ANNA CALVI at El Mocambo (464 Spa dina), Friday (May 27), doors 9 pm. $12. HS, RT, SS, TM. See listing.
There’s an unmistakable sense of conviction in Anna Calvi’s voice when she talks about performing live. Though she’s soft-spoken, the 28-year-old Brit makes it clear how she earned her reputation as an eerily intense musician.
Onstage, she’s been known to stare audience members in the eye as she methodically strums her Fender Telecaster in a circular motion. It’s not entirely surprising, then, when she says her parents are therapists with a keen interest in hypnotherapy.
“When I’m playing the guitar, I like to imagine it’s other things than the guitar – I like to imagine it’s a string section or it’s a piano,” she says over the phone from London, UK. “You get more than one rhythm and a succession of notes happening at the same time. That’s just my way of recreating an orchestral string section sound.”
She calls herself a perfectionist in the studio, and over the two-and-a-half year period she spent writing and recording her self-titled debut album (Domino), she played every instrument and sang every vocal part. The results have won her praise from Brian Eno, Nick Cave and discerning UK music rags Mojo and NME.
Like her classical influences – Ravel, Messiaen and Debussy – Calvi’s music requires some work on the listener’s part. It’s full of twists and turns, extended intros, reverberating twang and haunting melodic phrases.
“I like the idea of creating whole worlds for the songs to inhabit,” she says. “It’s about focusing on detail. Everything that happens musically happens for a reason – even if the listener isn’t aware of it. I like the idea of there being subliminal messages in my music.”
In March, she suffered a hand injury and postponed her debut North American tour. Now that she’s on the mend, Toronto finally has a chance to meet her piercing gaze.
“If you’re giving everything and singing really loudly from the depths of your body – even though you’re being extremely powerful – you’re vulnerable because you’re completely exposing yourself,” she explains. “What’s great about really amazing singers is that they have that juxtaposition of real strength and real ability.
“Playing is such a natural thing to do. It gives me fearlessness,” she says.
