(Photo by Alva Le Febvre)
Smerz are Norwegian pair Catharina Stoltenberg and Henreitte Motzfeldt, and have emerged from the simmering CPH scene (see Astrid Sonne, Fine et al) in recent years, leading us in last night’s show at the Lantern Hall through their Big City Life. A standout album of 2025, it switched up from the darker, glitchy electronics of their first offering in 2021 (there have been other more experimental releases in the meantime), bringing a palate of luscious late night sultry pop to match their uber chic aesthetic.
Having made us wait a suspenseful few minutes, they come out to the to the percussive chug of “But I do” in which Henriette reflectively ponders “are you a girl or a lady”, speaking to a sort of twenty- somethings womanly reckoning. The glittery backdrop and wind in the hair effect has a Celine Dion irony to it, yet also an earnestness and definitely works, especially in the later tender spoken word moments, plucked I think, from the VVTZJ edit of their biggest song.
They get straight into ‘Imagine this’ the first frolic in their fanciful city, depicting night out preparations (“Its chill but she’s there to impress no less”). And the exaggerated instrumental breakdown has Catharina swinging the microphone above her head and gesturing in the direction of bandmates – a couple of Danish lads working variously through drums, bass guitar, guitar and keys/ synths. It’s the kind of music that could easily have been performed with a backing track a la Molly Nilsson, but the live instrumentation lends a dynamic and weight to the sound which is naturally more polished and compressed on record.
The album title track comes next with a lovely jolty poise, the last in a sequence of songs which are played continuously through like a DJ set to a slick effect. Their vocals come in a Nordic inflected lilt which is a sensory delight throughout.
The sold-out crowd are nailed on to enjoy the show, and appreciate the elongated keys interlude of ‘What’, looped round a few times before giving way to night out climax and most danceable tune off the album ‘Feisty.’ I am a sucker for this kind of densely worded story song, which describes some of the nights flirtations (“He likes to seem mysterious, but really he’s just dumb”), not unlike early Alex turner stuff in its own way.
A couple of highlights are Henriette’s violin playing in ‘Big Dreams’, adding a level of musicality and thrill to the show, and their performance of ‘Easy’, the chords played with reverb-y electric guitar instead of the recorded synths, bring an unexpected 90s grunge feel, and is probably the best example of the live/recording distinction. New single ‘Spring Summer’ was cool to hear out too.
The biggest moment is of course saved for last via ‘You’ve got time and I’ve got money’, comfortably their most played song, and another featuring Henriette’s violin, her motif weaving beautifully through the synths and sounds superb. In the middle eight soliloquy when Catherina asks “Can I see you naked (please)?” (everyone thinking yes, absolutely), the crowd’s whoops underline a feeling that is unmistakably sexy. It’s a great song and it is lapped up accordingly.
I am tempted to give 5 stars as a measure of my own enjoyment of the gig, but I think Smerz don’t quite have the substance for that just yet.
Charlie Mackenzie
