Live Review: Tove Lo

Memphis LK has literally been born into a life of performing - you can google what the K in her name stands for at your own leisure. Having said that, her current hybrid live show is a mixed bag. Part performance, part DJ set, it's initially confusing as to what exactly is happening - after several minutes of knob tweaking and fader pushing, LK finally begins to sing. She's a strong pop vocalist, and the blend of drum and bass with hyper-pop in the production contrasts well with her ingenuous lilt. When she almost instantly goes back to DJing, however, it loses any momentum she's built up for herself. 

The padding of the DJ aspect could be to make up for a lack of material to sing, but if that's the case, then why not develop that aspect enough to warrant such a support slot in the first place? The inconsistency is almost forgiven when LK busts out a soprano sax to jam out a cover of Infinity by Guru Josh, but it's not quite enough to offset the doldrums that linger in the set. Still, there's a world of potential there – and, as a famous Australian musician once said, from little things, big things grow.

A cheer goes up as the house lights dim, and the sound of a siren begins to blare. It quickly turns to nervous laughter, however, when it becomes clear that this isn't part of the show. The fire alarm has gone off, and it incessantly blares for minutes on end with no announcements from staff and increasingly worried-looking roadies running back and forth across the stage. It's extremely tense, with a now completely packed Metro uncertain if the theatre has become a death trap, but it's ultimately – and thankfully – a false alarm.

With that out of the way, it's Tove Lo's time to shine at her first headlining Sydney show in some five years. Watching the hip-swivelling Swede live feels like a portal into the multiverse, in a funny way. She may not have scratched the charts outside of her homeland in years, but on this stage and in this moment, she feels like the biggest megastar on the planet. Every song is given a deafening cheer and a somehow even louder sing-along, from the bonafide summer smash Cool Girl to the unravelled balladry of True Romance, and it gets to the point of being literally undeniable.

Of course, if this was going to happen for Lo anywhere outside of Sweden, it seems fair that Australia would be the place. After all, two of the singer's best songs were made in collaboration with national music royalty, and both receive a hero's welcome when they're unveiled at crucial points during the set. Really Don't Like U, a duet with none other than Kylie Minogue, is dedicated to "all the gays" (which, let's face it, is over 95% of the audience), while her rendition of Flume team-up Say It sends another rush of energy to the dancefloor. You'd say it's like throwing petrol on an open flame, but you don't particularly want to jinx it, given what's transpired this evening. Let's just say it's a magical moment in an evening that's been full of them.