MØ takes the Dance Stage to another level at Reading 2014

Reading’s Dance Stage is home to more than just womping bass-lines and breakneck beats. Pass by at any given moment across the weekend and there’ll either be a ‘Bound 2’ remix flying out from beyond the pegs or some kind of ‘banger’ worthy of raised arms and all-out hedonism. Sometimes the spot’s reserved for a pop act, or someone from an alternative crowd worthy of testing their music in a different environment. Two years ago it was Grimes’ time, and her absolutely insanity-filled set seemed to be a defining moment, elevating her to the upper ranks of synth-pop royalty. Stepping up today MØ is ready to rise to the challenge. The Grimes comparison stops short there - Karen Mario Ørsted projects a more primal, beat-centric routine. A Spice Girls cover’s thrown in by good measure, and by the end of her Reading & Leeds debut she’s adored by a flock of sweaty - often topless - punters hunched on each other’s shoulders.

The dance link hasn’t come out of nowhere. When she raises chant levels via ‘XXX 88’, her Diplo-produced giant of a single suddenly steps up another gear. Other tracks from debut ‘No Mythologies To Follow’ are a frenzied mix of blog-friendly beats and sweet, near-tropical guitar lines. Ørsted fronts the thing brilliantly. She throws herself into every moment, at one point crashing into a band mate’s hastily placed cymbal, she’s so overwhelmed by the experience. Here’s someone that can excel in any tent, on any stage - there’s so much enthusiasm to witness, it’s pointless turning away or even feigning disinterest.

And despite the initially risky billing, MØ’s set might even be one of the most dance-friendly to strike this tent.