REVIEW: DEVOTCHKA @ THE SINCLAIR 9/12

Review by Olivia Valera

Photo Credit: Jen Rosenstein

Celebrating the 20th anniversary of their album “How it Ends,” Devotchka stops off at Cambridge’s The Sinclair to share the magic and memories with their local fanbase. It was an exciting night filled with action on the stage, replicated in the happy, drunken crowd of 40-somethings reliving the music of an earlier time. And I mean an early time, as Devotchka’s genre seems to include sounds of spaghetti western and European folk music, all the way to indie-rock and mariachi.

The Denver-based band began their music journey playing small burlesque clubs in the late ‘90s. The multi-instrumentalist ensemble quickly rose to fame after their breakout piece “The Winner Is” featured in the 2006 film “Little Miss Sunshine.” In recent years, lead singer Nick Urata has been doing film scoring work for several popular Hollywood films, including big names like “Paddington,” “Focus,” and more. Their song “How it Ends,” off the album, you guessed it, “How it Ends,” gained some popularity after being promoted in the media by several films who picked it up; consequently, Devotchka began their show with a promise to the audience to work their way through the album and play it in full, along with a collection of fan favorites.

If you worried that the 20 years dulled Devotchka’s energy and passion for their music, I’m happy to tell you that lead singer Nick Urata shows no signs of slowing down. Starting the set list off with “You Love Me,” he stood at the front of the stage, and, little by little, each musician made their appearance as they stepped out to add harmonies to the piece. The band followed it up with “The Enemy Guns,” a rock-fused western piece about dying in war while assuring the listener his soul will return to his one true love. 

Devotchka’s stage presence did not fail to impress. Their sousaphonist decorated the bell with string lights that shifted colors throughout the night, adding to the comfortable house-party ambiance at The Sinclair that night. Urata spent the night sipping on a bottle of champagne and, at some point–amidst the cheers of the crowd—used the bottle as a slide on his guitar. It was an impressive and entertaining act. 

The band wound down the night with the piece “How It Ends.” Teasing the crowd, Urata joked that they knew they were forgetting to play something. Perhaps just saving the best for last, the ballad highlights Urata’s melancholy vocals and poetic lyric writing. 

Just before they wrapped up the encore, Devotchka played my favorite piece, “A Clockwise Witness,” off the album “A Mad and Faithful Telling,” which was an unexpected but cherished moment that night. In the end, Devotchka left the stage as they began – each instrumentalist falling away as the song faded out until only Urata was left. And then he fell into silence as sound shifted from stage to audience, and the crowd’s roar came up to greet him.