Lykke Li brought the drama (and smoke) to First Avenue
Lykke Li has done herself a lot of favors ever since she fully embraced her dark side. While it’s long been par-for-course for the pint-sized chanteuse to perform dressed like a streamlined Stevie Nicks, Li’s sold-out show Sunday night at First Avenue saw her fully transform from a cute-as-a-button pop darling into a full-bodied and confident artist, full of dark romanticism and a curiously eerie sense of sensuality.
Backed by a 5-person band, Li opened the show shrouded in mist, which ended up being a fitting metaphor for a show that never lost its sense of playful mystery during the entirety of its 70-minute run. Aided by a dazzling array of strobe lights and minimalist black curtains, Li immediately got the crowd pumped with “Jerome’s” spooky handclaps and foreboding tribal drums, before really upping the energy with “I’m Good, I’m Gone,” which inspired Li to playfully beat out the song’s infectious rhythm on a cymbal and floor tom.
As much fun as it to see Li demonstrate her dramatic dance moves (which sort of recall Mick Jagger and Axl Rose in their wobbliness), she’s a powerful enough vocalist that she’s just as engaging delivering emotional ballads like “Sadness Is A Blessing” and the atmospheric “I Know Places” as she is heightening the dramatic tension of heavily percussive up-tempos like “I Follow Rivers” and “Little Bit.”
As the tightly packed show continued, Li kept finding news ways to top herself. From a nearly punk rock version of “Dance, Dance, Dance” to a rendition of “Rich Kid Blues” that saw the stage bathed entirely in a menacing red light, Li gave every ounce of herself to each song, none of which was more chilling than “Silent My Song,” which saw Li invite openers and fellow Swedes, First Aid Kit, onstage to supply the song’s girl-group backing vocals.
Although Li performed the entirety of Wounded Rhymes and the highlights of Youth Novels, she still found time to do a cover of “Unchained Melody” that practically had a strangle hold over the enraptured crowd, although it would probably be foolish to argue that anything during the set topped “Youth Knows No Pain,” a song that eventually segued into Li shouting her own lyrics over Kanye West’s “Power” via a megaphone.
The night ended with the boisterous and raunchy “Get Some” that once again demonstrated the percussion that so fascinatingly sets Li apart from most of her contemporaries. Li’s come a long way since arriving onto the scene a few years ago, but if last night’s performance showed anything, it’s that Li is a whole lot more than just another wispy indie beauty; she’s a full blown rock star with charisma to spare and enough theatrics and talent to set her apart from the rest of the pack.
