Fussy

Anna Erhard photographed by Noel Richter

In three words: groovy, definitely rewarding.

I’m stepping into the crisp October air after the sold out Anna Erhard gig; an experience that has left me feeling jazzed, to be honest with you. I’m also pretty confident that our girl Anna had one hell of a wholesome childhood.

Her witty songwriting covers themes including going to the spa with her mother, the nostalgia for summers at a campsite, and a botanical garden. The most angsty she gets when satirising a male Karen’s rationale for rating said botanical garden only two out of five stars—because the peacocks looked depressed. 

Onstage, Swiss-born Erhard expresses her particular brand of indie-pop playfulness that’s just a bit gritty by alternating between a smile and a snarl. The drummer is support act Robert Kretzschmar, whose opener gave off the energy of a faded children’s entertainer, but his Mac Demarco-esque crooning was perfectly pleasant. When Erhard’s guitar careens joyfully into King Gizzard-like psychedelia, which it often does, the snarl assumes control and her floppy grown-out fringe falls over her eyes like a true 70s rocker. It’s all very satisfying.

Occasionally, Erhard left listeners bemused. At one point Erhard begins to awkwardly mount an audience member’s shoulders. Then she’s handed a tape measure, which she haphazardly uses on herself and the dude. Ah. It’s one of those gig-stunts. She’s 170cm and singing a song about… being 170cm.

One feels she hasn’t quite grasped how to embody the whimsy of her lyrics for the benefit of her performance, but her vocal delivery is masterful and she delights the audience with a voice which veers between coquettish and child-like in pitch.

Art which brings out the charm of the mundane is wonderfully grounding, and Erhard’s music does just that. Her melodies are comforting, catchy, and selling out rooms. I’ll be watching what she does next.

This article was originally published by LONDNR as part of The LOWDOWN newsletter. Sign up at londnr.substack.com/

Listen to Botanical Garden by Anna Erhard below.