Clairo Casts A Spell In Sold Out Show At 7th Street Entry

Millenial diety Clairo sold out 7th Street Entry in a matter of days. Whoever booked that show likely underestimated the fervor of teen adoration. The teenage girls that lined up by 3pm for the 6pm show were excited to get polaroid photos with the bedroom pop singer, forking over birthday money for their brief meet-and-greet experiences.

Garren Sean. Clairo. 7th Street Entry. — Garren Sean performs at 7th Street Entry. Photo by Juliet Farmer.

Opening act Garren Sean was an interesting act to precede Clairo. Completely solo, the Bay Area musician unloaded all of his gear by himself. His confident vocals and sweet smile set the stage perfectly for the excited crowd, and his multi-instrument set wowed the youngsters.

Garren Sean, 7th Street Entry, Juliet Farmer — Garren Sean performs at 7th Street Entry. Photo by Juliet Farmer.

Garren’s instrumental talents suited his diverse sound as he performed songs from his recent project, Garren LP. From classic funk bops to smooth synth-based tracks, every song showed a different musical exploration.

Clairo, 7th Street Entry, Juliet Farmer — Clairo performs at 7th Street Entry. Photo by Juliet Farmer.

When Claire Cottrill entered through a soft, smoky haze, the teenagers surrounding me erupted in screams that I would have thought were reserved for Taylor Swift. The 19-year-old Massachusetts native is a true testament to millennial culture. Rising to fame on the internet, Clairo’s Soundcloud roots have taken her far.

Clairo, Juliet Farmer — Clairo is handed a phone to record some video during her performance at 7th Street Entry. Photo by Juliet Farmer.

The singer-songwriter performed songs from her EP Diary 001, as the crowd screamed along with the lyrics to hits like “Flaming Hot Cheetos” and “Pretty Girl”, taking Clairo’s hypnotic and lo-fi sound to another level.

Clairo, Hayley, Juliet Farmer — Clairo performs at 7th Street Entry. Photo by Juliet Farmer.

Local music fans may have recognized guitarist Hayley Briasco from Minneapolis punk staple Tony Peachka. After spending time as the Tony Peachka drummer, Briasco left to tour with Clairo, bringing her impressive myriad of talents to a new frontier.

The band ended their set with an encore, delighting everyone in attendance with the song “4EVER”. If the X’s on Claire Cottrill’s hands hadn’t reminded me of her young age, the lyrics to “4EVER” did. “Is it ever gonna change,” she sang, “Am I gonna feel this way forever?”

As for me, I’m looking forward to seeing where Clairo goes from here. Will their sound change and grow, or will it always feel like a scrapbook page of girlhood, frozen in time? Either way, I’m here for it.