Beneath a canopy of warm, Edison-style lights, an English gal and her bandmates dance their way to center stage. I can feel the gentle drone of cello and bass beneath my feet as a whisper-sweet voice drifts across the room: “I run barefoot, shoes at the door. The air so sweet, I gulp and gasp for more. A night so still, I dance, I soar. Oh, this is what I’m living for.”
It’s a Monday night in Silver Spring, Maryland and we are all here to see singer-songwriter Dodie Clark on her Build A Problem tour. The Fillmore is the thirteenth of twenty-seven venues that the group will visit across the United States and Canada. However, if the band is feeling their mileage, you would never know. Their energy is palpable from the moment they set foot on stage, and none so much as their leading lady.
Right away, Dodie breaks through the ethereal facade and reminds us all that, despite the lush orchestration and poetic lyrics, she’s actually quite funny and down-to-earth. The 26-year old artist banters with the crowd, poking fun at her mostly-melancholy body of work. “We are going to be covering a lot of feelings tonight,” she jokes, but there is a kernel of truth in her words. Dodie built her enormous fanbase (over two million subscribers on Youtube) with music that illuminates the more painful aspects of human existence. It is only through humor that she can broach these heavy topics on stage, and her levity gives listeners permission to set aside their own traumas, if only for the night.
In stark contrast to the colorful array of emotions presented through the music, the show’s visual elements are clean and understated. A simple, neon sign hangs in the background, spelling out “Dodie” in the artist’s signature font. A handful of spotlights send beams of white light stretching up to the rafters. At times, those same lights melt into whimsical purples or moody blues to underscore the more poignant moments in the show. They transform to a cheeky green during the angry-bop “Monster,” and unfurl into a whole spectrum of colors during the LGBTQ+ anthem “Rainbow.”
One of my favorite visual elements of the night, however, is not a set piece at all. Throughout this tour, Dodie has made it a point to showcase sustainably-made fashion from across the United States. On this night, she is wearing a forest green, crop-top blouse and a gorgeous pair of palazzo pants by Meryl Prendergast. The Boston-based designer explained on Instagram, “The textile design on these pants was a photograph I took of a tree burnt in a forest fire.” Like Dodie, Predergast uses her art to transform the most heartbreaking situations into something compelling and beautiful. I love that those details made their way into the performance.
After opening with several of their weightier tunes (including “Cool Girl” and “Guiltless”) the band launches into a full-on dance party. Bandmate Orla Gartland steps to the front and begins to clap a familiar rhythm into the microphone. The bass begins plucking out the beginning notes of “Special Girl.” “It’s not my fault. I was raised by open mouths and teary eyes. Passive wistful lullabies. I found my worth in this world by proving I’m a special girl time and time again.”
It is a hallmark of Dodie’s music that such self-deprecating lyrics can be spun into the most feel-good number of the set. Clark skips about the stage with a childlike glee, brunette pigtails bouncing in her wake. She furrows her brow as she sings to the audience, clutching a handheld microphone as if she is serenading her own reflection in the bathroom mirror. Following the second refrain, the music freezes and Dodie swings Orla into a dramatic, Hollywood-style dip-and-kiss, before flitting away for more dancing. The joyful energy is contagious, and the crowd can’t get enough.
One of the more striking features of Dodie’s live show, however, is her rag-tag team of troubadours. Throughout the show, her bandmates flex their multi-instrumental skills, swapping from strings to keys to body percussion and back, on a song-by-song basis. These five musicians effortlessly recreate the magic of Dodie’s discography, which is notable for its complex harmonies and percussive elements. The most brilliant moment of the show, in my opinion, is the climax of “Sorry,” which features a soaring orchestral interlude as snow-white confetti rains down. It was an emotional and compelling scene that would not have been the same without the gorgeous accompaniment from the band.
For the last song of the night, Dodie makes her one and only costume change into the iconic Postal Service uniform from her music video “Hate Myself.” The hanging lights begin to pulse as Orla plays the rhythmic, muted chords on her ukulele. It seems that Dodie’s most personal lyrics inspire the biggest sing-along moments, and this insecurity anthem is no different. The voice of the crowd rises above the band, singing out, “No, I don’t think I can help it.” It is an admission of imperfection that perfectly summarizes what is so special about Dodie’s music. Her vulnerability reminds us that despite our failures and flaws, we aren’t broken. In her own words, “We’re just human.”
COMPLETE SET LIST:
Air So Sweet
Cool Girl (ft. snippet of Party Tattoos)
I Kissed Someone (It Wasn’t You)
Guiltless
Human
Special Girl
Sad Song Mashup
Sick of Losing Soulmates
?
Four Tequilas Down
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Sorry
When
Before the Line
Rainbow
She
If I’m Being Honest
Boys Like You
Monster
In the Middle
Hate Myself
Pop Apologist 