Zola Jesus plays brooding, enigmatic music - the type of Fever Ray inspired dark pads and haunting vocals that set up shop deep in the cavity of your chest and refuse to come out until you feel sufficiently filled. Her songs are of the ilk that seem to yearn for a darkened stage and a stationary performer. That, however, is far from what we got. Throwing the notion of a static performance in the face of bands like The XX, Zola Jesus put on the most frenzied performance of #Offline, much to the delight of delirious fans.
Emerging from underneath a black blanket, Zola sang the first song of her set standing at the microphone. Adorned in leggings that appeared to be fashioned from elastic bands, the pint sized performer was a curious sight to behold, even when standing still. She didn't stay still for long; as soon as the first song ended, Zola was like superball, pacing frantically back and forth across the 30-foot span of the Brooklyn Bowl stage. In the half hour of her performance, I would wager she traveled upwards of two miles, hardly standing still.
With heads in the audience ping-ponging from left to right, Zola Jesus was the fixture of everyone's gaze. More than just visual, though, she performed fantastically. A whole lot of voice crammed into a small package, Jesus didn't disappoint in her live renditions of songs from Stridulum and Valusia, her two critically acclaimed EPs. She was one of my most anticipated acts of CMJ/#Offline, and even then, Zola Jesus managed to exceed expectations.
