Morgan Kibby sings her heart out at the third night of White Sea’s Bootleg residency

The Bootleg Theater is host to a special Wednesday night residency this month with featured artist White Sea. The shows are free and I was able to catch their penultimate performance last night. Supported by local friends The Bulls, White Sea lead singer Morgan Kibby showed us the limits of the human voice while rocking the house down.

The Bulls played a great set, though I will admit that from the outset, I was disappointed; it is the ultimate missed opportunity to be in a band called The Bulls and not all walk out in matching Jordan jerseys. They could have ripped them off at some point during the show, in dramatic fashion. But instead they were monochromatic, though I will admit that lead singer Anna Bulbrook’s lab coat did make things interesting.

I had been listening to Beach House earlier and so easily jived with The Bulls’ energetic shoegaze. When Bulbrook abandoned her guitar and the band began “Prudence,” I was sold. And when she pulled out a violin, I was in love. She sang gazing upward throughout the whole show, as if there was something spiritual about their performance, which is a quirk that Florence Welch also shares. I have a question for you, Anna, do you think this your first time on this planet?

White Sea is a project founded by Romanovs lead singer and long-time M83 collaborator Morgan Kibby. She contributed to the making of Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming, specifically having co-written “Midnight City,” which is one of the most requested songs on college radio stations, FACT. At the Bootleg, though, I forgot all about her other projects as I focused on White Sea, a powerhouse of a power pop group.

Kibby’s voice has a range dangerous enough to shatter glass. She sang with an emotional intensity that I did not notice when listening to their recordings before the show, and that alone should draw you in. If you have any reservations about White Sea on paper, do yourself a favor and visit the Bootleg next week and catch the final performance of their residency. You’re gonna wanna hear “Never a Woman” live.

Words: Zoë Elaine

Photography: Danielle Gornbein

White Sea