Evy Jane eatArt, Vancouver BC, September 14

Photo: Steve Louie

Published Sep 15, 2013

8

There's something so addictive about Evy Jane. The Vancouver-based duo, currently waiting the arrival of the master tapes for their heavily anticipated debut album, consists of proto-diva Evelyn Mason and studio wizard Jeremiah Klein. They have such an enrapturing live chemistry, virtually smoldering as every note of their noir&B compositions drift from the speakers. With their keyboards back to back and crammed into the stage left side, they delivered a deeply intimate set in the eatArt garage.The room's visual set-up had greatly improved from the night before, as the occasionally blinding backlit projector from the previous night had been replaced by two traditionally placed projectors that filled the entire performance end of the space with saturated static and pixelated ovals, playing off a giant metal hula hoop slowly revolving in the middle of the room. The space suited their sound, with Mason saying she felt like she was in a womb. The crowd, however, didn't surrender themselves to the moment as deeply as one would hope, being so chatty that, out of desperation, one girl yelled, "Audience, shut up!"They did simmer down some for a super sub-base heavy version of their big early single "Sayso," which sent waves of sultry swaying across the room, and for a dubby version of new track "Worry Heart," which closed their set. Mason's voice was soulful and sultry, awash in otherworldly digital effects. She is a gripping and serious performer, highly emotive, unable to stymie beaming smiles between songs. When they perform, one imagines themselves nearly alone in the smoky ambiance of old jazz club, complete with a cat on a table, with Mason and Klein serenading them personally, the intro of their own cyberpunk film noir.