Clairo Brings Charm to Nashville

Photo Courtesy of Ria Skyer

Nashville got charmed Monday night when indie pop singer-songwriter Claire Cottrill, known professionally as Clairo, brought the “Charm Tour” to the Grand Ole Opry House. 

Promoting her third album, “Charm,” Cottrill was supported by opener Alice Matthew, known professionally as Alice Phoebe Lou.  

“Charm” was Cottrill’s first album to chart on the Billboard 200, debuting at the No. 8 spot on the chart.  

The show opened with Matthew, who chose to perform without shoes, opting to slide around on stage in her socks while delivering an ethereal performance.  

“I wanted to wear socks tonight so I could just glide on stage,” Matthew said.  

With Matthew illuminated by dim lighting in an otherwise dark stage, the warbling instrumentals and whispery vocals filled the venue in an atmospheric manner, making it seem as if the audience was lost in space with only Matthew as their guide through the dark.  

Matthew accidentally took up more time than allotted for the opener, as she lost track of time, she said. 

“It’s this place. It’s a time capsule,” she said. 

If Matthew’s performance was spacey, then Cottrill’s performance was grounded, although still mystical in its own way. 

Black curtains that had obscured the rest of the stage during Matthew’s performance were put away, revealing a circular stage with a shimmering golden curtain behind it, seemingly modeled after conversation pits prevalent in mid-century modern architecture.  

Cottrill’s set opened with a skit in which Cottrill and her band shared drinks on stage, before offering a toast to the audience as if to invite them into the performance.  

Cottrill, dressed in a simple white dress and cowboy boots, used the majority of her performance to showcase songs from her recent album, but still performed old hits such as “Softly” and “Flaming Hot Cheetos.” 

However, when performing her older hits, she opted to stylize them in a way that reflected her current musical era instead of the lo-fi bedroom pop sound that launched her career.  

While much of her previous work relies on minimalism, she elevated these songs to a fuller and warmer feel through added instrumentation.  

Most notably she added an outstanding saxophone solo to her 2021 song “Partridge,” adding power and more emotion to an otherwise soft song.  

She also chose to perform a cover of David Byrne’s 2001 song, “Everyone’s In Love With You,” lounging on the floor of the stage while a full moon projected onto the curtains above watched over her. 

The visuals that accompanied the performance reflected the fairy-like feel the music had with glistening golden lights and breezy vines and leaves projected on stage throughout.  

The audience remained notably quiet, but not due to lack of enjoyment.  

Cottrill acknowledged this as she viewed the audience as being polite, she said. 

“I feel like you guys are on my same energy level tonight. It makes me happy,” she said. 

The last four songs brought a shift in energy though as Cottrill invited the audience to get out of their seats and dance with her as she performed some of her bigger hits spanning across all three of her albums.  

This four-song run brought Cottrill and the audience out their respective shells as the audience sang along with her in a call and response manner as they danced. 

Cottrill ended the show with “Juna,” a song off “Charm” that gained popularity on TikTok this summer.  

She asked the audience to sing along with her as she hummed along with the trumpet solo part of the song, ending the show on a communal note. 

The North American tour is on its final leg as Cottrill only has three more shows before ending the tour in Mexico City on Nov 15.  

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This article was written by Nolan Russell