Catharsis. After eight years of mourning the loss of friendships and relationships, Robyn's 'Honey' was a moment of catharsis, a musical release of tension, love, loss and joy. Performed live, that catharsis spreads over a crowd of thousands, all willing to dance and sing their hearts out.
White fabric billows from the ceiling and envelopes the staging, monochrome and ethereal. Robyn stands statuesque in the centre to the mostly instrumental beats of Send To Robin Immediately, eyes closed, soaking up the moment. It's clear we're in for a class act.
Robyn has always been at her best delivering heartbreak over euphoric club beats. "It's gonna be all heartbreak, wistfully painful and insanity," she sings early on in Hang With Me as if warning us of what's to come. It's that juxtaposition of emotions that's made her career and it's what the majority of the crowd are here for.
But it's not all heartbreak. There's a joy and playfulness in the dance tracks of 'Honey', but when the likes of Beach2k20 and Between The Lines break up the set into long experimental interludes there's a drop in momentum that feels self-indulgent. These sultry, muted tracks don't translate so well to a live performance, feeling at times more like a DJ set. That continues with the lengthy techno Love Is Free, a nod to her EP with La Bagatelle Magique. When she sings the exultant 'Honey' closer Ever Again, it doesn't quite hit as hard as it should.
Yet Robyn remains a transfixing stage presence throughout. She's a surprisingly quirky and eccentric performer, twirling across the stage, screaming, crawling seductively, while maintaining pitch perfect vocals. She dances for herself as much as for the audience.
When those sad bangers eventually arrive, the effect is transcendent, far outweighing any earlier lulls. Early on the swirling spacey synths of Indestructible send shivers down the spine. Later, the throbbing Missing You and Call Your Girlfriend have the audience enraptured, followed by an encore of the fizzing Stars 4-Ever. The pulsing Every Heartbeat lifts us with its wash of strings before we crash on to the dancefloor, tears in our eyes. It's in these moments that Robyn delivers phenomenal pop songs like no other, artist and audience collectively exorcising relationship demons.
Dancing On My Own remains Robyn's biggest hit and it's here that she's finally as stunned as we are. The music drops out as the crowd takes up the chorus, singing back every word of her own heartbreak. "Thank you so much," she screams, visibly emotional. It's a standout moment in a night that's full of them: exhilarating, impassioned, sublime.
A second encore beginning with Human Being ends the evening on a downbeat note, followed by the lesser known Who Do You Love. It's an unexpected finale, but Robyn proved with 'Honey' she's an artist not afraid to confound us. As she repeatedly questions "who do you love?", there's only one name on everyone's lips.
5/5
