After being postponed a couple of times, it was finally time for Clairo to return to Montreal since her last performance in 2019. The differences in sound between Clairo’s “Immunity” and her 2021 album “Sling” gave me the urge to see her for a second time. I wanted to be able to compare both performances and see for myself how much Clairo has developed as a musician. I wasn’t disappointed at all; in fact, my jaw was on the floor with amazement, and the amazing feeling began building up with the opening artist.
Jonah Yano
Up first was the incredible Jonah Yano. Where should I even start? His entire set was just impressive. He quietly introduced himself to the crowd that cheered for him and then got right into playing his songs alongside his talented band of varied musicians.
Jonah Yano’s soft and warm singing voice filled up the venue, guiding all of his listeners into a relaxed and collected state of mind. That is the power of Yano’s music. It’s smooth, jazzy, and dusted with elements of hip-hop and electronics. As I write this review, I’m listening to his 2020 released album called “souvenir,” and as the sound of this album leaks from my earphones and into my ears, I find myself melting into my seat, just as I did when listening to the same songs being played live on stage.
The crowd easily met the energy that Jonah Yano and his band put out into the air. They danced and sang along to the lyrics that they knew. Completely enchanted by the talents each member had to offer through their instruments. Each of them had their moment to shine, either in a solo or they just played so good you couldn’t help but single them out for a moment. The saxophone was serenading; the bass was delicious and hypnotic, and the drummer played excellently as he guided the rest of the band through the correct tempo of each song, and the keyboard solo was so dreamy and playful, along with a feeling of hopefulness with hesitation lurking nearby.
Not only was each individual musician just impressive with their playing, but they all were amazing when playing as a unit. Completely in tune with one another, each sound produced comes together to create a wonderful performance, an excellent opener for this current version of Clairo.
Clairo
Finally, the moment all in attendance has been waiting for. Cheers filled the room as the lights turned dark once again, signalling that the time for Clairo to grace the stage had come. More cheering was heard once she and her band walked onto stage, taking their positions at their instruments; Clairo sat down at a piano and began her set with “Bambi,” the opening track from “Sling.”
The last time I saw Clairo perform, her voice was sweet but so soft-spoken and accompanied by the audio issues the venue was having; you couldn’t hear a word out of her. It was a shame, and I had wished that her microphone could’ve been louder or for the speakers on the right side to have not gone out. But this time, there wasn’t a single audio issue. Not only that, but Clairo’s voice was beautiful, so angelic and soft, yet noticeably more confident than the last time.
Simple and cute animations were projected onto the screen behind the stage, giving a small visual to be paired with the exquisite sounds that Clairo’s band produced for these songs. I could not stop comparing this show to her last one in 2019. It was so interesting to see the vast differences in her performances. In 2019 she was very quiet and had a heavy bedroom pop vibe. But in 2022, Clairo is seemingly much more confident and comfortable on stage. Her sound has changed with her recorded albums, and it sounds incredible when performed live. The elements of jazz that the saxophone, drums, and piano brought to the performance gave a brand new light to who Clairo is as an artist. Even as she played tracks from “Immunity” the songs were adapted to have the same jazz elements, which helped these few songs fit with the rest of her setlist.
Right after finishing up “Bags”, Clairo stood in front of the center microphone and looked around at her audience. “We’ve never done this before, but I feel like this could be fun.” She started, giving friendly waves back to fans up in the front row. “I wanna let you guy spick which song we do next.” The audience quickly cut her off with screaming cheers, and she laughed. She tried to explain that everyone would have to choose between “Reaper” and “Harbor,” but she caught sight of someone holding up a sign that challenged her to a game of “Rock Paper Scissors” if Clairo would lose, she’d have to perform “Flaming Hot Cheetos.”
With a quick laugh, Clairo knelt down in front of the sign holder and held out her fist for the match. The venue fell silent as everyone watched from near or far, waiting for the result of the game. Suddenly, people close enough to know who won or lost started cheering in excitement, and Clairo walked back to her microphone to announce she had lost. “But we don’t even have the song prepared.” She looked around at her band, who all looked unbothered about the possibility of playing “Flaming Hot Cheetos.”
With a shrug, Clairo asked the crowd if they should try to play it anyways, and after everyone finished cheering, the first few notes of the song were played by the keyboardist. It took Clairo a moment to remember how the song went; to her credit, it had been three years since she last performed it at all, but once she got into the flow of things, the song really took off. Her band did an excellent job of adapting it to match the jazzy vibes the rest of the set had, giving the song new life with smooth saxophone.
It was my absolute favourite part of the entire show. It was such a genuine and sweet moment between Clairo and her listeners and excellent proof of her change of sound from quiet bedroom pop to fun and enticing jazzy folk. For the rest of her tour, Clairo continued to play “Rock Paper Scissors” with “Flaming Hot Cheetos” on the line. She lost three times in a row.
She continued her set with songs like “Alewife,” written for her friend of 10 years, “Softly,” an old favourite of mine that I really appreciated the re-adaption of its live performance, and “Blouse,” a very emotional song that Clairo performed on her own with her guitar. She encouraged the crowd to sing “Blouse” along with her and eventually got emotional while singing. It’s a difficult song for her to perform, and I was very happy to see that the crowd of Montreal was very respectful towards her as she played it.
She played plenty more well-loved tracks from “Sling,” such as “Amoeba” and my personal favourite, “Management.” Each of them sounded so beautiful, so whimsical and distinguished. And although everyone sang along to each song she performed, nothing can compare to
the level of volume that her last three songs earned. “4EVER”, “Pretty Girl,” and “Sofia” closed her set, and they’re arguably her most popular songs. And they were a perfect end to that wonderful setlist. They excited the audience, the familiarity drew everyone to take advantage of the last moments of the show, and they perfectly pointed out how much Clairo has grown in these last few years. The difference between her latest album and her last is like night and day. The difference between both times I had the chance to see her perform is crystal clear, and it was honestly a blessing to be present and see with my own two eyes the development Clairo has gone through in her music and how distinguished she is as an artist.
And with that, Clairo and the rest of her band bow in front of their audience, and Clairo thanks the crowd very quickly for attending her concert before leaving the stage, and the venue lights turn back on. As my friend and I took our exit, I ran my mouth to her, explaining all of my thoughts and predicting that I would dive right back into religiously listening to Clairo. After a few days, it definitely came true; I just kinda wish I could hear the new live adaptations of her older songs.
Review – Jamie Siddall
Photos – Steve Gerrard
