All Photos by Suzi Pratt

The well-dressed darlings of Camera Obscura graced the Bigfoot Stage of Sasquatch! on Monday, bringing to the table their sweet, charming indie pop all the way from Glasgow, Scotland.  This six-piece band was impeccably dressed, with the ladies in bright red lipstick and gents in slacks, as if they were about to attend a tea party rather than perform at a music festival.  They opened their set with the title track of their fourth and most recent album My Maudlin Career, following it up with “Swans,” also from their new album.  Both songs were acoustically flawless, with lead singer Tracyanne Campbells’ gently sweet vocals pleasantly bouncing along with the upbeat, retro melodies provided by her band.  Campbell has a very distinct voice that retains a happy tone even when the subject of the song she’s singing about has the opposite sentiments.  Her style is mimicked by the band, and together they make even heartbreak sound like something to grin about.

Even though Camera Obscura’s music is fun to listen to, I can’t say the same is true for their live performance.  Despite their visually-attractive costuming, Campbell and her band mates remain rather stoic while performing.  They even appeared somewhat camera shy as I gazed at them through my lens and noted eyes darting about with a hint of nervousness.  Perhaps the lack of facial expression is the band’s preferred performance style, but their current approach is more appropriate for music like that of The xx.  Not surprisingly, the audience didn’t appear to be particularly engaged in the set either, only making any signs of movement when applauding after a number was finished.  Camera Obscura makes beautiful music that is played flawlessly, but not entertainingly.