Tove Lo, w/ Erik Hassle at First Avenue, Minneapolis (10 Oct 2015)
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poster
Tove Lo Tour Dates
10/16/15 Lupo’s Heartbreak Hotel – Providence, RI*
10/17/15 The Fillmore – Philadelphia, PA* 10/20/15 The Paramount – Huntington, NY* 10/21/15 Terminal 5 – New York, NY* 11/09/15 Glasgow Queen Margaret Union 11/10/15 Manchester Academy 2 11/12/15 London O2 Shepherds Bush Empire 11/14/15 Stockholm, Sweden Munchenbryggeriet 12/01/15 Dallas, TX “106.1 KISS FM’s Jingle Ball” 12/03/15 Oakland, CA “Wild 94.9 Jingle Ball” 12/04/15 Los Angeles, CA “KIIS FM Jingle Ball” 12/07/15 Saint Paul, MN “KDWB Jingle Ball” 12/09/15 Philadelphia, PA “WIOQ Q102 Jingle Ball” 12/10/15 Boston, MA “KISS 108 Jingle Ball” 12/11/15 New York, NY “Z100 Jingle Ball” 12/14/15 Washington, DC “Hot 99.5 Jingle Ball” 12/16/15 Rosemont, IL “103.5 KISS Jingle Ball” 12/18/15 Sunrise, FL “Y100 Jingle Ball” 12/19/15 Tampa, FL “93.3 FLZ’s Jingle Ball” * with Erik Hassle
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That was the scene at a very sold-out First Avenue, as Stockholm natives Tove Lo and Erik Hassle played to a frenzied youthful audience. With a high Scandinavian population locally and Lo mentioning downtown hotspots like The Gay ‘90s and Pizza Luce, it’s no wonder the invasion was more than a friendly one.
Erik Hassle
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Singer-songwriter Erik Hassle has been making waves on this side of the Atlantic for some time. The electronic pop artist was covered recently by W♥M as he opened for Twin Shadow back in April and recently got a big exposure bump by Taylor Swift, who listed his ‘No Words’ as the first track of her recent “New Songs to Make Your Life More Awesome” list on Instagram resulting in the song recently hitting 10 million Spotify streams.
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Hassle with DJ
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Hassle emerged with a DJ / keyboardist for his 8-song 35 min. set, in a fit black leather jacket with his curly auburn locks tousling along to the beat. The singer has mostly released a handful of singles and EPs stateside (including last year’s Somebody’s Party EP), but look for a full-length from the electro-soul/R&B crooner next year.
‘Pathetic’ was an early set highlight along with his bluesy, guitar-based cover of Sam Cooke’s ‘Nothing Can Change This Love’ and his unique soul-inspired falsetto was evident on many tracks. Single ‘No Words’ got the biggest response (the T-Swift bump, no doubt) and the soaring and apologetic ‘Hurtful’ ended Hassle’s night on a high note.
Tove Lo
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Amidst a dark stage only illuminated with lighted 3D block letters spelling out her name, Tove Lo (aka Ebba Tove Elsa Nilsson) took to the stage for a 75 min. headlining performance in a gray zippered flight suit, accompanied by a keyboardist/guitarist and two rumbling live drummers (similar to what we’ve seen with fellow Swedish acts Teddy Bears and Robyn).
Though with only one full album out (last year’s Queen of the Clouds on Island Records), the singer-songwriter also has a long pedigree of writing hits for other people, including Ellie Goulding, Girls Aloud, and her friends, Icona Pop. Provactive like Madonna and danceable like Robyn, the pop singer opened with ‘Not on Drugs’, the Payami remix of which is featured on her recently upgraded Blueprint Edition of the album.
On the 10th date of her tour, she seemed honestly excited to playing locally for the first time, “It’s f**king amazing!” , she emoted, “you always remember your first”. The mostly younger crowd ate up her every move and followed her lead when holding heart-shaped hands in the air, swaying back and forth, and jumping in place.
“Let’s see for how many years I can sing this song”, she said as the band led into ‘Like ‘Em Young’ and the mid-tempo ‘Scream My Name’ from The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part One soundtrack with its echoing percussion, was pulled off nicely live.
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Tove Lo
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By mid-set, the barefooted Lo had shed the bulky flight suit to reveal a tight one-piece sequined body suit, looking ready for the high wire. For radio hit ‘Talking Body’ (which even Butch Walker covered when we saw him earlier this year), we hadn’t read up on the Internet beforehand, so were more than a little surprised when Lo flashed the crowd mid-song, as a gesture of female empowerment (and one she does pretty frequently apparently).
‘Paradise’, one of the first songs she ever wrote, was done solo on piano, and ‘Timebomb’ with its “You’re not Forever, You’re Not the One” transformed heartache into triumph, ending the main set with everyone clapping along.
Encore opener ‘Run on Love’ is actually a song by fellow Swede Lucas Nord, featuring Lo, but Lo made the electronic song her own, and her biggest hit to date, ‘Habits (Stay High)’ ended the night with the crowd singing the chorus back to Lo and the band.
Those that missed this out on this sold out show have another chance soon, as Lo tours the country in early December, for a short set on Live Nation/Clear Channel’s Jingle Ball circuit (which includes a Dec. 7 St. Paul stop)… though I wouldn’t expect any displays of female empowerment during those family-friendly holiday concerts.
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Tove Lo at First Avenue, Minneapolis (10 October 2015) |