Tove Lo at Brixton Academy

Swedish OG party girl Tove Lo turns a Saturday night at the Brixton Academy into an immersive, sexually liberated pop spectacle, balancing provocative performance with genuine emotional vulnerability. As part of her ESTRUS tour, promoting her latest album, the evening is a sweat-soaked celebration combining new and classic tracks in a euphoric showcase of womanhood and untamed sexuality.

A packed crowd, with drinks in almost every hand, fills the standing area of the venue ahead of Lo’s entrance. Flashing lights illuminate the dark room as flickering images of Tove Lo appear on screen, while the audience screams and heavy bass vibrates through the floor, creating an underground rave atmosphere. During I’m the Cake, she appears on an elevated podium centre-stage, surrounded by orange hues and clips of her wearing a latex bra from the song’s official visualiser, performing erratic stabbing motions during the chorus. The production is impressive throughout, creating a smoky club-like atmosphere through piercing strobe lights, pounding basslines and vibrant colours that immerse attendees in a dance party.

Black knee-high boots with dangling tassels, later swapped for a black fur coat with oversized shoulder pads that evoke a winged dark angel, establish a striking femme-fatale aesthetic from the outset. Electrifying blue lighting, smoke, and storm-like visuals engulf the stage for the classic anthem Cool Girl, with the podium remaining a focal point as her movements and choreography add theatricality. The silhouette she creates during Are U Gonna Tell Her? demonstrates how lighting is manipulated for spectacle, drawing attention to her physicality and expressive movements against a backdrop of Charli XCX-style club-pop energy.

Despite the singer-songwriter’s high-octane, erotic performance, Lo remains emotionally transparent with her fans. Introducing Grapefruit, she discusses its themes of body positivity, self-love and being kind to oneself, admitting that she has worked really hard to love her own body. She also reveals that her husband, Charlie Twaddle, is present at every show, having designed the production, and that she loves working with him. Against red-and-white lighting, she performs the track creatively, sprawled out on the ground as an overhead camera shot is projected onto the screen, physically conveying the emotional turbulence of the song. Idiot follows, with her immersion in the song’s lyrical world continuing as she crouches, pretends to hit her head on the ground, swings her hair and twerks on the floor to the repeated lyric “idiot, idiot, idiot” as the crowd responds enthusiastically. She gives physical expression to difficult emotions, making the more vulnerable songs particularly affecting.

Sexual confidence peaks during much-anticipated Talking Body, prompting an enormous singalong in an unapologetic celebration of womanhood and shameless desire. During the bridge, she teases fans in a striking display of vulnerability and body confidence, pulling up her bra to briefly flash the audience. The 2010s nostalgia doesn’t stop there as she performs the iconic hit Habits (Stay High) while recording herself on a phone, with the footage projected onto the screen behind her. These distinctive phone-camera visuals recreate elements of the global hit’s official music video, amplifying the nostalgia and authenticity of the performance. Inviting everyone to sway their arms and clap along during the bridge creates a moment of collective connection, as she films the audience and places them at the centre of the performance.

The encore pushes the energy to its climax, with concertgoers jumping, dancing and singing during hypnotic EDM-style tracks Heat and I’m Your Girl Right?, wrapping up the night with one final party. Raised hands cut through flashing red, white and blue strobe lights as Lo bends over onstage, further hyping the crowd with her playful performance. Overall, the carefully constructed transitions and introductory interludes, alongside a masterful use of lighting to evoke different moods, create a memorable live experience. The combination of electronic production, theatrical movement, natural choreography and the emotional resonance of her songwriting makes the show feel considered and tailored to its audience. Through its creative visual promotion of body positivity, sexual empowerment and emotional honesty, the performance fosters a powerful connection with the crowd while capturing the explosively energetic and authentic essence of Tove Lo’s artistic identity.

Jennifer Hensey
Photos: Nick Bennett

For further information and future events, visit Tove Lo’s website here.

Watch the video for Habits here: