Words and photos by Nancy Kiner
The crowd at the 9:30 Club is buzzing by the time 9 o’clock rolls around. DJ Latex, who is accompanying Cobrah’s Succubus World Tour, has been warming up the crowd. But a packed club is awaiting their queen. As the lights dim the barricade between the crowd and the stage starts to shake. Flooding white lights display a black corset and stiletto acrylics, consistent with Cobrah’s hyper-feminine, almost otherworldly appearance. The ominous bass of “Dip N Drip” comes creeping in and the audience loudly approves. “Can we turn up the lights?” the artist asks, looking over the levels of people. As one of the final stops on her debut album tour, the Swedish artist brought epic energy to the District on Sunday, March 17.
Cobrah moves through her discography seamlessly; starting with “Dip N Drip,” a single released in 2021, she displays her range of sound over the past six years. The stage setup is simple, besides a podium that holds a large black leather bench. “I hope she ties herself up,” a girl next to me whispers to her friend. Everyone watches for her next move. Cobrah has the crowd in the palm of her hand.
“Light my head high, like a cobra,” echoes as the room screams the beginning of the singer’s first single, “IDFKA” (I don’t fucking know anymore). Under thick black eyeshadow, Cobrah smiles in anticipation for the set to come. When she is not performing her rap-like lyrics, she talks to the crowd. “This is my favorite drinking song,” she tells the club before beginning “SUCK,” which opens with “suck my clit.” Songs like “SUCK” and “ACTIVATE” that incorporate BDSM themes were the most physically exerting moments of the show. Straddling the black leather bench, she commands the audience, snakelets in cropped t-shirts and fishnets.
The electronic artist performs the vocals of her songs with heavy beats behind her. Strutting across the stage in a long black dress, Cobrah motions to the audience, encouraging them to sing along with her. A lighthearted expression accompanies Cobrah’s gothic appearance as she prances across the stage for a water break. Ironically these two combine seamlessly, creating an intimate relationship between her and the crowd.
Cobrah describes her writing process for “BRAND NEW BITCH,” saying, “I woke up in the morning, like Good Morning!” She paints a picture of her walk to the studio and her internal monologue throughout the process. “Why is everyone just shit around me and I’m the best.” Uproar follows her bold statement. The singer will not cite her appearance or performances as dramatic; rather, she views them simply as an extension of herself. But nothing about the Swedish artist is simple. Joy filled the room as viewers relished in Cobrah’s divine feminine energy.
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