Lykke Li – King Tut’s, Glasgow 8th June
Words by Robert ‘Posh’ Duncan.
Photography by Ryan ‘Woolies’ Mitchell.
First published on Alternative Nation.
For anyone not familiar with her work, Stockholm-born Lykke Li is probably best classified as a pop singer, although only in the same way that Kate Bush or Prince are best classified as pop singers.
Her debut album, ‘Youth Novels’, produced mainly by Bjorn from Peter, Bjorn and John, is a damn fine listen, somehow positively rammed with catchy hooks while still sounding strange and mysterious. Live, she’s a little less ethereal and more just straight-up funky, with a percussion-heavy, brutally minimal sound that often forgoes bass altogether a la prime period Prince. It would be ridiculously sexy even if she wasn’t a 22 year old Swedish lass.
Interestingly, she’s a much braver and ballsier singer live than on record, equally at home with dark folk-tinged epics and quirky dance-pop numbers. In particular, first single ‘Little Bit’, already a favourite of mine on record, proves emotionally devastating in the live arena. Great moves too, made even more adorable by her strange hippie B-boy outfit. On the rare occasions she isn’t unnerving us with her vocal intensity, she’s adding percussion tracks or kazoo (!) riffs to the melting pot.
The crowd don’t seem to know how to react and Lykke’s repeated urgings that we should dance are mainly met by reverent stares and enthusiastic hand-clapping, but a distinct lack of booty-shaking, at least until current single ‘I’m Good, I’m Gone’ and an unexpected (and crowd-pleasing) encore of ‘Can I Kick It?’ cause the place to erupt.
In case you were wondering: yes, she can.
