Tove Lo brings Dirt Femme to Seattle
It’s been incredibly interesting to watch Tove Lo turn into one of the most influential artists, and we were thrilled to catch her sold out performance at the Paramount Theater. She was in town supporting her fifth studio album, Dirt Femme, and we were sure it would be a memorable night. The last time we caught her was end of February 2020 at the Showbox SoDo with a broken foot so this felt like a huge upgrade all around. That Sunshine Kitty tour was still one of our favorite dance party nights but looking back now it felt like the closing of the world without realizing it.
Slayyyter opened the show and she was a great addition to the night. After gaining a following with a small clip of “Mine” on Twitter she released her self-titled mixtape. Soon after her debut, Troubled Paradise was out in the world and fans are looking forward to the new record sometime this year. She kept the audience intrigued as she danced around and performed her known tracks. Highlights included, “Butterflies…,” “Clouds,” “Mine,” and the finale, “Daddy AF.”
It was time for the performance to start and as Tove Lo appeared from the side of the stage in an outfit that resembled wonder woman. She comfortably stepped to the front of the room, ready to command her army. Her golden ribboned corset top had another detail easily missed from a distance; fake nipples attached. I feel like only Tove could pull this off so well and do it looking so great. She danced her way into “Pineapple Slice,” “Attention Whore,” and hit “Cool Girl,” as people screamed in adoration.
Her white boots led the way back and forth on the huge stage as the eyes in the room followed her, watching with excitement and awe. She stopped to chat with the fans, giving some rules of how the night should go, “You have to dance and sing, have a great time, and be confident to do so. Even if you don’t feel that way, tonight you are going to be confident and enjoy yourself.” Next was one of my personal favorites, “Are U gonna tell her?” which was marvelously paired with purple lights, echoing the lyrics, “Our bodies tangled tight in the purple light…” There was a longer outro after “2 Die 4,” which is a massive dance track right now, and in that time Tove ran in the back to change into another fit.
She returned with “Talking Body,” wearing a netted black bodysuit, barefoot. After that she had noticed a rainbow flag in the front row and she jumped down and grabbed it to bring it onstage while she performed, “Really Don’t Like U.” The night passed so fast and it was so incredible to look at her put on such a show. She stood alone and there was never a dull moment or anyone else needed to fill in the large stage area. Her three musicians were a little further back on stands as the stage was set around with a few cloud pieces, probably referencing her first album, Queen of the Clouds.
Tove Lo‘s main set ended with the high of “Suburbia,” “Borderline,” her latest release that’s co-written with Dua Lipa, the Euphoria hit, “How Long,” and “True Disaster.” She returned for her encore dressed in her video/cover outfit which is a grey bodysuit with a tail sticking from the back. She smiled at her fans and playfully asked, “Do you want more?” as they screamed for more.
The fan request of the night, “Don’t ask don’t tell,” was from someone who happened to be in the front row, we couldn’t even imagine their excitement as she called them out. After that Tove went on to say, ” This next one is an old song but it also was the one that changed my life, it’s turning ten years old soon so let’s sing it all together.” As “Habits” formed you could feel the vibe turn and hear everyone sing along, almost like falling in love with the tune all over again. It’s so incredible that after all of these years this song is still so relatable, I guess how can it not be?
The last track was the lead single from her latest record, “No One Dies From Love,” closing out one of the best shows of the year already. Tove is still proving that she’s one of the most vulnerable and truthful songwriters out there. There isn’t something she won’t share about her life and adventures with love which makes you stop and admire just how open she is, perhaps that’s why she captivates so many people. Some of us aren’t so brave to share our thoughts and insecurities but the fact that she can, makes our emotions feel validated and seen. That’s something you get every time you come to a Tove Lo show, pure emotional ecstasy and acceptance.
