Ashnikko’s Smoochies Tour made a stop in St. Paul Tuesday Night at a sold out Palace Theater. The electropop singer’s show brought the crowd into a magical world found at the bottom of Ash’s purse. Originally from North Carolina, she now calls London, England her home and made her way back to the US after a run across Europe. Having just released her Smoochies album in October, the fans have quickly embraced her current era of a Smoochie girl, and dressed in fun, fantastical diy outfits covered in trinkets. Throughout the venue were incredible outfits everywhere I turned and the fans were clearly excited for a bigger venue and bigger show. - and I mean SHOW. Previously in Minneapolis at the Fillmore on her Weekiller tour, she once again sold out a larger venue proving she continues to be on the rise.

Supporting Ashnikko on the Smoochies tour was long-time collaborator Princess Nokia, who also just released an album in October titled Girls. This is Nokia’s fifth album and on the final song of the album, “ArtStar”, Nokia states “it’s the greatest album I've ever made.” To me, it’s one of the greatest albums I’ve heard in a long time. It dives into exactly how it feels to be a girl right now.

Nokia started with a new song titled “Centipede” before pausing to take a look at everyone in the crowd. She talked about all of the incredible outfits that she gets to see being on the Smoochie tour. She then performed “Drop Dead Gorgeous,” the first single of her latest album, and a perfect song for the summer. Nokia also made sure to play a few older songs including “Crazy House” which got the crowd excited. At the end of her set she told the crowd to “be safe” over and over before giving a “f– Trump” and walking offstage.

After a decent amount of stage turnover it was time for the main act. A voice-over began to play and Ashnikko echoed through the venue. She was looking through her purse and noticed a tiny door at the bottom, and on the other side was the crowd, cheering and screaming. Starting out with “Sticky Fingers” she quickly made a pivot to “Working Bitch” a song from 2019. The whole set was filled with songs from her latest album as well as her first EP, showcasing almost ten years of her music. She even took a minute to reflect on her younger writing, saying she had no idea (and still doesn’t) what she was talking about in “Manners.”

The stage was set up like a sort of carnival in Alice in Wonderland, with signs that said “2 for 1 Boyfriend” and “Full frontal lobotomy here,” as well as crowning a fan the Best Smooch in Town. An almost 2 hour show passed by quickly with the way Ashnikko told stories throughout. She spent a lot of time interacting with the crowd, looking at everyone’s outfits and talking about her music. She showed a lot of love for her fans and for all of the people in her life that supported her. She dedicated “It Girl” to her mom, and all the women that came before her and will come after, saying she hoped to heal some generational trauma.

The crowd was excited throughout the entire show, and got super excited to see Princess Nokia’s return to perform “Slumber Party” towards the end of the show. Before the last song, Ashniko took a second to remind us that love is a strong force, and being a part of this [queer] community we need to protect each other, something that Minnesota is no stranger to.

Finishing with the song that catapulted her career, “Daisy” the crowd was as energetic as when the show started. Having seen Ashnikko twice now, it is something that I wouldn’t want to miss going forward. The level of showmanship and dedication she puts into every show is truly spectacular.