BY ELKE MERMIS
With her retro style, exotic roots and riot-grrrl attitude, America's not quite sure what to make of Scandinavian import Ida Maria Sivertsen. Is she supposed to be a 21st century Chrissie Hynde? A thinking man's Katy Perry? A modern pop-punk princess? Or something else entirely?What we do know is that Ida (say "eee-da") Maria rocked a boozy, sweaty set in front of a boozy, sweaty crowd in good ole KC on Friday night, courtesy of 96.5 The Buzz's "Red, White and Blow It Out Your Ass."
Known for her critically acclaimed 2008 release Fortress Round My Heart, Ida Maria's twitchy, melodic rock'n'roll is infused with a comical desperation, creating an infectious, slightly crazed mania that ranges from dancey-delightful to drunk, despairing, or just batshit crazy. From the moment that Ida Maria appeared on stage (in a glitter vest similar to one donned by my music teacher circa 1993), Sivertsens' frizzed hair, spooky accent and head-banging, guitar-slinging, microphone-wrestling antics portrayed a confidence worthy of lady rocker royalty.
With howling vocals faintly echoing influences from Janis Joplin to Bjork, paired with Ida Maria's notoriously crazed stage persona, Sivertsen ripped through her short, solid set with a pop-punk fury more convincingly than any candy-coated punk princess could have. Of course, mad credit is due to her cute (albeit bland) indie-boy backing band, who churned out bright, furious rock'n'roll with charm and enthusiasm that securely supported their leading lady. A solid drum solo, brief crowd surf and a KC shout-out entertained fans as Sivertsen dipped chewing tobacco between songs, flinging it on stage mid-verse during "Oh My God."
Katy Perry's got nothing on Sivertsen; this girl's got some serious swagger. Opening her set with the tight, taunting "Morning Light," Ida Maria blew through a surprisingly taut series of fizzy, bubblegum-flavored punk tracks, hitting songs like "Louie" and "Queen of the World" with a contagious exuberance that effortlessly revved the crowd. The band lost a little steam during Ida Maria's crashing, woozy ballads, though, which sound like rambling drunk dials compared to the sharp, ironic lyricism of her faster tracks. On the other hand, singles like "Stella" and "I Like You So Much Better When You're Naked" -- merely enjoyable pop nuggets on her record -- morphed into furious anthems on stage, channeling the likes of Courtney Love and Amanda Palmer (of Dresden Dolls fame).
What really established Ida Maria as a true champ, however, was the way that she dealt with the wasted mess that we, the crowd, slowly degenerated into. Don't get me wrong, I love my Kansas City -- and more than anything, I love that y'all have truly mastered of the art of throwing down. But, the excessive drunken crowd surfing, paired with the twelve million tweens who attempted to storm the stage during the show, were a bit much. (Though I must admit, the one kid who managed to high-five Sivertsen before being whisked away by security was pretty awesome.) Ida Maria, however, wasn't even ruffled -- hell, she seemed to love us all the more. "KANSAS CITY," howle Sivertsen, hair in her face, bending backwards over the stage. "YOU ROCKkkkkkkkk." And, in the
wordless roar the crowd howled back, it seemed clear that the feeling was mutual.
Setlist:
Morning Light
Louie
Queen of the World
Keep Me Warm
Forgive Me
Stella
I Like You So Much Better When You're Naked
Oh My God
Encore: We're All Going to Hell
Comments (0)