Oklou Live at a Sold Out First Avenue
Oklou brought her Choke Enough tour to a sold out First Avenue on April 24th in Minneapolis. Following the release of the Choke Enough album in 2025 and a hiatus following the birth of her child, the anticipation for the Minneapolis show could not be ignored.
Opening the show was Vickie Cherie, an electro pop artist who’s stage set could only come from the mind of a mixed media digital artist. Performing soley behind a thin projection screen for the majority of her set, she performed her songs with whimsical and cinematic visuals dancing in front of her. The attention to detail in her audiovisual set was something I haven’t gotten to see in a while and it was refreshing to experience.
After a swift turn around of the stage design, Oklou’s set started with soft and hazy white lighting with only her silhouette and a glowing red recorder visible. This opening scene was the perfect preview of the experimental lighting that would be showcased throughout the remainder of her set. Utilizing the light bouncing of the haze and strategic lighting and reflections, Oklou kicked off her show with the intro of “Ict” followed by “thank you for recording” and “Obvious”, all from her 2025 album Choke Enough. Oklou moved through her set intentionally and she built the fantasy that is the Choke Enough album with all the emotions and ambience one could imagine the album being built on.
Closing the show with the remainder of “Ict”, “want to wanna come back”, and “blade bird”, the crowd had accompanied her in moving through the stages that have influenced Oklou’s discography with attention and admiration. I love being able to attend shows where every aspect of the stage design was set with intent and no detail went unnoticed. Her full set was dreamy, emotive, and the perfect introduction to who Oklou is as an artist. I’ve noticed recently a rise in a new wave of electro pop that is softer and more cinematic. While the genre hasn’t been a favorite of mine in the past, I can see myself getting behind the visuals and ambience of this genre re-done.
