Sky Ferreira from the Brighton Music Hall stage.
As part of Boston’s ubiquitous Fenway Recordings Sessions, Sky Ferreira and How To Dress Well brought their up-and-coming indie acts to Brighton Music Hall this past Sunday.
This is the second time Ferreira has graced Beantown with her presence after the release of her critically lauded debut EP, Ghost (see our review on her November show at TT’s) and the singer-songwriter did not disappoint. Despite getting over a throat/ear/“everything” infection two days prior, Ferreira sounded more confident than ever, spitting out the vocals on forthcoming track “You’re Not The One” with visceral fervor. Although she has yet to release an LP, Ferreira drew from old Soundcloud demos and EP material to fill up about a 45 minute set with her brand of surly alt-pop.
The production on the EP tracks feels somewhat electronic-leaning, but her live act brought an edgier, neo-grunge vibe — or maybe I’m just jumping to conclusions after watching her stare sulkily into the crowd, clad in a loose leather jacket and eyeing Brighton Music Hall as if each audience member were Terry Richardson at a photoshoot (as one fan slurred, “She looks like she just smoked up, but like, she’s good.”)
Perhaps it just comes naturally to Ferreira after years of fronting campaigns for fashion brands like Calvin Klein, Adidas and Forever 21, but stage presence is something that comes with time and extensive experience, something that Ferreria finally has the opportunity to gain after signing with Capitol Records.
Speaking of stage presence, Ferreira’s set was prefaced by the somewhat-drunk yet still charming ethereal R&B artist Tom Krell, who goes by the confusing-to-Google moniker How To Dress Well. Krell’s banter in between whispery numbers helped to lighten the mood cast by his melancholy style as he drunkenly explained that he had a cold from “dropping a bunch of ecstasy” in the studio at 3:00 a.m. with the R&B artist Maxwell a few days before, and that they hadn’t had the time to sound-check because the tour bus had broken down earlier that day.
Tom Krell, i.e. How to Dress Well, brought a Bon-Iver-esque feeling to his R&B set.
Despite his various hindrances, Krell’s set sounded beautiful and filled Brighton Music Hall with soulful Bon Iver-esque falsettos, intricately crafted backing beats and even an occasional violin. It seemed somewhat odd that he and Ferreira were paired to tour together, as their music styles are so different, but both gave off an air of undeniable cool and commitment to their craft. If you’re ever looking for a smooth R&B act that has a Bon Iver-esque level of cryability to it, I’d definitely recommend seeing HTDW, and as for Sky Ferreira, if Sunday’s show was any indication, we can expect good things in the future.
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