Live Report: Faye Webster delivers enchanting Vicar Street performance

Before Faye Webster has even set foot on Vicar Street’s stage, her presence is vibrating in every corner of the venue. Perhaps this can be attributed to the massive bust of the singer sitting centre stage, its dim eyes glowering down at a restless crowd.

When she does silently appear, a palpable electricity floods Vicar Street. Overhead lights take on a deep purple hue as the band assume their positions, evenly spaced along the stage. They are not quite an orchestra, consisting of four members wielding a pedal steel guitar, a piano, saxophone, fiddle, and two basses, but their rendition of Webster’s most recent album, Underdressed at the Symphony, is something to behold.

Faye Webster at Vicar Street. Copyright Miguel Ruiz.

The eyes on the bust brighten as a recorded orchestra thunders over the cheering crowd. There is barely a moment to breathe before they launch into ‘But Not Kiss’. It's as if everything in the performance is framed by contradiction, as her simple, soft-spoken vocals are accompanied by booming instrumentation.

The crowd is still drunk from their initial thrill, as Webster moves on to perform ‘Wanna Quit All the Time’. From the middle of the stage, dwarfed by her oversized imitation, she sways in unison with her adoring fans to the song’s tropical, vaguely optimistic feel. By the end of the rendition Vicar Street’s attendees are in full concordance with the song's lyrics, as the whole crowd murmurs “I think I’ll figure it out”.

Webster, who has been switching out her guitar between every song, now leans heavily into her bass as she performs the title track from her newest EP, Thinking About You. Like the rest of the project, the subject matter concerns Webster’s ex-partner. She hasn’t spoken yet while being on-stage but it's clear she doesn’t have to, when her lyrics communicate her emotions so clearly.

Faye Webster at Vicar Street. Copyright Miguel Ruiz.

Having performed a third of Underdressed at the Symphony, Webster takes the opportunity to pivot towards the older, persistently popular albums which comprise her discography. The audience is receptive to the change, belting along to every word of  ‘Better Distractions’  and ‘The Right Side of My Neck.

There’s a moment during 'A Dream with a Baseball' when the saxophone threatens to usurp Webster’s reign on stage, offering wild and winding improvisation over a booming bassline. The saxophone’s moment is cut short as Webster bursts into the titular track of her 2021 record I Know I'm Funny Haha. As if to solidify her presence, Webster plays two fan favourites back-to-back: 'Johnny' and 'Lego Ring'. It would be near-impossible not to notice the absence of fellow Atlanta native and middle school best friend Lil Yachty during the latter– but Webster masterfully navigates the audience into an auto-tune induced trance, stage lights flickering appropriately overhead.

Faye Webster at Vicar Street. Copyright Miguel Ruiz.

Webster returns to her most recent album for her final songs of the evening, ‘Lifetime’ and ‘He Loves me Yeah!’ Thanking the audience, she ducks off the stage, but her feet have hardly left the surface before the audience begins their chant– pleading for “one more song!” As per usual, she over-delivers. Arm in arm with her best friend, she saunters back onto the stage to perform not one, but two songs. The singer performs the penultimate song of the evening, ‘Feeling Good Today’, before ushering her band to deliver the track her audience had been waiting so patiently for. As ‘Kingston’ ends, the audience continues to sing along with unified devotion. And as Webster turns to leave the stage, she pauses to give her fans a small wave, and the sea of hands all wave back.