A sold out crowd at The Van Buren went down the rabbit hole with Ashnikko this week for the first night of the North American leg of the Smoochies Tour. The electropop singer had her Phoenix audience in the palm of her hand for a magnetic, eclectic setlist of new tracks and fan favorites.
Alice emerged into a version of Wonderland as Ashnikko crawled through the tiny door at center stage right into “Sticky Fingers”. Her cheeky outfit and signature blue wig were flanked by two similarly-attired backup dancers and a plethora of stage props to add to the storyline of the tour. “Working Bitch” had Ashnikko in a satirical Barbie-esque box frame as her devoted fans screamed along (one notably in the front row covered in fake blood and more in the crowd decked out in bunny ears, pastels and tons of trinkets- but more on that later).
Each song included its own carefully choreographed routine, including “Microplastics”, which had Ashnikko kicking up her feet in front of her own gravestone. After publishing the tour’s moodboard and dresscode, the fans took her orders to heart, dressing to the nines as they too entered into Ashnikko’s Smoochie World. Fans were exchanging trinkets before the performance in homage to the song of the same name and the singer thanked the crowd for playing around at the bottom of her purse throughout the night.
She made full use of the space on The Van Buren’s stage and her signs advertising 2 for 1 Boyfriend and a Full Frontal Lobotomy were saucy details that did not go unnoticed by the audience. The fans in turn spent most of the show attempting to drown out the performer with their enthusiastic vocals on songs like “Manners” and “Tantrum”, all while Ashnikko encouraged even more participation as the night progressed. After a 26-track setlist, the room showed no signs of slowing down but the show eventually came to an end with “Slumber Party” and “Daisy”. It was a flirty and fun start to the spring leg of this tour as Phoenix set the standard for the rest of the dates and may have even extracted a promise of a speedy return from the bunny queen at the end of an incredible show.
