This weekend our friend Karin Dreijer Andersson made her UK stage debut as Fever Ray. We’ve been following her newest solo endeavor since it began, and though we wish we could’ve witnessed it ourselves, we’re not surprised to hear that she pretty much brought the house down.
Her performance was part of London’s Southbank Centre’s Ehter 09 Festival. She sang every song from her debut album, plus two covers thrown in for good measure. Drowned In Sound’s Chris Power was there to witness the magic; here is an excerpt from his review. You can read all of his thoughts on the night here.
The Royal Festival Hall is perhaps just half full when two white lasers lance through the darkness, a two-note metallic drone thrums into life and, a full two minutes later, Fever Ray (aka Karin Dreijer Andersson) takes to the lampshade-strewn stage in a ceremonial headdress that would keep her face obscured even if there was light to see by.
For the next hour Andersson holds her audience utterly spellbound throughout her debut UK appearance as Fever Ray, which is part of the Southbank Centre’s Ether 09 festival. She performs every song from her eponymous album – clearly destined to be one of the best of 2009 – alongside two covers. Those hoping to hear anything by The Knife don’t get their wish but can’t leave disappointed, such is the monolithic power of this show.
