Mø @ 02 abc, glasgow
17.10.2016

Words by Kenalyn Ang

Amidst the grey, cloudy, and spitting fall skies, MØ’s performance at the O2 last Friday served as the bright, glittering bundle of energy that Scottish tweens, moms, and a certain group of St. Andrews students needed to start off their weekend. The Danish singer Karen Marie Ørsted, or better known as MØ, recently returned to Glasgow to perform at the O2 ABC. As a relatively neutral fan of hers, I went into the concert with no expectations or hopes, mostly familiar with only her newer works and collaborations (Lean On, Kamikaze, Drum, and Final Song). After her performance at the concert, however, and gaining exposure to more of her latest album No Mythologies to Follow, I will definitely be seeking out more of her work in the future.

After taking an early evening bus to Glasgow, my friends and I dumped our stuff at a hostel and scurried over to Sauchiehall Street. As I entered the venue, the opening act - that looked like another upcoming British boy band - were filing off stage.  There was a fifteen-minute break to grab drinks, purchase some merchandise, or head to the toilets. Soon, a neon ‘M’ began flashing in fuchsia at the centre of the stage, and the beginning chords of Waste of Time started. MØ sauntered on, completely in the dark and backlit by the ‘M’, pacing to and from the centre stage. As she began to sing the lights came on, and there was MØ clad in a black bomber jacket, pink jumpsuit, and black creepers. Half of her hair was French braided into space buns, with a generous amount of pink glitter sprinkled down her hairline. Her outfit was very much representative of the performance she gave:  extremely casual and comfortable, but fun, light-hearted and lively. 

Throughout the night, MØ’s dancing and interaction with the audience kept the night fast-paced and spontaneous. She didn’t seem to follow a specific set of stage directions or choreography, bouncing over to each side of the stage. At several points, she hopped off the edge of the stage and sang amongst the crowd, fans reaching to touch her forearms. MØ’s grooving and dancing throughout kept the ambience free and casual too. Some of my favourite moves included her kicking and flailing, hand gesticulations (i.e. finger fluttering), and elbow twerking. For some of her songs, MØ used a pre-recorded track for the chorus, singing only the verses, but when she did sing, her voice sounded just as it does in her albums. Sprinkled in with the wacking and freeform dance moves, MØ would every so often come up next to a member of her three-man band and have a mini jam session onstage, singing into her mic and kneeling by the piano or drums. MØ seemed incredibly friendly, down-to-earth, and youthful. More importantly, she was comfortable enough to let herself go in her own music, falling to her knees, lying on the stage, and bouncing side to side at several points, helping the very diverse audience open up and groove with her. The singer was very much at ease with herself, with the space, and with the crowd, despite the fact that they were very hesitant to dance or sing along at the start. When levelled with her fans, the singer would sometimes pause, close her eyes, and belt, her voice hitting a wide-range of notes just as sporadic and varied as her free-for-all dancing. As part of her closing few songs, MØ performed Lean On while surfing the crowd, appearing like a floating, kneeling figure across the sea of fans from where I was standing. Shortly after that, the singer seated herself on a fan’s shoulders, fist pumping and cheering amidst the already cheering crowd. MØ was so at ease with her audience that it made her seem like a concert goer as much as she was the performer. As she punched out her dance moves she simultaneously belted her punk and electropop, hitting such a diverse range of notes and moves that radiated energy into the entire room.

MØ’s performance energized her audience and put me in a great mood. After singing for a little over an hour and a half straight, MØ yelled another big ‘thank you’ to the crowd, and by 10pm, everyone was heading out the doors. The concert ended much earlier than I expected, but was a perfect outing to set the mood and spirits high in the midst of a dull October.