Live Review

Robyn – O2 ABC, Glasgow

• 19th Oct 2010

Swedish pop sensation Robyn, returning to the UK for a short tour, wowed a large audience in Glasgow last night with her mix of electronic beats and heartfelt pop lyrics.

The evening did not begin well, though. The doors were due to open at 7pm, which for an all ages show generally means an early start. But by 7:30, a large queue of mostly youthful fans was still waiting outside in the cold autumn night.

The crowd was eventually allowed to pour into the venue, a converted picture house as its name suggests. There was no support band, although two DJs did their best to create a club feel as the hall filled to near its capacity of 900. But after two hours of rather repetitive music a mood of subtle resentment was building.

All of this was forgotten when the decks were removed from the stage and the house lights went down. To an electronic backing track the band of two drummers and two keyboard players entered first, dressed in white boiler suits.

And then Robin Miriam Carlsson, to use her full name, strode confidently to the centre of the stage. From the moment she picked up the mic, opening with the anthemic Fembot from the first of this year’s three album releases, Robyn had the audience in the palm of her hand.

Every dance move was greeted with cheers, as the star of the show demonstrated both her sassy attitude and that perfect pop voice. Beneath a bewildering array of multi-coloured lights she made the large stage her own, striding from side to side, playing to the audience without missing a single note.

There were many highlights in a quality set, including the single Hang With Me and a mesmerising In My Eyes from the latest album. Be Mine was delivered beautifully, although by that point everyone in the audience was already Robyn’s.

There simply had to be an encore and the night was finally closed with an older track, Show Me Love, which left the crowd yelling for more as Robyn left the stage to tremendous applause.

It has been said many times before, but there is a look of Madonna about the Swedish star. And while her musical style may be different, Robyn shares the same effortless performance and ability to make pop music that resonates with listeners.

It is a long time since Sweden produced a pop star. But Robyn makes the wait seem worthwhile.