Angel Olsen. Photo by Angela Ricciardi.
Angel Olsen
St. Louis-born singer-songwriter Angel Olsen may be based out of Asheville, North Carolina, these days, but she’s bringing the headlining tour for her latest album, Big Time, home with a stop at The Factory on January 28.
Olsen lived in St. Louis through her childhood and teen years, and she looks back fondly on her time going to shows and playing in the local DIY scene. “I started going to DIY shows when I was 16,” Olsen says. “A lot of punk and noise shows. Noise music was the big thing in St. Louis when I was there.” She also remembers playing all-ages shows The Creepy Crawl with her band in high school. Hanging around the DIY shows connected her with other people in the scene, which eventually inspired her to move to Chicago.
This show at The Factory is the first time Olsen has been back through St. Louis since she played The Pageant in 2017. The artist has been quite busy since then, releasing the album All Mirrors in 2019 and the companion album, Whole New Mess, in 2020. While All Mirrors found Olsen working with more synths and strings, her 2022 release, Big Time, finds her stripping things back a bit and exploring some country and Americana-tinged influences.
The production of Big Time was partially shaped by the loss of both of Olsen’s parents in 2021. She went into the studio to record the album only three weeks after her mother passed away. And while she notes that the record isn’t really about losing them, she sees it as something of a tribute to her parents. Bringing those songs to St. Louis, where the rest of her family lives, is a homecoming. “I think my parents would have probably really liked this record,” Olsen says. “So that feels really good, to be playing it in front of family and knowing that they all like Americana and country music.”
Leaning into the Americana and country influences also allows Olsen and her band to loosen up their performances a bit. “I've made enough records and been on tour enough now that it feels a little bit looser,” Olsen says. “We can have more fun up there and feel less uptight.”
She also notes that she and the band like to mix things up when they can and audiences can expect a mix of songs new and old, along with a few covers, on the setlist.
“A lot of these songs from the new record are pretty fun to play,” Olsen says. “It's really easy to get lost in them and have a good time, so I'm just looking forward to that.”
Catch Angel Olsen at The Factory with special guest Erin Rae on Saturday January 28. Tickets are available for $34.50 in advance through Ticketmaster, or at the door for $40. All ages are welcome.
