We round up 5 artists who take to the stage with just a microphone and a backing track by their side

“The idea of the live performance is to try to appear. The appearance of a human being isn’t self-evident or isn’t something we can take for granted. There are very few places in our situation where something like that can take place; the stage, despite all its bad politics, being one of those places.”

The above quote comes from John Maus, and what I think he’s getting at is that in daily life, it’s rare that we’re able to show our truest selves or that we’re able to see that happen in other people. Standing in our way are cultural beliefs, fears, insecurities, responsibilities and societal expectations. While self-revelation might be the ultimate goal of live music; performances don’t always guarantee authenticity in the emotions they deliver, or an absence of inhibition in the performers involved. In fact, it could be argued that it’s rare for this to occur on stage too.

One way I believe that “appearing” might be achieved is through a trend that has been steadily gaining popularity among experimental solo artists – choosing to sing live over backing tracks of their music, without instruments or bandmates by their sides. This allows the artists to perform in the most viscerally unguarded way possible, as one person facing a crowd alone. While the backing track has featured heavily in mainstream music for decades as a practical accompaniment to choreographed, label-approved performances; it’s only in fairly recent years that it has started being picked up by the left field and re-purposed for artistic means.

Here we round up five of the best artists who have been known to grace the stage armed with just a microphone and a backing track.

JOHN MAUS

Arguably the godfather of the avant-garde backing track performance, John Maus has been touring what he self-deprecatingly calls his “karaoke show” for years. While Maus is mainly known for being a trailblazing synthpop musician, what some people don’t know is that he’s also a lecturer of political philiosophy and theory at the University of Hawaii at Mānoa. Explaining his live show Maus has stated: “What I’m trying to do is appear as something else than the world as it stands. Because that’s what I believe we all really want- to see one another and to be seen. And my particular wager is that the hysterical body is perhaps exemplary in its affirmation of that.” If you’re curious about what he means by ‘the hysterical body’, this video should clear up any ambiguity.

MOLLY NILSSON

“I think that’s the absolute anti-social thing – to be on stage. I’m trying to communicate with people and I’m singing to them, telling them stories and looking them in the eye, and I want it to be a communication but at the same time it’s a one-way communication.”

Everything about Molly Nilsson’s output is stripped back; from her deadpan vocal delivery to her self-designed minimal album sleeves and the economical instrumentation she uses in her music- it makes sense then that she has gravitated towards a live performance that strips away superfluous details and shines a spotlight on the disarming directness of her music.

Sean Nicholas Savage

“I love playing late shows, when everyone’s jacked up and everyone wants to see something move. You have so much room to do something fucked up.”

Sean Nicholas Savage is known for taking to the stage barefoot and walking around interacting with the crowd at his shows. While his lo-fi pop comes with a self-aware wink, confrontational sincerity and unfiltered reflection are at the core of his output and his live performances often feel as antagonistic and visceral as punk shows. Savage usually plays with a full band or a keyboard player but here we catch him break out a rare one man show. Skip to 1:45 to hear Savage perform Bermuda Waterfall.

WILLIS EARL BEAL

“The whole purpose for me for even doing music or for doing anything was to communicate and feel like I’m part of something — to feel like I wasn’t alone. But then you get on stage and you realize: “Shit, I’m alone. They’re down there and I’m up here.” That never changes.”

Willis Earl Beal often sings live with a reel-to-reel player supplying his backing track, proving that his mercurial stage presence and dynamic, gospel-tinged baritone are enough to deliver a performance that feels imposing and forceful.

WEYES BLOOD

“When I play live, I’m trying to create a moment, something that will get people’s attention. I’m not thinking about that as much when I’m recording.”

While Natalie Mering aka Weyes Blood does play guitar for parts of her set, she often sets it aside and pairs her wistful voice with a backing track of recorded instrumentals. This parred down style of performing works perfectly with her music which makes indie-folk sound fresh again by matching it with abrasive distortion.

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