It was a warm yet breezy Sunday evening in DC, and the sun hasn’t quite gone down yet. My sisters and I made our way to Liv, where the Swedish electro-pop band Little Dragon was set to perform. I had been to Liv several times, and was well aware of its “intimate” setting. We figured with the band’s steadily increasing popularity, they’d have moved on to one of DC’s larger venues, like the 9:30 Club. All things considered, the energy of the crowd was encouraging, even if a handful of patrons lacked manners. Fortunately, my Johnny Walker and Coke made for a suitable mood relaxer.

A local band by the name of Aphrodisia served as the opening act, their eclectic blend of ambient techno and world beat sounds making for a good lead-in when the time came for Little Dragon to perform. At this point, the crowd was sufficiently primed as the band started a set lasting just over an hour. As she did when I saw the band last November, lead singer Yukimi Nagano performed the entire show barefoot. It was that playful spirit that accentuated her commanding vocals. Her body moved gleefully with every note, heightening the experience. Even with knowledge of their upcoming follow-up album, I was honestly surprised to hear them include so much new material, not that there were any complaints from the audience (if ever there was a silent moment over the course of the show, it was ultimately broken by one audience member repeatedly proclaiming, “We love you, Yukimi!! We love you!”). Although when the time came for the inevitable encore, the crowd made their demand to hear the soulful and somber ballad “Twice” known . . . . but not before our senses were shattered with a synth-charged fifteen-minute version of the song “Wink”.

I was lucky enough to speak briefly with lead singer Yukimi Nagano, after the show.

Kayode Kendall: First of all, I thought you guys put on a great show. This is the second time I’m seeing the band, and I think this was an even better performance.

Yukimi Nagano: Oh, wonderful! Thank you.

Kayode: So, now that you’ve been in music the last few years, what would you say has been the achievement you’re most proud of?

Yukimi: Wow, that’s a really hard question. I don’t know, it changes over time. My first goal was just to release an album, so now we’re just looking forward to releasing the second album. I don’t really have any exaggerated goals. I’m just happy we can fill out a small club and make people dance. That’s what makes me happy.

Kayode: Speaking of the new album, what can you tell us about it?

Yukimi: It comes out August 19th, and it’s called Machine Dreams. It’s more of an electronic/soul mix.

Kayode: So, outside of music, what are some things you’re interested in?

Yukimi: I’m a big art lover, actually.

Kayode: Who would you say is your favorite artist at the moment?

Yukimi: I like a lot of Japanese art. Right now, someone I really like, his name is Hideyuki Katsumata. He actually did the cover art for our second album. He makes really dream-like art, it’s very childish and at the same time a little evil.

Kayode: Very cool. Are there any other musicians you might be interested in collaborating with?

Yukimi: I’m so happy with the band, and I’ve worked with other artists in the past, I’m really more concerned with maintaining the foundation of Little Dragon. I’m not really interested in working with other artists at the moment.

Kayode: Well, thanks again for taking some time to talk. Again, the show was great.

Yukimi: Great, thank you.