Photos By Katherine Gaines, Words By Brandon Weight
Selling out six of her twelve U.S. shows before even passing through customs, Mø’s hype is well deserved. The Copenhagen-bred artist brought a backing band, film noir projections, and a ponytail only slightly less amazing than her voice.
Energizing 500 fans on a Tuesday in a basement club with one album is no small feat. Playing every track off of No Mythologies to Follow along with a perfectly times Spice Girls cover in the encore, each song felt like a hit. Mainly, because they are hits. Not in the traditional Top 40 sense, but collaborations with Diplo on top of an already diverse sounding album make Mythologies the sound of the summer. Whether Mø’s winding through the crowd, dancing on top of the bar, or swaying on stage like Bey, it’s hard not to dance along.
Opening for Mø was Erik Hassle, a man who must have discovered his father’s Michael Jackson record collection right around the time he discovered Topshop. On stage, Hassle is everything Macklemore wishes he could be. Taller. Better hair. Better thrift shop finds. Better talent.
His crooning is more akin to James Blake. Slow burning R&B tracks with a bass line worth dancing to. Sure, the AV equipment may not have been working, but his voice eclipsed any technical mishaps. Give this track a listen, and you’ll understand why.
Side note – 500 people in D.C. missed / misread / maybe gave no thought to our concert etiquette guide. Hide ya phone, hide ya wife, ’cause these kids will load up Instagram faster then you can move out of the way.
Møre Shøts øf Mø
Erik Hassle
