Next week Arcade Fire’s Will Butler will officially release his debut solo record Policy via Merge Records. Last November, I was treated to an early taste of the album when he stopped by Baby’s All Right, to play stripped down versions of a few of the songs that would go on to make up the album. Last night Butler returned to Baby’s All Right for a proper headlining show in celebration of its release.
All-female Brooklyn quartet TEEN opened up the show, warmed the crowd up with selections from their most recent album, The Way and Color (out last spring via Carpark Records). As they played, the stage became engulfed in colorful fog, a rather fitting atmosphere for their engaging set of synth-rock. Their multi-faceted sound doesn’t really sit comfortably in just one genre, but instead, breaths in and out of different ideas at once. Live the four-piece were a tight and engaging act, setting the mood and them some. This was my first time catching them live, and I hope to catch a proper full-headlining show from them in the future.
Just a few days ago last Thursday Butler kicked off his Policy tour with a sold out show at Bowery Ballroom. While that would have been a great show in its own way, I opted to see Butler once again at Baby’s as it only seemed right to truly mark the progression from the earlier show. As the last show was a mostly acoustic bare bones set that served as a proper introduction at what exactly Butler’s sound and operation was as his own leading man. That show was as promising start, but last night’s show was the fully realized version of that already showed a mark in progress. To see it at the same venue was a special thing.
Butler came out swinging decked out in a white tuxedo, playing a colorful 16-song set that featured almost all of Policy (minus “Finish What I Started”) as well as a cover of Violent Femmes’ “American Music” and new songs such as “You Must Be Kidding,” “Madonna Can’t Save Me Now,” and “Clean Monday,” all of which were songs he wrote for a special project, based off of stories he read from The Guardian. His live band featured three female singers who also managed synths and keyboards (one of which is his wife’s sister Julie Shore), along with Antibalas’ drummer, Miles Arntzen. The band gave his material a fuller energy that was slightly missing from his earlier stop at Baby’s.
Bulter has successfully carved his own identity as a solo musician, one whose career is only just beginning. With the impressive amount of new material he’s been pumping out and sharing live (especially his project for The Guardian), we could be looking at another solo release sooner than we think. If it means more live performances as soulful and energetic as the one I witnessed last night, bring it on.
Will Butler Setlist:
1. You Must Be Kidding
2. Son of God
3. Clean Monday
4. Sun Comes Up
5. Madonna Can’t Save Me Now
6. Something’s Coming
7. What I Want
8. Sing to Me
9. Cold
10. Witness
11. Fields
12. Surrender
13. Anna
14. Public Defender
15. American Music (Violent Femmes Cover)
Encore:
16. Take My Side
TEEN:
Will Butler:
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