Richmond, VA-based singer-songwriter Lucy Dacus played the Rickshaw Stop in San Francisco on August 10, in support of her debut record No Burden. One of the more impressive debut records in recent memory, No Burden was released earlier this year on the Richmond-based label Egghunt, but was digitally released by Matador–with whom Dacus recently signed–and will see a physical release in September.
Playing her first-ever SF show (during her first-ever trip to SF and full on the local dim sum, she said), Dacus’ live performance captured the warm-yet-meloncholy sound of her record, and her charming, semi-self-deprecating stage banter jibes with her wryly plaintive lyrics. All that would be enough for a pretty impressive repertoire, but the guitar lines from Dacus and guitarist Jacob Blizard add even more depth and dimension to the melodies carried by Dacus’ smooth, soulful, slightly-twanged vocals.
Though her star is rising rapidly, Dacus still expressed some minor relief that the crowd stayed to see her play after a stirring, engaging opening set by local singer/songwriter Field Medic (aka Kevin Sullivan of the band Rin Tin Tiger). Besides playing the entirety of No Burden, Dacus and co. played a couple new songs, “Historians” (Dacus solo), and “Timefighter,” and Dacus also covered Edith Piaf’s “La Vie En Rose” in French and English. So those who did indeed stick around for her set were well-rewarded.
Check out photos and setlist:
Setlist:
Historians
Troublemaker Doppelgänger
Green Eyes, Red Face
Strange Torpedo
Timefighter
Trust
La Vie en rose
Map on a Wall
Dream State…
Familiar Place
I Don’t Wanna Be Funny Anymore
Direct Access
Pillar of Truth
Three Match Breeze 