At the end of the summer, when it seemed as if the corona virus was under control, the London pop star Dua Lipa (25) Club Future Nostalgia out, in other words: her successful album Future Nostalgia Remixed into a steaming disco night by The Blessed Madonna.
It made you hungry: that’s how that irresistible album would sound on a world tour, translated to the stage, undoubtedly visually reinforced by an army of dancers. Dua Lipa herself is an excellent dancer. She likes to talk about her choreographic ambitions.
Livestream
Anyway, such a world tour is still not possible. The alternative is called livestream: welcome to Studio 2054, Friday evening, entrance 15 euros. Door policy: not very strict, everyone is welcome.
The Blessed Madonna acts as a DJ behind the controls in a large, raw industrial warehouse. We hear howling, see neon lights and dancing bodies between the smoke machines. Associations: the New York disco temple Studio 54 to which the event name refers, as well as video clips of Michael Jackson or the Spice Girls. And Toppop.
There is La Lipa, opening with Future Nostalgia. This is not just any concert broadcast. We’re in the club with her. She leads us through the entire building: from the dance floor to the hallway, where she crawls through luminous hoops, to a red lounge area, where she chases some people off the couch and turns on a TV, where we see the video clip of Prisoner watch her duet with Miley Cyrus.
The broadcast cannot be direct: some clothing and décor changes are too fast. But hey, that functional montage increases the pace. It is certainly entertaining.
Guest list
Cyrus isn’t the only celebrity on the guest list. There is a new duet of Lipa with FKA Twigs early on. On the dance floor she is joined by Kylie Minogue. J Balvin appears, as does the Belgian Angèle, who performs her French-language stanzas Fever sings.
Not all cameos are functional. The sudden appearance of Elton John, appearing on screen a bit Rocket Man sings, resembles a curious’WELLminute ‘of one verse, which mainly slows down.
The performance of over an hour is convincingly supported by the hits of Dua Lipa himself. In their dance floor guise, they underline once again that she is one of the hit list rulers of the moment: Break My Heart, New Rules, Don’t Start Now, what pop squatters.
It sounds like she usually sings them live – and well. Sometimes she seems to be miming a previously recorded live version, while dancing.
Dua Lipa has recognized that you can’t get the feel of a live concert through a stream anyway. That’s why she turned it into something completely different: a long, dynamic and colorful video clip, like a night in a club where you didn’t have to feel alone.
Dua Lipa: Studio 2054
Pop
★★★☆☆
Livestream
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