Amelia Moore opened for Ashnikko and absolutely killed it, owning the entire space with her silky yet powerful voice, creating an intriguing listen. Amelia Moore could well have been a main act, reminiscent of modern pop stars such as SZA, Tate McRae and The 1975.

The Smoochies Tour is here! Ashnikko brought hyper-pop hysteria to Glasgow’s O2 on Wednesday night with a wondrous entrance, crawling on all fours out of a tiny door before bursting into insane energy levels with “STICKY FINGERS” to open the set.

Working with two dancers, the choreography and set design were notably excellent throughout the performance. Ashnikko takes power on stage and absolutely dominates the entire room, flaunting a bratty, extra persona that her loyal fans live for.

Ashnikko is a woman of many traditions, showing an incredible artist–fan dynamic as she persistently speaks to the audience throughout song breaks and even has one-to-one conversations. She announces her first tradition, “TRINKET TRADING”, where fans can hand her handmade items on stage and she shows them off to the audience. A lucky girl in the front row got that special interaction, passing Ashnikko a handmade hairband with little Sylvanian Family dolls sitting at a table having tea, as Ashnikko praised the creativity.

Ashnikko even goes as far as bringing a fan on stage for her “SMOOCHIES GIRL” tradition. Just when I thought the audience couldn’t get any louder, “STUPID” turned up the volume by a mile — an absolute modern music masterpiece. “I WANT MY BOYFRIENDS TO KISS” and “DAISY” were two of the more popular songs that got the crowd going nuts.

Ashnikko presented a confident, fun, engaging and memorable set — one she could only be proud of.

Images: Rose McEnroe

Words: Lorraine McEbroe