tove lo dirt femme concert review (9.2/10)

I had the great pleasure of seeing Tove Lo perform live at The Fox theatre in Oakland this past Monday and after ruminating on it for a couple of days, I figured I’d make my return to writing by blogging about it. I love live music. I love editorial writing. And I’m hella opinionated. So here we go.

I’ve been listening to Tove Lo since I was a sophomore in college (2014ish). I didn’t really get into her Queen of the Clouds album, but Ladywood was definitely on my rotation where I spent many afternoons listening to “Influence” and watching one of last decade’s best music films (I refuse to call them visuals). Since then, she’s released quite the catalog of sexy and sometimes sad songs. My personal favorite Blue Lips came after as a follow-up to Ladywood. Following her greatest work, Blue Lips, came Sunshine Kitty and then her latest project Dirt Femme. Over five LPs and a career spanning almost ten years, her artistry has evolved with each era having its own distinct flavor of pop - this one taking from the funk/disco synths of the late 80s.

Background over. As far as the actual concert goes, Tove Lo’s performance was a solid expression of empowerment, sexuality, and at times, vulnerability. She opened with my two favorite tracks from Dirt Femme, “Pineapple Slice” and “Attention Whore” setting the tone for the rest of the show. I was thoroughly surprised at the opening tracks having not looked at the setlist prior. I’d assumed she would start with one of the more popular singles like “No One Dies from Love” or “Grapefruit”, but alas. With three dress changes throughout the show, she kept the energy flowing as each song seamlessly transitioned into the next. Her mic was definitely on and the backing track was just a minor accessory, and the experience was much better for it. Tove Lo singing live is a reminder that she is that girl. She can gyrate her hips, shake her ass, run across the stage, and still deliver vocal quality.

So for the critique. As it happens with artists once you hit a certain number of albums and your discography grows to a larger size — you can’t play every song. Even if it is a fan favorite. Still, it’s an interesting decision to leave “bitches” from Blue Lips off the set list. The song is one of Tove Lo’s more anthemic songs and is definitely one to invigorate the audience. This is where I can admit my bias, but it’s not my fault she released an album with so many hits. Also notably absent from the setlist was “I’m Coming”, “Jacques”, “sadder, badder, cooler”, and “hey you got drugs”. In all fairness, this is also the Dirt Femme Tour and not the Lemme Play Some Old Shit For My Longtime Fans Tour. At the same time, playing “Imaginary Friends” as a deep cut - per a fan request - was definitely an interesting choice.

Lastly, the set production didn’t feel very inspired and outside of the clouds, I couldn’t place the connection with the theme of the album. As a photographer and visual artist myself, those types of details do matter to me and my ability to connect with the performance. I also say this in context of her Sunshine Kitty Tour set production which was truly top tier. But context is key, and one important thing to note is that Dirt Femme also presents Tove Lo’s first as an independent artist under her own label, Pretty Swede Records.

Still, the performance reverberated and the Swedish singer gave everything she was supposed to give - even if she didn’t perform one of her best, most anthemic songs. I enjoyed the show immensely and would definitely attend another and if you’re looking for a sign to purchase tickets take this as that sign. Dirt Femme can be purchased and streamed here.