Live at the Troxy (Live at the Troxy)

Album review

At a glance, it seems hard to talk about a Fever Ray live performance without mentioning its visual component. Karin Dreijer’s grimacing face and her desire to build a provocative and nightmarish persona through costumes and makeup – in short, half of her artistic identity – are left to the listener’s imagination, when listening to Live at Troxy. The Swede tackled desire through a feminist viewpoint on her last album, Plunge (2017), and that activism is reflected through her concerts: she mostly shares the stage with female or transgender musicians, preferably those who have children, and are above 30 years old. Her electronic music is imbued with political context – her own beliefs and values. Most of the tracks on this album are from the 2017 record, beefed up with additional percussive elements, samples and futuristic synths. The end result is a devilish, disconcerting anarchy. The queer anthem This Country (which doesn’t mention any place in particular) relies on the shock value of its chorus "This country makes it hard to fuck" to comment on the oppression of LGBTQ minorities across the world. Fever Ray breathes provocative, shameless sexuality; this part of her artistic identity traces back to her days in The Knife, an electro-pop duo founded with her brother Olof. However the anger and militancy is amplified by the context of the live performance. There is no doubt, Karin Dreijer isn’t afraid of defending her convictions – whether these be political or artistic, she goes the last mile with a sort of pugnacious pride. © Alexis Renaudat/Qobuz