If one was to describe Fever Ray’s Performance at Brooklyn Hangar they might use words like, “stunning” and “resplendent.” Their performance Sunday night was as much about the visuals as it was about the audial experience and they spared nothing in entertaining the crowd and exploring their own artistic genius.
After the lights dimmed and people pushed closer to the stage, the members of the band walked out to present themselves. Each of them was costumed in some sort of steampunk, galaxy inspired outfit, some equipped with whips, animal ears, leather jumpsuits, tasseled football shoulder pads and an exaggerated full bodybuilder suit with thighs and biceps that protruded out a good couple of feet. Lead singer Karin Dreijer then walked out onto the stage with heavy eye makeup smeared across her cheeks and forehead and black lipstick applied outside her lips that gave the illusion that those parts of her face had sunken into her skull. She wore a t-shirt that said “I ♥︎ Swedish Girls” with Swedish crudely taped over. It was girl power personified.
They launched into their first song “An Itch,” a loud synth-pop jam that layers the complex vocals of Dreijer. All of the songs are heavy electropop, but there is an ominous undertone to it all and this quality was most apparent when they performed “When I Grow Up.” Dreijer’s vocals have the sweetness and childlike quality of Joanna Newsom, but paired with the ambient synth and disquieting harmonies the songs take on a new meaning. The performance of “Falling” began with haunting synthesizers and echo-y drum machines before Dreijer and the other singers danced suggestively, titillating the crowd while they sang, “She makes me feel dirty again.”
Other songs like “Triangle Walks” and “Red Trails” contain some of the most experimental and intricate textures in electropop. “Triangle Walks” incorporated meringue rhythms with distorted marimbas and hypnotized the audience with its repetitive beat. The crowd swayed to the accordion texture in “Red Trails” while red and purple spotlights darted around the venue and carved out fractured shapes of people dancing. “IDK About You,” a fast-paced track, had everything from big drumbeats to dissonant synth and vocals. The main set finished with the wandering song “Keep the Streets Empty For Me” before the crowd chanted for their return for an encore.
They obliged and closed out the night with “If I Had a Heart,” which was most notably featured in Breaking Bad. The three singers were silhouetted while they all played acoustic guitars in unison. Underneath the melodic harmonies and vibrating bass were sounds similar to a cricket chirping. It gave the song a more ethereal feel while still retaining its sinister quality. After the last note was played, the crowd walked out from underneath the dense fog that surrounded them and through the velvet, crimson curtains back out into the streets of Brooklyn.
Setlist:
An Itch
A Part of Us
When I Grow Up
Mustn’t Hurry
This Country
Falling
Wanna Sip
I’m Not Done
Red Trails
Concrete Walls
To The Moon and Back
Triangle Walks
IDK About You
Keep the Streets Empty for Me
Encore:
If I Had a Heart
Mama’s Hand
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