Live Review: Phoebe Bridgers, Christian Lee Hutson

Formerly a member of The Driftwood Singers, Christian Lee Hutson takes the stage wearing a white shirt with oversized lapels that are emphasised by poking out of his dark-hued sweater. His side part and slicked-down hairdo calls to mind Richie Cunningham from Happy Days and Hutson accompanies himself effortlessly on guitar this evening. Songs such as the defeated I Just Can't Fucking Do It Anymore and another amusing number featuring the lyrics, "Let's get the old band back together," silence most in the crowd, with one annoyed punter yelling out, "Shut up!" to a few rude chatters mid-song. His perfect diction shines a spotlight on inspired lyricism and Hutson's impassioned, extended note during I Have To Keep You Down is magical, but we'd feel more connected to Hutson if he opened his eyes more often while performing. However, we do look forward to learning more about this intriguing American artist.

Iris by Goo Goo Dolls is Phoebe Bridgers' intro tape this evening. Fairy lights draped around mic stands and drum kit set the scene on stage and Bridgers looks whimsical in her long black dress with white buttons and black Alice band. She's backed by Hutson plus drummer/songwriter Marshall Vore tonight. Her voice is totally bewitching and Bridgers' banter is also super-endearing, especially her in-the-studio stories. Following Smoke Signals, Bridgers kicks off a story with, "Speaking of getting fucked-up..." before she and Hutson compare hilarious Conor Oberst impressions related from the session that produced the song they wrote together, Better Oblivion Community Center's Chesapeake, which follows. 

Right to the very back of The Croxton is pin-drop silent as we reverently listen, the songs of Bridgers occasionally punctuated by the jarring sound of stubbies thrown into bins behind the bar. Bridgers lets us know that she produced Hutson's next album, which is gonna come out soon, before adding, "Everyone says he looks like cousin Matthew," from Downton Abbey (he kind of does!)

We absolutely melt during Georgia. Vore comes out from behind his kit to sing Gillian Welsh's Everything Is Free. Bridgers tells us her 16-year-old pug sadly passed just before she came out on tour and then aptly performs Me & My Dog (by Boygenius, her band with Julien Baker and Lucy Dacus). Bridgers performs Scott Street, which is one of the songs she wrote with Vore - her former flame and current bandmate - and we can't help but wonder how that feels. "We stand with you, Phoebe! Fuck Ryan Adams!" a lady in the crowd hollers at song's close. 

"I think we all need to be more comfortable calling our friends out for their shitty behaviour, because I think a lot of people are just a little bit fucked up, you know? It's not always as black and white as, like, a totally toxic serial abuser; sometimes it's just, like, your friend who starts hooking up with a 16-year-old and everybody acts like it's normal, yeah! I think we need to be more comfortable getting called out and be more comfortable calling people out. Um, here is a song about somebody I hate!" is how Bridgers introduces main-set closer, Motion Sickness. The audience laughs, but we certainly hope that Bridgers won't forever have to read her name in the same sentence as Adams following recent allegations.

When the trio return to the stage for an encore, a punter loudly yells out. “Fuck that, cunt!” (obviously referring to Adams). Bridgers is glorious, her voice so pure, and tonight she demonstrates that she's an artist of great depth.