All of Drkmttr Is a Stage for Vivienne Blue

Not many artists can make crying in front of a full-length mirror onstage look cool. But then again, not many artists have the pure panache and theatrical prowess of Nashville indie-pop project Vivienne Blue. The drama darling celebrated the release of her EP Break My Heart, Not My Stride, at Drkmttr on Friday with a slate of special guests. Caroline Red and Claire Maisto joined Blue to form a trifecta of Nashville it-girls, each showcasing massive musical chops and bringing their own distinct styles to the table.

Red stepped up to the stage first, and the electroclash champion asserted her dominance in the packed venue almost immediately. The self-proclaimed “lowbrow Sylvia Plath” came over the speakers with a heavily AutoTuned “Hey, y’all,” before setting the tone for the night with an introduction.

“Before I start my set and go professional-asshole mode, I want to say one thing,” Red said. “There’s a lot of darkness happening in the world right now, [and] it’s really hard to be a person. But it is a privilege to share the stage with two other women who are masters of their craft, and to be in an inclusive and safe space like this. Tonight we are in celebration, so let’s take a break from the world. Take a deep breath, say ‘fuck ICE, fuck Trump, free Palestine’ … and let’s play some basketball.”

Red kicked off her set with an unreleased song, wasting no time in making all of Drkmttr her playground. She chose to perform from the front of the crowd rather than the stage, prancing from person to person while belting her lyrics in thick, static-doused stacks of notes over synth-soaked beats. Red blasted through the short discography of tunes she has released so far, firing off the industrial yet dainty “IKYWKM” and her most recent release “Modern Love” with party-girl flair.

Claire Maisto approached the stage next, shifting gears completely from Red’s harsh beats with her full band and her signature silky jazz-schooled R&B sound. She moved effortlessly from song to song, pulling out fundamentals from her catalog as well as more recent releases like the contemporary, electronic-beat-driven “Old Ways.” Near the end of her set, the velvet-voiced Maisto performed a cover of Justin Timberlake’s “Cry Me a River,” enhancing the hit soulful ballad — released 24 years ago, it’s old enough to start calling “a classic” — with her Olivia Dean-esque vocals.

The stage became a set for a scene in a bedroom, complete with a bed, chair and mirror, and then an ominous voice welcomed the “creatures of the night,” marking the start of Blue’s performance — as much performance art as music. Sobbing, she stormed onto the stage, plopped down in the chair and took a phone call before diving into the EP’s opening song “A Little Bit Off.” Blue’s siren-song vocals effortlessly glided through, with the crowd joining in on occasional quips like: “Can’t believe I took that / From a man who looks like / A human cigarette.”

Blue kept the theatricality going, pulling out an umbrella for “Stormy Weather” and then taking a seat criss-cross applesauce in front of the mirror to recite three of her poems. Next was a stripped-back rendition of “Always on My Mind” — like “Stormy Weather,” not a cover but an original with its own story summed up in the title — in which only a backing track of guitar accompanied her lilting vocals. After the final strums, Blue picked up the phone again for another staged call and retrieved an Omnichord from beneath her chair. She coaxed from it the delicate strums and twinkles of the interlude “Did You Know? Probably Not, Maybe, Whatever,” building up to the Florence Welch-esque harmonies of “Meet Me at the Chateau.” As if on cue, a single lime feather fluttered slowly from her elbow-length glove and hit the base of her bejeweled microphone as she approached the crescendo of the melodic bridge.

As she reached the EP’s final song “JC Superstar,” Blue got on her knees and prayed for true, unconditional love. God responded over the P.A., deadpanning, “Bitch, shut the fuck up.” After a brief conversation with the Lord, Blue plunged into the dreamy pop tune’s layers, her wispy, singsong vocals ringing on the anthemic refrain, “You can’t be my fantasy.” The song pushes her into a high register, and she let the last notes linger before taking a deep bow and thanking the crowd.

“I’m honored to share the stage with such talented women,” Blue said. “This has been my dream come true. Thank you for tonight. I fucking did this shit!”