Neko Case Plays UCSB

Neko Case gave a moving performance last Friday night. Her voice was amazing, of course, a force seemingly bigger than the body it came from and the room it entered. Songs such as “Vengeance is Sleeping” and “Maybe Sparrow” got some deep and fragile reaches of our souls stirring and rumbling; “I Wish I Was the Moon” felt very timely. The band’s energy was admittedly a bit low, either reflective of their unhelpfully quiet audience or downtrodden from the death of soul/funk singer Sharon Jones. But Case, a hilarious and sweet presence, reminded us of the light’s way of breaking through clouds.