Anna Calvi at Troxy

Anna Calvi
Woman's Hour
Troxy, 8 February 2014

Out on a cold and windy February night for my first gig of 2014, this time to see the outstanding Anna Calvi who I have wanted to see live since her superb Mercury-nominated debut came out in 2011. I have actually seen Calvi live once before but in her old band Cheap Hotel back in 2007, supporting Jesse Sykes at the Monto Water Rats. Most support acts at the smaller venues are instantly forgettable but while the band itself wasn't anywhere near as good as Calvi's solo work, there was definitely something about Calvi that was memorable: maybe it was her smart style, her strong, clear transfixing vocals but mainly, I think it was the sight of a powerful woman confidently yielding a loud guitar. I admit I didn't fall under her spell back then though but I instantly recognised her when suddenly her first solo effort deservedly began gathering acclaim and by the time her magnificent second LP, One Breath, came out last year I couldn't wait to finally see her live again.

First though were the support acts, the first of which (Anna Meredith) I unfortunately missed but I arrived just in time to catch the female-led synth band Woman's Hour. There's been quite a few bands of this ilk recently, best of all Chvrches and London Grammar, but Woman's Hour weren't quite as memorable. Their singer Fiona Burgess was definitely striking with her toyboyish short hair and baggy shirt contrasting with her girlish voice that had just a hint of a northern accent. She sang over mainly minimal and sophisticated synth and beats, with a few poppy tunes I can imagine on the charts or the soundtrack to a teen film. The last song though, which slowly built to a cinematic wall of keyboards and guitar, was the real standout but I wish it had come sooner. One impatient guy in the audience at one point yelled "I want my money back!" but it was a more than a little unfair. It's true the band didn't really win over the audience, as often with these kinds of bands sometimes they are a little boring to watch, but I'm sure on record they'll do just fine.

The lady of the moment, Ms Calvi herself, arrived not too long after to cheers from the clearly enthusiastic crowd. It was clear that just two albums in she's already built up a very devoted audience who were glad to see her back home in London again. Wearing a white lace top, smart black trousers and her hair a mass of elegant curls, and of course her trademark slash of red lipstick, she strapped on her Fender Telecaster and launched into Suzanne & I, a thunderous noirish tale with a Spanish feel and Calvi's booming deep voice. She followed this quickly with another female named song, Eliza, for me the stand-out of her new album, that's both enticingly sinister and filmic.

The rest of the show was a good mix of her two albums with a couple of covers and even a B-side (A Kiss To Your Twin) thrown into the mix. In particular the edgy Love Of My Life was beautifully

jagged and edgy and saw her scraping her guitar over her mike to create some feedback drenched, crashing sounds worthy of Neil Young. Elsewhere both Carry Me Over and Love Won't Be Leaving also allowed Anna to show her skills and let rip on her guitar and it is awesome to see a woman who is so adept on her instrument (although, encouragingly, it is becoming more and more common these days). The highlight of the night for me though was perhaps the most creepily intense cover of Bruce Springsteen's I'm On Fire I've ever heard, which saw Calvi deeply whispering the verses before bursting into full voice for the chorus and at the end. This approach changed the feel of the song and the lyrics from a passionate new affair to sounding like the voice of a stalker to their unwilling victim. It was absolutely incredible.

Calvi hardly said a word throughout the night but warmly smiled inbetween songs before delving back into the intensity of each song. Ending with a galloping cover of the Frankie Lane song Jezebel, she commanded her small band and the entire audience of the echoey Troxy like a fearless warrior leading her troops into battle. Calvi without her guitar and songs seems petite, sweet and cute but when she's armed up she is a powerful and compelling presence and she truly is a force to be reckoned with.