Billie Marten Gains a Newfound Love for Boston at the Sinclair
All photos courtesy of Abigail Blascovich // @abigailblascovich
On the third day of summer, people flood Harvard Square for their Friday night endeavors, creating a hectic scene within the Cambridge hotspot. Billie Marten’s June 23 show at the Sinclair firmly contrasted the chaotic environment just outside the venue's doors. After Marten’s guitarist, Olivia Kaplan, beautifully opened the show, audience members eagerly awaited Marten's first Boston performance.
To begin Marten’s set, Kaplan and drummer, Andrew Maguire, enter the stage and perform a few measures of ambient music. Marten casually strolls onstage, giving a light wave to the audience and picking up her guitar to get in tune for the opening song, “This Is How We Move.” Blue and red lights appear as Marten utters her first vocals of the evening. The drums remain soft, but the acoustic guitar assumes the lead position with its crisp sound and expansive volume. She follows with “Just Us,” picking up the tempo and putting on an impressive display, leading the audience to yell and clap in appreciation.
Before starting “Cartoon People,” Marten analyzes the enthusiastic crowd that stands before her. “This is gonna be really fun!” says Marten. With a different, softer guitar and dazzling harmonies from Kaplan, “Cartoon People” and “God Above” introduce new elements of her live performance that further please the already lively audience. Upon the start of “Willow,” Marten dedicates the song to those in the audience who are in love with someone that isn’t there with them. The linkage between Kaplan’s and Marten’s guitar playing in this song truly emulates the impassioned connection created by love. Marten’s beautiful vocals fill the entire space of the Sinclair during this track, enveloping her attentive audience with every lyric.
For “Arrow,” the lights at the back of the stage turn a vibrant blue, creating an image on the stage that looks similar to the cover of her recently released album, Drop Cherries. A pair of audience members lean on one another and sway as the smooth electric guitar takes on an even stronger presence. Marten giggles as the crowd yelps at the start of “Acid Tooth.” The comical noise soon comes to a hush and allows for a captivating acoustic guitar solo to begin the anticipated song.
Kaplan and Maguire make a subtle exit from the stage, indicating Marten’s transition to solo songs. She begins this portion of the set with “Orange Juice,” which she introduces as an obscure request from a fan at a recent show. This track displays her remarkable vocal range through both quick changes between high and low notes and differing levels of power. She then asks the audience for requests and is met with a response: the crowd inaudibly screams out song titles spanning across her discography. Marten selects an audience member who politely raises their hand, and they request “Fish.” For this song, there is a noticeable force behind her voice that emits Marten’s appreciation for the track.
The next two requests are “She Dances” and “Vanilla Baby.” For both tracks, Marten incorporates fascinating acoustic guitar and enchanting vocals. In this moment, it’s apparent that the audience is entranced by Marten and her bandmates’ talents, as there are very few phones bobbing above the crowd. At the end of the two songs, the crowd begins to yell out titles once more. “I’m gonna play what I want to play now,” says Marten, reclaiming her ability to determine the setlist. She asserts her authority by playing a song that hasn’t made the setlist for her US shows: “Nothing But Mine.”
Kaplan and Maguire return for Marten’s self-chosen song, and assist her in producing a remarkable performance. Despite missing the prominent piano line from the studio version, the acoustic guitar proved to be an admirable replacement. Marten once again increases the tempo and instrumental involvement of her set by following with “Garden of Eden” and “Mice.” Both songs evoke a noticeable excitement in a dancing group on the balcony that makes Marten giggle every time she looks at them. During “Mice,” Marten requests that the audience sway in unison, which the crowd eventually achieves after Marten’s necessary guidance.
Marten starts “La Lune” twice after being too joyfully overwhelmed by the crowd’s enthusiasm to continue the first time. The glittering disco ball and the windchimes Maguire grazes next to his drum set only enhance the majestic track. Marten stands a few feet from Kaplan while they face one another and shred their respective guitar parts to end the song.
For Marten’s encore, she began with “All Our Actions.” She determines the crowd is “the giggliest ever,” and admits that she can no longer look at the group in the balcony so she is able to finish the show distraction-free. For this song, Marten split the audience down the middle and gave each half a part to sing that harmonized with one another. Upon her cue to start singing, the crowd erupted into what sounded like a beautiful, makeshift choir. The crowd sang all the way through the end of the song, and at that point, begin cheering as loud as they could to show their appreciation for the wonderful environment Marten created within the Sinclair.
“What is up with Massachusetts?” says Marten — in awe of the crowd — prior to starting the last song, “I Can’t Get My Head Around You.” Marten and her band justify the choice to end the show with this track through a combination of intense, astounding vocals and instrumentals. Kaplan finishes off the show with some great electric guitar moments that work well alongside Marten’s unwavering voice. To signify the set’s completion, Marten and the band step forward to take a group bow, causing the audience to roar in appreciation. One can only hope that this fun-filled experience for both Marten and the crowd will lead her back to Boston for another stellar performance.
