just her guitar and it was a mesmerising end to an evening that was utterly unique and spellbinding. I left with a huge smile on my face.

Supporting Shara for the evening was a singer-songwriter from London called Jess Bryant. Accompanied by a friend singing backing vocals, she seemed shy and hid her face with her long brown hair as she hunched over her acoustic guitar. During her set I kept trying to think who she reminded me of and suddenly near the end it came to me: she sounds just like Mia Doi Todd on her earlier, stripped down records, with that deep, distinctive folkish voice of hers. She was definitely a pleasant listen but whether or not she's unique enough to distinguish herself from Todd and other female singer-songwriters out there remains to be seen.