Sway Tour
Tour by Tove Styrke
Promotional poster for the Nordic shows
Location
  • North America
  • Europe
Associated albumSway
Start date29 September 2018 (2018-09-29)
End date15 December 2018 (2018-12-15)
Legs2
No. of shows32
Tove Styrke concert chronology

The Sway Tour was a concert tour by Swedish singer Tove Styrke, undertaken in support of her third studio album, Sway (2018). Before commencing the tour, Styrke opened for Lorde and Katy Perry on their respective arena tours in the spring of 2018. She then performed sets at several music festivals in the Nordic countries during the summer. The Sway Tour visited club venues and lasted 32 shows in North America and Europe. It began in September 2018 in Toronto, Canada, followed by dates in the United States, England, and the Nordic countries. The tour concluded in December 2018 in Stockholm, Sweden.

The set list consisted of songs from Sway and Styrke's second studio album Kiddo (2015). She also performed collaborations and a cover version of Lorde's "Liability". As with the album, the tour had an overarching rose theme and the singer handed out roses to the audience during the performances. The show received general acclaim from critics, who complimented Styrke's stage presence in addition to technical aspects such as the set design and lighting. Au/Ra, Emily Burns, and Grant served as the supporting acts for the tour.

Background

On 26 June 2018, Sony Music issued a press release announcing Tove Styrke's headlining tour to support her third studio album Sway (2018).[2] The announcement revealed the tour, titled the Sway Tour, would visit North America and England, commencing on 29 September in Toronto and ending on 2 November in London.[2][3] On 3 September 2018, the Nordic part of the tour was announced to begin on 23 November in Karlstad and end on 15 December in Stockholm.[4] It marked her first tour of the year as a headliner.[5]

Prior to the Sway Tour, Styrke had performed across North America and Europe; she supported Lorde on the Melodrama World Tour in North America and then joined Katy Perry as the opening act for several European dates of Witness: The Tour,[5][6] during which she previewed material from the then-forthcoming Sway.[7][8] Styrke then performed two headline shows in Sydney and Melbourne in April 2018.[9] In mid-June, she did a show in a London club to celebrate the release of Sway,[10] followed by 12 festival appearances across the Nordic countries from June to September.[2] These appearances included Peace & Love in Borlänge, Ruisrock in Turku, and Stavernfestivalen in Stavern in July,[2] followed by Malmöfestivalen in Malmö and Kulturkalaset in Gothenburg the following month.[11] She finished her festival concerts with a set at Popaganda in Stockholm in September.[12] Her festival sets were widely praised by critics.[12][13][14]

Development

Styrke performing at Stavernfestivalen in July 2018 prior to starting the tour

Unlike Styrke's arena shows with Lorde and Perry earlier in 2018, the Sway Tour visited club venues.[15] She stated that she learned a lot from being part of "giant tours" and that performing at larger versus smaller venues was different yet similar.[15] She said, "You want to make the arena feel small and intimate ... While you want to make the club stage feel big."[15] For the tour, Styrke performed all nine songs from Sway.[16] While working on the album, she had a minimalistic approach to the production.[17] On transitioning the studio versions to the stage, she felt that it was a "completely different world", explaining to Nya Wermlands-Tidningen that the instrumentals play a larger role when performing live.[18] She stated that the title track "Sway" was the song that "worked the best" on tour, calling it the "anthem" of the album.[16] The set list also included three songs from Styrke's second studio album Kiddo (2015) as well as three collaborative efforts originally performed with other artists.[19]

Styrke carried on the rose imagery and theme from the Sway album onto the tour.[20] In preparation for the shows in Sweden, Styrke told Norrbottens-Kuriren that the shorter travel distances between venues would allow her to bring "more stuff", stating that the shows would be "bigger" and include "more roses" compared to the North American and English shows.[20] She described the stage design as an "art form in itself", telling Västerbottens Folkblad that "It is a way of translating the music to the stage and creating a world that the music can live in."[16] In an interview for Skånska Dagbladet, Styrke elaborated on the tour's theme: "It's the Sway Tour so it's very much like stepping into the world of the album, then I mix in different collaborations that I've done and some older songs. These are very fun shows with a lot of warmth. It feels like such a free space because I have created it myself, there is nowhere I feel more like myself than on stage."[11]

Styrke was joined by different opening acts for the duration of the tour. Au/Ra was the supporting performer for the North American shows,[21] while Emily Burns opened the concerts in England.[22] Swedish singer Grant was the opening act in the Nordics, excluding the show in Helsinki.[23] Before the tour, Grant opened for Styrke during her one-off show in London in June 2018.[10][24] After the show, the two hung out and eventually decided Grant would join on tour in the fall.[24] Grant released a cover version of Styrke's song "Changed My Mind" on the same date the Nordic part of the tour began.[25] She also performed the cover as part of her set.[26] While the tour was underway, Styrke released three episodes of a YouTube series titled Tove Styrke & Grant, where the singers socialized and played drinking games.[27]

Concert synopsis

The final show of the Sway Tour was held at Berns Salonger in Stockholm.

The concert consisted of a main show and an encore.[28] The stage design included white lights in the shape of roses arranged in rows on the stage floor and minimal overhead lighting.[29] The lights changed colour according to the music,[30][31] and began to flash when Styrke entered the stage.[32] She was accompanied by two band members, Johannes Runemark and Sanna Sikborn Erixon, on keyboards, guitars, and percussion.[33][34] Styrke performed in the center of the stage, while the musicians appeared in the back and to the sides.[32]

The main show began with the performance of "Borderline", after which Styrke greeted the crowd and introduced herself.[29][30] The next song was "Mistakes", for which the lights alternated turning on and off during the pauses in the music. While illuminated, the strobe lights captured Styrke in different poses.[30] After concluding "Ego", Styrke performed "On a Level" with similar lighting effects as those during "Mistakes".[30][35] After that the stage went dark and she began her cover version of Lorde's 2017 song "Liability", which she told the crowd was "one of [her] favorite songs in the entire world".[28][29][34] Next she performed "I Lied" with vocoder-manipulated vocals.[34] She held out her microphone and let the crowd sing along during the chorus.[34][29] This was followed by "On the Low".[36]

The second half of the concert began with a solo performance of her Alma collaboration "Good Vibes".[37] During Scandinavian concerts, tour opener Grant joined Styrke on stage to perform the song.[28] Styrke then performed her VAX collaboration "Endless",[29] before "Changed My Mind" and "Say My Name", which she encouraged the crowd to sing along with her.[32][35] The main show concluded with a performance of "Sway", during which she threw roses out to the audience.[32] She then thanked the crowd for coming to the show before leaving the stage. A few minutes later, she returned for the encore. She performed a guitar-based version of her NOTD collaboration "Been There Done That" and then closed the show with "Number One".[29][34] For the European shows, "Been There Done That" was replaced by an acoustic rendition of "Vibe",[37] which had been released a few days prior to the first date of the leg.[38] The set lasted approximately 55 minutes in total.[28]

Critical reception

The Sway Tour received praise from most critics, with Styrke's stage presence being highlighted in several reviews. Linnea Eriksson of Nya Wermlands-Tidningen wrote that "Tove Styrke carries the songs with a strong stage presence and the radiance of a superstar. She's as cool as Robyn and as cocky as Madonna."[30] The writer also appreciated her personal interactions with the audience between songs.[30] Similarly, Margeaux Sippell of Variety described the singer as a "ball of pure energy", noting her "strong" stage presence.[33] Ralph Bretzer, writing for Skånska Dagbladet, asserted that the singer "really takes the audience in" throughout the "charming and driven" set".[39] Norrbottens-Kuriren's Emma Isberg also felt the crowd was Styrke's main focus throughout the show, which the writer considered an appropriate mixture of musical performances and audience interactions.[31] Henrik Lång from Västerbottens-Kuriren wrote positively of Styrke's live vocals and viewed the set as a showcase in "intricate melodic pop" with both dancehall elements and chorus-driven electronic music.[28]

A number of critics approved of the stage design, decor, and technical details. Eriksson wrote, "The stage decor is the prettiest I've seen on the Nöjesfabriken stage. Roses grow out of the stage floor in straight rows. They blink and glow in different colors, creating a digital feel. It's like every flower is a big pixel on a screen."[30] Isberg deemed the show "well thought out" and emphasized the lighting and stage decorations that supplied a "world of their own on stage".[31] Lång also commended the show's visuals, in particular directing praise at the lighting, which he called "tasteful".[28] Likewise, Värmlands Folkblad critic Sigrid Josefsson described the lighting as "cool".[26] Melinda Reyes Hiltunen, whose review appeared in Norrköpings Tidningar, regarded the distribution of roses as an innovative way to end the show.[32]

Some reviewers had mixed responses to different aspects of the tour. Bretzer's only critique was the lack of interplay between Styrke and the show's live musicians.[39] Jonathan Bengtsson, writing for Göteborgs-Posten, applauded her dedication and energy, but disliked the show's short length as well as the scheduling on a weeknight.[36] Hannes Grönberg from Sydsvenskan noted her showmanship on stage and concluded that the singer was "really only hindered by her weak singing voice".[35] Due to the poor crowd turnout at the Karlstad show, Josefsson wrote that the gig lacked a sense of direction. While complimenting crowd-pleasers such as "Say My Name" and "Liability", Josefsson felt the show as a whole was "lukewarm".[26]

Opening acts

Set list

This set list is from the show on 15 October 2018 in Los Angeles.[34] It may not represent all concerts for the duration of the tour.

  1. "Borderline"
  2. "Mistakes"
  3. "Ego"
  4. "On a Level"
  5. "Liability"
  6. "I Lied"
  7. "On the Low"
  8. "Good Vibes"
  9. "Endless"
  10. "Changed My Mind"
  11. "Say My Name"
  12. "Sway"
Encore
  1. "Been There Done That"
  2. "Number One"
Notes
  • "Vibe" replaced "Been There Done That" starting with the European leg.[37]
  • "Good Vibes" was performed with Grant during Scandinavian shows.[28]

Shows

List of North American concerts[38]
Date
(2018)		 City Country Venue
29 September Toronto Canada Velvet Underground
1 October Washington, D.C. United States Rock & Roll Hotel
3 October New York City (Le) Poisson Rouge
5 October Boston Cafe 939
6 October Philadelphia Boot & Saddle
9 October Chicago Chop Shop
10 October Saint Paul Amsterdam Bar & Grill
12 October Denver Larimer Lounge
13 October Salt Lake City In the Venue
15 October Los Angeles Belasco Theatre
17 October San Francisco Cafe Du Nord
19 October Portland Holocene
20 October Vancouver Canada The Biltmore Cabaret
21 October Seattle United States The Crocodile
List of European concerts[38]
Date
(2018)		 City Country Venue
28 October Bristol England The Fleece
29 October Manchester Night & Day
30 October Brighton Patterns
1 November Birmingham O2 Institute 3
2 November London Heaven
23 November Karlstad Sweden Nöjesfabriken
24 November Norrköping Arbis Bar & Salonger
25 November Uppsala Uppsala Konsert & Kongress
28 November Helsinki Finland Tavastia
30 November Lund Sweden Mejeriet
1 December Linköping Konsert & Kongress
5 December Oslo Norway Parkteatret
6 December Gothenburg Sweden Pustervik
7 December Umeå Väven
8 December Luleå Kulturens Hus
13 December Copenhagen Denmark Vega
14 December Malmö Sweden KB
15 December Stockholm Berns

References

  1. ↑ McDermott, Emily (8 June 2015). "Tove Styrke". Interview. Retrieved 11 February 2023.
  2. 1 2 3 4 "Tove Styrke släpper lyricvideo till 'On The Low' och går ut med USA- och England-turné" [Tove Styrke releases lyric video for 'On the Low' and announces US and UK tour] (Press release) (in Swedish). Sony Music. 26 June 2018. Retrieved 14 February 2022 – via Mynewsdesk.
  3. ↑ "Tour". Tovestyrkemusic.com. Archived from the original on 31 August 2018. Retrieved 6 February 2023.
  4. ↑ "Tove Styrke åker på turné" [Tove Styrke goes on tour]. Västerbottens-Kuriren (in Swedish). 3 September 2018. Retrieved 8 February 2023.
  5. 1 2 Adams, Tori (25 September 2018). "Tove Styrke". Flaunt. Retrieved 7 February 2023.
  6. ↑ Smith, Thomas (14 May 2018). "Tove Styrke: Take a chance on Lorde and Katy Perry's favourite new pop purveyor". NME. Retrieved 16 February 2022.
  7. ↑ Kent, Matthew (6 April 2018). "Tove Styrke shifts gear with the spaced-out subtlety of 'On The Low'". The Line of Best Fit. Retrieved 25 February 2023.
  8. ↑ Haidl, Kajsa (11 June 2018). "Konsertrecension: Katy Perry gör vad hon kan i jättecirkusen" [Concert review: Katy Perry does what she can in the giant circus]. Dagens Nyheter. Retrieved 26 February 2023. (subscription required)
  9. ↑ McCabe, Kevin (9 April 2018). "Australia's love affair of Swedish pop continues with Say My Name rising star Tove Styrke". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 18 February 2018.
  10. 1 2 "Tove Styrke is playing a new London show this spring". Dork. 11 April 2018. Retrieved 11 February 2023.
  11. 1 2 Bretzer, Ralph (26 November 2018). "Självsäkrare Styrke till Skåne" [More confident Styrke to Skåne]. Skånska Dagbladet (in Swedish). Retrieved 7 February 2023. (subscription required)
  12. 1 2 Magnusson, Per (1 September 2018). "Svävande modernt på Popagandas sista dag" [Soaringly modern on Popaganda's last day]. Aftonbladet (in Swedish). Retrieved 7 February 2023.
  13. ↑ Andersson, Sofia (18 August 2018). "Styrke uppdaterar den enkla popen" [Styrke updates simple pop music]. Göteborgs-Posten (in Swedish). Retrieved 7 February 2023. (subscription required)
  14. ↑ Rapp, Stina (6 July 2018). "Tove Styrke levererar musik i världklass" [Tove Styrke delivers music in world class]. Mora Tidning (in Swedish). Retrieved 7 February 2023. (subscription required)
  15. 1 2 3 Egefur, Christian (6 December 2018). "'Tänk vad fett när allt man hör inte har behövt gå genom ett manligt filter'" [Imagine how nice it is when everything you hear hasn't had to go through a male filter]. ETC (in Swedish). Retrieved 7 February 2023. (subscription required)
  16. 1 2 3 Nilsson, Helena (6 December 2018). "Styrke: Det har varit ett helt galet år" [Styrke: It has been a crazy year]. Västerbottens Folkblad (in Swedish). Retrieved 7 February 2023. (subscription required)
  17. ↑ Maloney, Austin (18 May 2018). "Tove Styrke Makes No Mistakes On New Album Sway". Totally Stockholm. Retrieved 20 February 2022.
  18. ↑ Edlom, Carl (23 November 2018). "Tove Styrke: 'Jag vill hitta en genväg till människors känslor'" [Tove Styrke: 'I want to find a shortcut to people's feelings']. Nya Wermlands-Tidningen (in Swedish). Retrieved 7 February 2023. (subscription required)
  19. ↑ Yates, Jonathan (17 October 2018). "Tove Styrke: 'This whole year has been an incredible pinch-me moment, because I never imagined Sway would resonate on this level'". MyLondon. Retrieved 19 November 2022.
  20. 1 2 Tosser, Magnus (7 December 2018). "Tove Styrkes uppmaning till Luleå: 'Det är er uppgift'" [Tove Styrke's appeal to Luleå: "It's your task"]. Norrbottens-Kuriren (in Swedish). Retrieved 7 February 2023. (subscription required)
  21. 1 2 "Au/Ra returns with the release of new track 'Emoji' from forthcoming debut EP" (Press release). Columbia Records. 20 September 2018. Retrieved 6 February 2023.
  22. 1 2 Yates, Jonathan (4 February 2019). "Emily Burns announces London Omeara show on UK tour – here's how to get tickets". MyLondon. Retrieved 5 February 2023.
  23. ↑ "Tove Styrke tar med sig GRANT på höstens turné" [Tove Styrke brings GRANT with her on the autumn tour]. Luger (in Swedish). Retrieved 11 February 2023.
  24. 1 2 "Tove Styrke vill ta med sig Grant överallt" [Tove Styrke wants to bring Grant with her everywhere]. Svenska Dagbladet (in Swedish). 19 November 2018. Retrieved 11 February 2023.
  25. ↑ Tt, TT (23 November 2018). "Grant tolkar Tove Styrke på ny singel" [Grant covers Tove Styrke on new single]. Svenska Dagbladet (in Swedish). Retrieved 20 February 2022. (subscription required)
  26. 1 2 3 Josefsson, Sigrid (24 November 2018). "Inget givet huvudnummer" [No given main number]. Värmlands Folkblad (in Swedish). Retrieved 26 November 2022. (subscription required)
  27. ↑ "Tove Styrke & GRANT – Episode 2". Tove Styrke. Retrieved 18 February 2023 – via YouTube.
  28. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Lång, Henrik (8 December 2018). "Lyckad hemkomst för Tove Styrke" [Successful homecoming for Tove Styrke]. Västerbottens-Kuriren (in Swedish). Retrieved 23 November 2022.
  29. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Hinks, Jeremy (31 October 2018). "Tove Styrke Takes To The Stage & Builds On Success Of Well-Received Gay Themed 'Sway'". Instinct. Retrieved 8 February 2023.
  30. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Eriksson, Linnea (24 November 2018). "Tove Stryke äger scenen" [Tove Styrke owns the stage]. Nya Wermlands-Tidningen (in Swedish). Retrieved 26 November 2022. (subscription required)
  31. 1 2 3 Isberg, Emma (8 December 2018). "'Tove Styrke skiner starkare än någonsin'" ['Tove Styrke' shines brighter than ever']. Norrbottens-Kuriren (in Swedish). Retrieved 5 February 2023. (subscription required)
  32. 1 2 3 4 5 Reyes Hiltunen, Melinda (26 November 2018). "Styrke och Grant rosade publiken" [Styrke and Grant rosade the audience]. Norrköpings Tidningar (in Swedish). Retrieved 5 February 2023. (subscription required)
  33. 1 2 Sippell, Margeaux (17 October 2018). "Swedish Singer Tove Styrke Is Killing the Game Even as Americans Butcher Her Name". Variety. Retrieved 6 February 2023.
  34. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Cotter, Hannah (16 October 2018). "Concert Review: Tove Styrke at the Belasco Theater". Setlist.fm. Retrieved 8 February 2023.
  35. 1 2 3 Grönberg, Hannes (1 December 2018). "Pop med perfekt precision" [Pop with perfect precision]. Sydsvenskan (in Swedish). Retrieved 23 November 2022. (subscription required)
  36. 1 2 Bengtsson, Jonathan (8 December 2018). "Tove Styrke är en självklarhet på scenen" [Tove Styrke is given on stage]. Göteborgs-Posten (in Swedish). Retrieved 23 November 2022. (subscription required)
  37. 1 2 3 4 Gullichsen, Anni (29 November 2018). "Tove Styrke kiersi maailmaa Katy Perryn ja Lorden kanssa – silti häntä jännittää esiintyä Pohjoismaissa: 'Tämä tuntuu paljon henkilökohtaisemmalta'" [Tove Styrke toured the world with Katy Perry and Lorde – yet she is excited to perform in the Nordic countries: 'This feels much more personal'] (in Finnish). Yle. Retrieved 23 November 2022.
  38. 1 2 3 "Turnéaktuella Tove Styrke släpper nya låten 'Vibe'" [Tour-ready Tove Styrke releases the new song 'Vibe'] (Press release) (in Swedish). Sony Music. 19 October 2018. Retrieved 15 February 2022 – via Mynewsdesk.
  39. 1 2 Bretzer, Ralph (16 December 2018). "Molly och Tove har hittat hem" [Molly and Tove have found home]. Skånska Dagbladet (in Swedish). Retrieved 26 November 2022 – via Retriever Research. (subscription required)
  40. ↑ Maloney, Austin (23 November 2018). "Grant reworks tour-mate Tove Styrke's 'Changed My Mind'". The Line of Best Fit. Retrieved 20 February 2022.
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