British sisters The Staves harmonized as if they were born to sing together at their visit to the Majestic Theatre Wednesday.
The folk rock trio, comprised of Emily, Jessica and Camilla Staveley-Taylor, stopped in Madison as part of their mini tour of the midwest which took them to cities in Wisconsin and Minnesota. They have performed at both Eaux Claires music festivals, and claimed on their Facebook page that they could not get away from the real cheese curds in Wisconsin. They talked about how they have relocated from England to the United States about six months ago.
“We basically left our country and it fell apart,” vocalist and keyboardist Emily joked. “Don’t let the same thing happen to yours.”
The Staves ran a contest before the show which called upon local bands to submit videos of them performing for a chance to open for them. Among the Wild and Gloss Coats were the winners and got the crowds warmed up for the headliner. Among the Wild, also a three-piece group, shared their folk, cello-backed songs that were all originals, except their final tune?a stripped-down rendition of Britney Spears’ “Toxic.” Gloss Coats followed with psychedelic rock jams, giving off much different vibes from those of the other performing groups.
After a light reaction from the crowd during the openers, The Staves entered the Majestic stage to thunderous clapping and several people shouting “I love you.” They started immediately with “Outlaw,” the first song off their EP Sleeping In A Car, which was released earlier this year. The group utilized their equipment, which, having seen them twice before, seemed more high-tech than previous performances. They used iPads to create vocal looping—an element that was absent in their earlier, more acoustic work.
They moved into their ditty “Steady” from their most recent full-length album If I Was. This song showcased their resonating harmonies, as did all the songs in their set. It was heavy on guitar and drums and got the audience getting those rainy-day feels. For “Roses,” Camilla broke out a ukulele but kept the melancholic tone of the evening. The majority of the song was belted in unison by the ladies, and the few lyrics echoed through the packed theater.
Later in the show The Staves gave us audience members the gift of their song “Damn It All,” which they said they had never played live before. That was not evident in their performance; they changed up the sound from the original recording and added electronic sounds similar to those of Bon Iver, with whom they’ve toured throughout the past year.
They transitioned into their a cappella song “Hopeless,” and the audience fell silent. Their haunting vocals without any music was a perfect break in the middle of the performance. They re-introduced their drummer, the only band member that is not a Staveley-Taylor sibling, Dave Power, a Wisconsin native hailing from Eau Claire. They talked more about their love for the Midwest, and how everyone here has been welcoming to them during their time here. Their passion continued and each sister continued to use multiple instruments during each song.
They concluded abruptly with “No Me, No You, No More” which bled into “Let Me Down.” They returned to the stage for the inevitable encore a few moments later, genuinely thankful for the support they received. Their actual final song was the rock song “Teeth White,” which got the audience dancing and singing along.
I left feeling as though I had just made three new best friends in The Staves and fell asleep dreaming of the heavenly harmonies. I will personally share a plate of cheese curds with them any day.
