If it seems like Lykke Li is everywhere, well, it’s because she pretty much is. The Swedish singer, who fits that bill of being the kind of girl every guy wants to date and every girl wants to be, has been on both Fallon and Conan, managed to perform on the fucking moon, and took over L.A. for a week, with three intimate performances. Two were even free: an in-store at Amoeba Records and an appearance at the Mondrian Sessions. But One Thirty BPM was lucky enough to cover her performance at the small El Rey Theater, an opportunity that will likely not appear again any time soon, as she is returning in two months to play the nearly twice-as-big Wiltern and then the Greek Theater, which is huge, at the end of summer.
But Li didn’t treat the El Rey show as a small performance. She brought in additional lighting, had curtain/drape things hanging down, and crowded the small stage with her backing band. Plus, her performance itself is larger than life, showing the quality of an arena-ready tour that is just waiting to build an arena-sized audience. If Wednesday was any indicator, this outcome is a near-certainty.
Opening the show was fellow Swedish group Johnossi. Now, I can speak from first-hand experience that Lykke Li is a Kings Of Leon fan. My only previous experience seeing her was at Coachella a couple years back and her performance included a cover of “Knocked Up,” so it wasn’t a surprise to see her opening band on this tour being a practical Xerox of the Tennessee band. And I’m not talking about old-school KOL, I mean current, arena-rock KOL.
Now, I have to hand it to Johnossi; they created music that is in every way as good as Kings Of Leon, but with only two-people on stage. Now, this still doesn’t mean it was good when compared to most radio-ready music. If anything, it just made me wonder why Kings Of Leon need so many people in their band. Johnossi are catchy, passionate, and professional in their performing. While I can whole-heartedly say the music is not for me, it is not any knock on their musicianship; it’s just a knock on their taste.
Waiting until the ainticipation reached its peak. Li began her set in a cloud of smoke with her back turned to the audience for the Wounded Rhymes deep-cut “Jerome.” Sure, “Jerome” isn’t exactly a party-starter, but the rabid fans were going to eat up whatever she put out there. Everything about the opening was reserved, including her black, hanging cape-like getup. Rather than slam-out with a huge opening, she let the evening come to a boil over a few minutes, shifting gears heavily with the second number, her most recognizable cut “I’m Good, I’m Gone,” from Youth Novels. She removed her non-flattering baggy entrance outfit to reveal short shorts and tights. It was… it was hot.
From that moment on, it was a party, even during the ballads. “I’m Good, I’m Gone” saw her take the mic off its stand and dance to each corner of the stage, making sure to engage the photographers as well as the eager fans. It was a pro-move and I respected it. After-all, this was an album launch show and she has to be aware that with the strength of her new record (it is fantastic), she has the unique opportunity to ride this it far as she wants. And it would seem she is not the “shy shy shy” girl she claims to be on “Dance Dance Dance.” She is a monster of a performer.
After a passionate performance of “Love Out Of Lust,” Lykke threw another curveball with her first of two covers in The Big Pink’s “Velvet.” Gone was the heavy production of the original; rather, she interpreted the song as a spare ballad. Still present from the original was every bit of the affecting melody and power. This was one of those rare occasions where a cover captured the integrity of the original, and managed to make it unique enough to allow the cover seem like a necessity. This would also be true of her later rendition of The Knife’s “Silent Shout.”
The singer was engaging between songs, too. She managed to come across as mature, asking someone for whiskey at one point, and girlish, stopping “Get Some” to chastise the crowd for not dancing enough, exclaiming that it was “the last fucking song.” Of course, it wasn’t. The final mini-set featured three slower songs from Wounded Rhymes. Once again, Li didn’t stick with the traditional ideas of an encore, but rather created a tight and unified three-song mini set to leave the audience taken with her talent rather than blinded by lights and dance moves. It was a bold move, but completely effective.
In particular, “Unrequited Love,” possibly the best song she has written yet, was soul-wrenching and explosive. Only her cymbal-crashing frenzy during “Dance Dance Dance” was a higher point in the night. Somehow, Li left me considering her scheduled appearances in the coming months not as possibilities, but necessities. And as often as I go to shows, for a singer to make me want to experience it all over again is saying something.
Of course, it might just be a crush. But, can you blame me?
Setlist:
Jerome
I’m Good, I’m Gone
Love Out Of Lust
Velvet (The Big Pink cover)
Little Bit
I Follow Rivers
Youth Knows No Pain
Dance Dance Dance
Rich Kid Blues
Breaking It Up
Possibility
Silent Shout (The Knife cover)
Get Some
I Know Places
Sadness Is A Blessing
Unrequited Love
