Where: The Crumblin' Cookie, Leicester
Venue: The Cookie Jar
One of the highlights of seeing an artist perform in a
small, close-knit venue is feeling the emotion, atmosphere and presence of the
artist. It's why Foals continue to play small venues and it's why The Twilight
Sad and British Sea Power have had recent tours specifically at small venues.
The Cookie Jar in Leicester suits the acoustic artists and it suited Annie Dressner. It doesn’t however; suit those looking for a decently priced pint.
£4.20 for a pint of Peroni, that’s like four bottles of Delirium Tremens in
Belgium!
Dressner played eight songs, four from her debut album
Strangers Who Knew Each Other's Name, three from her upcoming EP East Twenties
and a cover of Elliot Smith's "Between the Bars". She opened her set
with "September", introducing the audience to her relaxing guitar
techniques and Paul Goodwin's keyboard skills. Following this, Dressner asked
the audience of around 100 if anyone had "been to Brooklyn?" To which
only three, four people replied with a soft, quiet 'yeah' or 'woo'. Dressner
proceeded to play "Brooklyn".
"I Can't Forget" was met with utter silence. The
third track East Twenties had even more passion and emotion than the studio
recording. It was during "I Can't Forget" when I realised the
audience were in awe of Dressner. Her serious lyrical themes are not matched by
her on-stage bubbly personality. Dressner said: "Whoever answers the
question first will win a prize," It took approximately three seconds
before anyone answered her "What is the capital of New York?"
question, which is of course Albany. The winner who was standing just to the
side of me won an Annie Dressner bag.
Her eccentricity continued in the shape of passing around
her contact book for notes, messages and emails. Apparently at the night before
show in Birmingham; somebody drew a naked man holding a guitar, although I
didn't get to see this artwork. Dressner's cover of Elliot Smith's
"Between the Bars" fit into her set triumphantly. She then played the
title track from her debut album, "Strangers Who Knew Each Other's
Name".
Goodwin's electric keyboard was set to organ for most of
Dressner's 30 minute time frame. His organ sounds are excellent on the studio
recording of "Lost in a Car", however not as loud or prominent as
when the duo performed this track live. "Heartbreaker", the first
track on East Twenties sounded brilliant. Dressner tells many stories over the
course of her set, with listeners hanging on every word. Dressner's personality
was one of the most memorable aspects of her performance, such as when she embarrassingly
admitted to needing to blow her nose, and her tissue was kept in one of her
boots. In just half an hour, Dressner came across serious, comical and
artistic. She ended her set with the first track on Strangers Who Knew Each
Other's Name, "Fly".
Dressner knows how to please an audience and she does just
that in such a small amount of time. Her songs are powerful and back by
Goodwin's keyboard, the musical aspect of her performance is spot on, there
were no noticeable mistakes. You can catch Annie Dressner and a whole range of
artists on her tour. She currently has a pledge drive for her upcoming EP, I
advise you to pledge, or at least follow her Facebook for updates.
~Eddie Gibson
~Eddie Gibson
