Sufjan Stevens

Having gained a reputation for elaborate, theatrical showmanship, Stevens’ recent introspective album ‘Carrie & Lowell’ required a more intimate setup. Every painful song about dealing with the grief of his mother’s death was played, but Sufjan is such a popular, warm and endearing figure that the crowd reacted wildly to such stark poignancy. The band was tight as always, a melodic, shifting spectrum of quiet piano, brass, guitar and more playing staggeringly well crafted and rehearsed songs. The complicated, subtle drumming and intelligent, carefully layered sound mixing were noteworthy too.

The album was thankfully fleshed out for the live setting and there was even prog-type keyboard noodling at the end of ‘All Of Me Wants Of You’ that was a loud and fun stylistic break. A lengthy, shimmering ‘Blade Runner’ sort of ambient outro was delicately enthralling. The encore was a superb, more relaxed part of the evening featuring popular picks from his back catalogue such as ‘Vesuvius’ and ‘Chicago’ – a joyous release of sorts after the occasionally chilling subject matter of the first half that drew an ovation from the audience.

Concert Hall, Brighton Dome, 4 September 2015

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