Tove Lo
27th July 2023
Auckland Town Hall, Auckland, New Zealand.
Review by Shelley Te Haara. Photography by Doug Peters.
In true Auckland fashion, Thursday went from a sunny day to a wild storm and back again in the space of a few hours. I sat at home considering if I should go out or not, but tonight was the chance to party with Tove Lo so I dressed up and ventured out. Despite it being FREEZING lately, Tove herself had put the call out across social media to dress up (as Attention Whores) – so we say warm and comfortable fashion. A bit of glitter, some mesh and a statement piece – we’re in!
Upon my arrival to the Town Hall there were quite a few people already packed in. I checked out the merch and it was dark but apparently that was the vibe for Elemental Nights with the coloured lights. Not the best for the traditional “black band shirts” but I will say there was some great merch tonight. I adored the tote bag that said “Tove Lo, Too Veh Lu, Voulez Vous, Scooby Doo” then had what looked to be a vagina linework image. MAY-A even had a shirt that said “Being homophobic is gay”. Absolutely iconic.
I was personally excited to see MAY-A as I first came across her on Tik Tok before she released the banger that is ‘Say Nothing’ with Flume. Tonight she was joined by a three piece band: G (drums), Chloe (guitar & BV’s) and CP (bass). It gave very all-women/non-binary punk band vibes and I was here for it. The style was on point and I wanted MAY-A’s outfit so bad – she was rocking these punk-aesthetic pants with a scrappy/cross-over black crop top. I don’t think that description does this look justice so just check out the photos!
One thing I particularly noticed was the amount of people realising they knew some of her music and how excited it made them. Vocally MAY-A was incredible and her stage presence was great, you’d think she had been doing it for years. Tonight so far was the best energy accompanied by colourful and bright lighting, plus the band were obviously having fun – it just made for such an enjoyable set for all. Well for some of us at least – some were quite chatty (but I am accepting more and more this is just a thing that happens at shows, particularly during opening acts). It is very frustrating but those of us near the front were having a great time! I’d love to see what a MAY-A headlining show would be like because that was so much fun. She closed out her set with the infamous hit ‘Say Nothing’ with Flume and honestly it felt like the best way to end the set and set the anticipation for Tove Lo.
The crowd was very interesting to observe. I felt like I expected people around my age and obviously quite a queer crowd. But I was surrounded by people of all shapes and sizes, different ethnicities, sexualities and different ages. It was amazing! I found myself dancing throughout the night with older queer men on the right, my friend behind me and young women to the left of me. One thing that threw me was the open drug use by some in the crowd, but they were having a fun time so that’s what matters at least. It felt like we were all getting antsy during the intermission but when the lights finally went out suddenly the venue was packed out, Tove Lo’s three-piece band took the stage to rapturous applause, then she herself emerged from the shadows.
What a Queen!! While I really like Tove Lo’s music, it’s always a fun surprise to see what outfit she emerges in. And tonight she did not disappoint. The dominantly pink and purple latex corset was stunning! Accompanied by silver underwear/boyshorts which I thought were a great choice as to not take away from the bodysuit/corset vibe she had going. I was obsessed and honestly need to know her skin care/maintenance routine because she’s gorgeous.
The set started with ‘Pineapple Slice’. Her smile really changed the vibe of the room I felt. Though she clearly had an idea of where she wanted to be and how she wanted to move across the stage, it seemed as though she was actually just having fun and feeling the crowds energy. “You’re going to cry, you’re going to dance, or cry & dance if you’re emotional like me”. As she moved further into the set, she addressed the venue and provocative nature of her show, saying it is a beautiful venue and because of that she feels she needs to be respectful… “That is not the case!”.
There was a screen of visuals behind her for each track. It ranged from music video snippets, to her riding a dinosaur to pixelated boobs and bums. They worked so well with her performance and if that wasn’t enough – the outfit changes! The band continued playing as she disappeared for a while and emerged in full lace/mesh, head to toe. This felt like a punk/bad bitch moment and we were all here for it. Then from that it went to another bodysuit, black with metal details that were very skeletal and ‘Dirt Femme’ vibe. I felt entranced by her vocals as well, you truly couldn’t fault them. Everything just felt like it all flowed seamlessly.
Tove Lo incorporated tracks from her album ‘Dirt Femme’ as well as all the faves from her ‘Queen of the Clouds’ album. I felt like I forgot how much I adored that album when it came out. My friend described that era as the Tumblr era and honestly, not wrong. There was a fight that broke out at one point that caused the show to stop and Tove Lo stood there getting info and monitoring the situation until it was sorted – “Don’t fight! It’s all love in this room!”. The crowd happily assisted and waited as it got sorted, understanding the importance of the situation. But it didn’t take away from the night as it felt like we all forgot about it as soon as the music kicked back in.
A lot of the show felt like a fun blur and I don’t think I’ve danced that much at a gig for quite some time. It just felt like a fun and positive experience. I also felt very comfortable in being myself and I feel that is such an important aspect of live music environments these days. Tove Lo wrapped things up with an encore including an incredible cover of ‘Dancing on my own’ by Robyn, to “the track that changed her life” – ‘Habits’. An incredible experience. If you haven’t seen Tove Lo live, I suggest you go. Even if you don’t know much of her music, you will still have so much fun!
Tove Lo:
MAY-A:
Were you there at the Auckland Town Hall for this high energy indie dance pop gig? Or have you seen Tove Lo perform live somewhere else before? Tell us about it in the comments below!
Setlist:
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