Lucy Dacus is quickly becoming Richmond’s foremost rising music star. After releasing her debut album “No Burden” last year, followed by her decision to sign to Matador Records, she’s gained national recognition. “No Burden” ended up on more than one publication’s “Best Of” lists, while “I Don’t Wanna Be Funny Anymore” is sitting at nearly 2.5 million plays on Spotify alone. Despite all of the newfound fame, her show Saturday at The Southern was an intimate and down-to-earth affair.
Spooky Cool and local Charlottesville band ing were no slouches as openers. Both played with a style of rhythm in which their songs became a game of “find the beat” every few seconds, although Spooky Cool also brought a harder rock edge to their music. Spooky Cool in particular didn’t seem to match up well with Dacus’ music — they really couldn’t sound more different — but the combination of the three bands lent an eclectic variety to the evening.
Things got considerably more personal when Dacus took the stage. With only one album’s worth of material to pull from, she played the majority of “No Burden” for her setlist, but this didn’t stop the show from being impressive. The chosen songs were all perfect for the small venue.
Rockers like “Strange Torpedo” got the crowd moving, while the devastating medley of “Map on a Wall” and “Dream State …” filled 15 minutes with some of the most emotionally genuine songs ever written. The crowd collectively closed their eyes and drifted off while Dacus crooned “Without you, I am surely the last of our kind.” It helps that “No Burden” didn’t include a single filler track, so everything Dacus played was killer material — including a fantastic and unexpected cover of Bruce Springsteen’s “Dancing in the Dark.”
Dacus also hinted at a new album to be released next year and played two new songs to be featured on the new work. The first was her most musically ambitious track to date, as it evolved into a blues rock epic in the vein of Led Zeppelin’s early material. The second was a crushing closer to the show, featuring Dacus alone with her guitar and a tune making Julien Baker seem jovial by comparison. If these songs were any indication of her next album’s quality, Dacus will avoid the dreaded sophomore slump and potentially even topple the impressive success of “No Burden.”
Dacus mentioned at one point that Charlottesville felt like playing a hometown show — a perfect summary of the night’s mood. Between her already vastly personal songwriting and heartwarming interactions with the crowd, the show fortunately lacked the superficiality that comes with stardom. If this is her attitude moving forward, then it’s fair to expect wonderful things from this rising star’s future.
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