Seraphina Lotkhamnga on June 6th, 2014

1

Things got cozy at the Troubadour on Wednesday night, but with MØ and Erik Hassle having sold out this final date on their tour in 30 minutes, intimate certainly didn’t mean it was reserved. As two of Scandinavia’s most promising pop acts, Swedish soul singer-songwriter Erik Hassle and Danish electro-pop and R&B-soul artist MØ set aside their soft-spoken melodies in favor of raw energy that bounced off the walls.

• ||| Photos by David Benjamin

Hassle kicked off the night by digging a deep groove into the stage with his funk and soul songs such as “Pathetic” off his latest EP, “Somebody’s Party.” His red curly hair didn’t seem to be as tall as it had initially been back in the day, but his falsettos were certainly flying high. Smooth, emotive, and cool all at once, Hassle would have completely hypnotized the room if only he had a live band backing him. With a DJ to his right laying down the beats, his closing number “Talk About It” still slayed. Headliner MØ even came out early and joined him on a few measures.

MØ (neé Karen Marie Ørsted), however, wasn’t about slow seduction. The petite singer, who wore her signature top-braid and strutted on stage in a shaggy black coat, came out determined to get everyone up on their feet. As three mouths – which closely resembled the ones on her album cover “No Mythologies To Follow” – mouthed the intro to “Fire Ride,” MØ prepared to get hot and heavy while dropping those first lyrics. “L.A!” she shouted right before. “It’s so good to see you!”

Quickly transforming show-goers into show participants, MØ got up close and personal with her fans. Going out into the crowd, climbing podiums, slinking upstairs in the VIP side section and eventually climbing onto someone’s shoulder, she became the ultimate show-woman on songs such as “Maiden,” “XXX 88,” “The Sea,” and “Slow Love.” It was a great moment considering she’s always had star power, but she hasn’t always played to the largest crowds. By the time MØ started “Pilgrim,” another one of her more well-known tracks, her braid had already come undone from all of her own fist-pumping, air-punching and head-banging.

She did slow things down for a bit though. “Now it’s time for one more love song,” MØ exclaimed before going into “Dust Is Gone,” which was followed with “Never Wanna Know,” “Walk This Way,” then finally closing her main set out with “Glass.”

Although some could compare to her fellow Scandinavian singer Lykke Li – only grittier and electro- and R&B-based – MØ proved in her T-shirt and cut-off denim shorts that she was just one of us. She wanted to express herself with song and dance (none choreographed of course), and she needed us to help make it a party.

Her encore fabulously brought the show full-circle. As soon as MØ admitted that she “didn’t write this song,” the crowd went wild knowing she was about to perform her slinky cover of Spice Girls’ “Say You’ll Be There,” because what’s a party without indulging in a ’90s pop jam?

Closing out with “Don’t Wanna Dance,” MØ finally had the entire venue jumping and down as she ironically shouted “Dance with me!”