Back to the Future: Dua Lipa’s Studio 2054 sets the bar for live streams

Back in the ‘70s, New York’s Studio 54 was the place to be. 50 years on, and with the slight hindrance of a global pandemic, Dua Lipa brings the disco into the 21st Century (and our living rooms), with a glitzy livestream performance at Studio 2054.

Filmed at London’s Printworks, the show is just what you’d expect from the global pop phenomenon: all glitz, all glamour, all bangers, and all high production, with multiple fabulous costume changes, new sets, and choreographed dance moves all packaged into the fun-filled hour-long Friday evening show.

Loads of famous faces pop up as promised, with highlights coming in the form of teasing the as-yet-unreleased FKA Twigs collab (accompanied by Twigs showing off her famed pole dance skills, of course) and sexy bop ‘Fever’ featuring Belgian artist Angele, with Kylie cementing her legend status by jumping on the DJ decks (literally) during her rendition of ‘Real Groove’.

Of course, due to COVID restrictions, some of the star-studded line-up couldn’t make it in person, with J Balvin and Bad Bunny hopping up via video for ‘Un Día (One Day)’ and Miley Cyrus’ appearance coming in the form of B-footage of her and Dua from the recently released ‘Prisoner’ video. A little bit disappointing, the prize for the bizarrest moment of the night goes to Elton John’s pre-recorded ‘Rocket Man’ performance, which was broadcast in an almost In Memoriam-esque way as the dancers stood motionless watching him play piano on a projector.

Only a momentary blip however, the rest of Dua’s show is high-octane disco-filled fun. Shot with a smokey ’80s-music-video sheen across the camera, ‘Future Nostalgia’ bangers ‘Levitating’, ‘Physical’, and ‘Cool’ are in turn accompanied by sequin showers, microphone grinding, ‘Call On Me’-esque dance breaks and a roller-disco, with huge hits ‘New Rules’ and ‘One Kiss’ showing that despite months at home, Dua can still put on one hell of a pop show.

By the time she closes the show with ‘Don’t Start Now’, bounding around the multiple sets before a huge glitter canon erupts, there’s no question that Dua is one of pop’s true icons, and when it comes to going on tour IRL again, her show will be one you won’t want to miss.