Fever Ray
O2 ABC, Glasgow
06/09/2010

Appearing tonight for the first time in Scotland under her Fever Ray guise, Karin Dreijer-Andersson (The Knife, Honey Is Cool) is welcomed by a mass of sharply-dressed and remarkably polite fans, eager to see her notoriously outlandish live show. Dressed in a suitably deranged costume, complete with flowing black overalls and a checkered, cone-shaped mask, Dreijer-Andersson’s appearance is only a small fraction of the performance’s overall eccentricity.

Taking to the stage to the prolonged opening sounds of ‘If I Had A Heart’, from 2009′s excellent self-titled debut album, and joined by a pack of ghoulishly-costumed bandmates with disturbing rubber masks and props in tow – the mood is dark and slow but by no means tiresome. And it’s not long before the veil of darkness lifts to reveal dozens of warmly-lit lamps, complete with retro lampshades, flickering and swelling to every beat with surprisingly impressive effect. This is complemented by swathes of thick mist and sweeping lasers that more or less blanket the whole crowd. To say it’s impressive won’t cover it. The commitment to all elements of the show – theatrical and musical alike – is clearly remarkable, though considering the process was aided by the able hands of long term collaborator and revered visual artist Andreas Nilsson, it doesn’t really come as a surprise.

Sweeping through a modest body of work that’s still growing, everything from the brisk beat of ‘Seven’ and the creepy sprawl of ‘Concrete Walls’ to perhaps the most obvious fan favourite, ‘When I Grow Up’, works in sync with the live visuals so perfectly you don’t know whether to dance or just stare, slack-jawed and in awe. It’s always fun to see someone put the effort into crafting not just an engaging live show, but actually creating a totally unique persona, particularly one that clearly reaches beyond simple gimmickry.

Ryan Drever