I last saw Fever Ray perform at Brixton Academy almost 15 years ago. I think back to that show and then to my life at the time; who I went to see it with and just how much has changed for and in me since then. Knowing all this, I’m not sure why we expect our favourite bands, performers and artists to stay the same. We tend to see any sort of departure as slightly disappointing, implying when we say that “they’ve changed a bit” or they’re “not quite what they used to be” as a bit of a disloyal betrayal. In the last few years I’ve recently hit what I guess is in this day and age mid-life. I’m my forties. And whilst it’s all sort of the same, the daily reflection I seem to experience on change, transformation, and the should I/shouldn’t conversation I keep having with myself on botox is no joke. So I’m very much here for change. To see it in others so that I might feel it myself. Like a new pot of paint ready to freshen up an old room.

There’s No Place I’d Rather Be. The title of Fever Ray’s current tour and I’m here at Copenhagen’s Vega to see it.  Having just spent my first few days in Copenhagen, this couldn’t be more fitting. Just like the rest of the city, the Vega is a design showstopper and it’s hard to believe it’s as authentic as it is, having seen so many boutique hotels, restaurants and endless Instagram design accounts replicate this iconic style. The building, listed within Denmark for its special architectural design is adorned with every inch of classic Danish design features with dark wood panelling, mahogany floors, geometric friezes, and inventive details of railings and lamps. It’s all deep tones and a time trap of mid-century allure. It’s atmospheric and the ultimate scene setter.

Having taken our seats, the show begins. And from the start it has an instant grip. The band appears one by one, twinkling cotton-wool cloud hats, halo headpieces, a lone street lamp, and the floor thick with smoke rising to fill the stage. A swamp of white mist. The first sounds transcend and it’s instantly visceral, seeping through the hall into all membranes.  It’s the start of the show and it is utterly that – a show. A real production. From set design to orchestrated movements to outfits to makeup. It’s a fantasy setting complete with a cast of key fairytale characters. Karin Dreijer appears in an oversized white suit and loose tie. Our hero. You don’t need to get high here. All the pulsating, trippy hypnotic magic is projected outwards and onto the audience.

The movement and choreography are just so effortlessly cool and sophisticated. Destiny’s Child would be having a rather embarrassing word with themselves right now if they were here watching this. Which would be pretty mad if they were to be fair. The movements are reminiscent of David Byrne’s American Utopia, which held the same compelling ease to each simple step. With the street lamp and suit, I assume there’s some ode to Talking Heads in here. Whether there is or not the connection is nice enough to consider.

I’ve heard these lyrics so many times but in this moment, in this live setting, they really hit different. I’m brought back again to think on my own life and the changes I’ve made over the last few years. Having worked like crazy which has meant at times totally losing myself and a few other facets of my life and health with it. It’s fine now (I’m FINE) I’ve made changes and all is good but it’s stirring and there feels like a connection is taking place.

I’ve been feeling quite fucked off recently about how I feel about myself and my physical body. In the last few years, my body has changed. I mean OBVIOUSLY, it has, that’s the effect of time + biology + physics (and chemistry?)… science anyway. My lifestyle has changed a fair bit post-pandemic, I had pretty debilitating Long Covid which did a number on me and as I keep seeming to bang on about, I have now entered my 40s. Physically I’ve just changed and mentally, this has been really hard. More than I feel it should be. And yes – this is embarrassing, to feel so affected by this. I mean, these are all just projections from society, right?  And yes, I do wonder where the feminist in me is; the woman warrior. All that female power. And deep down I know she’s in there, she’s just figuring it all out. Tonight though witnessing what’s taking place on this stage right in front of me, I feel really OK about all of that. I’m almost embarrassed I ever felt the way I did. Embarrassed in that way you look back on your younger self, in an older, wiser way that is able to tell you from the future, that everything’s going to be ok. You’re going to be OK. It’s fine now. You can relax.

I don’t know all that much about Fever Ray. I don’t think many people really do. But I know they’ve been through change and I’m curious to know if that change and potential further, self-discovery has led to some form of acceptance. And maybe this is what I want to believe, so I can start to believe it myself. But in this moment, tonight – a sense of full-blown acceptance is contagious.

Throughout the rest of the show there are endless highlights. There’s a beautiful closeness to the performance of Shiver “Can I trust?” How the lighting manifests gigantic towering silhouettes, I can only assume is no coincidence. They feel and look like magic. It’s all total engagement to a point of consumption. It is, without a doubt one of those shows where one feels changed. Changed, empowered, motivated. And whether this feeling stays and lives on, or if it’s just for tonight – the magnificence of this moment, well…