Will Sheff’s performance on Monday night was quite far from your average show. From the moment of entry to St. Pancras Old Church there was nothing conventional about it. You may be thinking, “yeah, it was in a church, what were you expecting?” but there are actually a number of well-established church venues in London that are significantly better equipped for a rock show. But, crucially, they are also significantly bigger.
Usually at doors you only get the really big fans waiting for entry, but because of the nature of the show (small, seated venue, rare solo show by lead singer of a cult band), the large majority of the crowd were there at doors or shortly after. The only refreshments on offer were cups of wine from a box and there was no support. So we sat and waited from 7.30 until 9, in commune, taking in the quaint surroundings, with tealights adding atmosphere.
Shortly after 9 Will Sheff ambled onto the stage with no warning; no evident cutting off of the soundsystem, no dimming of the lights – one second he wasn’t there and the next second he was. After the staff messed around with the lights a little (there were no lights directly pointed on the stage only house lights) the show began.
From the start, Will was unafraid to indulge in the high level of fandom that was present in the room, beginning with a song from the upcoming I Am Very Far before some select deep cuts from Okkervil River’s back catalogue including “Red,” “The President’s Dead,” “Love To A Monster” and “Song of Our So-Called Friends.” Sheff varied his approach, sometimes huddling up close to the microphone to softly sing or play his harmonica, and then stepping back from it in order to sing out the louder, more cathartic moments, which echoed theatrically around the tiny church.
The most tense moment of the night occurred, as it would in the centre of an Okkervil River gig, when “A Stone” was played. For this heartbreaking ode Will Sheff prays on the rapture of the audience, singing largely a cappella and adding weight to every silence with his concentration and lyrical prowess. On this occasion he took the opportunity to step down from the stage and stand right in front of the audience. From my point of view as a photographer, this would have been the ideal moment to snap pictures, while he was up close and well-lit, but there was absolutely no chance I was even going to move a muscle for fear it would break the magic.
Will Sheff was also joined onstage by Okkervil River’s bassist Pat Pestorious for a number of songs and the dynamic of the evening shifted. Pestorious also on acoustic and adding soulful backing vocals helped carry off the bigger-sounding numbers including “Lost Coastlines” and the stomping new single “Wake And Be Fine.” However, the highlight of the duo’s section of the show was another Okkervil River b-side “No Key, No Plan.” Slowed down from the recorded version and turned into a wistful folk number, the trading off in the chorus between Pestorious’s “You never earned your soul,” and Sheff’s agonised “I know, but I’m gonna try” was one of the most musically affecting things I’ve ever witnessed.
Sheff returned for the encore on his own, but he marched straight off of the stage and down the aisle, between the crowd members, who for a couple of seconds were utterly perplexed until he pointed out the small piano stuffed in the corner. Then everybody frantically ran to group around it for a good spot. He played a chilling version of “For Real,” the darkness of which was added to by the fact that he was hunched over the piano, facing a wall, seemingly oblivious to the crowd. I had an image of him performing this song by himself in a darkened room, particularly during the second verse’s “if you want it be real, come over for one night, and we can really really climb.” It was electrifying.
Sheff returned for one final encore to play “Happy Hearts,” which greatly pleased the baying fans, who were now all out of their seats, standing on chairs and craning necks to get a look, paying no attention to the sanctity of their environment.
A decade ago Will Sheff probably wouldn’t have been able to carry of a show like this quite as successfully. It takes years of touring to be able to manipulate a crowd in the way he did; smoothly shifting gears from the peaceful to the piercing; maximising the advantages of the intimate setting and keeping the audience enthralled throughout. When you see Okkervil River perform, all of those qualities are still on show, but there was something truly special about seeing Will Sheff on his own and every person in attendance will have been thankful to have witnessed it.
