Dolly Style brought their colour-coded pop universe to Gothenburg and Liseberg’s main stage, delivering a tightly choreographed spectacle that blurred the line between concert and stage show.
With Scarlet opening the day and later returning to the stage during Dolly Style’s set, the evening became an unexpectedly intertwined showcase of bubblegum pop and dark electro-metal.
Dolly Style live review: a tightly staged pop production with Scarlet guest appearance at Liseberg
Few Swedish pop acts have built such a distinctive universe around themselves as Dolly Style. Since bursting onto the scene in 2014, the quartet has carved out a unique niche where bubblegum pop, dance-pop and Europop collide with Japanese kawaii aesthetics, colourful alter egos and a healthy dose of playful escapism.
While their visual identity often grabs the headlines, Dolly Style’s longevity is built on an impressive catalogue of irresistibly catchy pop songs. Over the years, tracks such as “Cherry Gum”, “Bam Bam”, “Rollercoaster”, “Habibi” and “Hello Hi” have helped establish the group as one of Sweden’s most recognisable family-friendly pop acts. Their four appearances in Melodifestivalen, the competition that selects Sweden’s Eurovision entry, have further cemented that status, with “Hello Hi” introducing them to a national audience in 2015, followed by “Rollercoaster” in 2016, “Habibi” in 2019 and most recently “Yihaa” in 2025.
Dolly Style line-up (2026)
- Caroline Aronsson – Polly (purple)
- Vilma Davidsson – Holly (blue)
- Annie Moreau – Molly (pink)
- Mikaela Samuelsson – Yolly (yellow)
A collaboration nobody saw coming
The group has also shown a willingness to experiment beyond its colourful comfort zone. Last autumn’s collaboration with metal duo Scarlet on the Halloween-themed “Haunted Disco” merged Dolly Style’s sugary pop sensibilities with Scarlet’s darker electro-metal influences, creating one of the more unexpected Swedish pop collaborations in recent memory.
That crossover would prove relevant at Liseberg’s Stora Scenen on 31 May, where Dolly Style delivered a tightly choreographed 70-minute production that felt less like a traditional concert and more like a carefully scripted stage show.
A superhero entrance delayed by reality
The performance was scheduled to follow immediately after Scarlet’s set, leaving only a brief window for the stage to be turned around. As the previous act drew to a close, the transition felt tight, with stagehands quickly moving behind a giant curtain that concealed the entire setup from view. The crowd remained in place, waiting through a few minutes of mounting anticipation before the show eventually got underway, slightly later than planned.
From the moment Dolly Style emerged, the production leaned heavily into the group’s larger-than-life identity. A giant LED screen filled the rear of the stage, accompanied by lighting rigs and a colourful elevated platform made up of four blocks and a central staircase. Hidden behind this structure, the quartet was dramatically lifted into view as the opening notes rang out, instantly evoking images of superheroes arriving to save the day. For those who grew up during the 1990s, there were unmistakable echoes of both Power Rangers and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles in the colour-coded costumes and exaggerated stage personas. If ever there was a bubblegum pop equivalent of a superhero team, Dolly Style might be it.
The opening number, “Hello Hi”, saw the group positioned at the very back of the stage on the elevated platform, partially obscured by smoke and framed against an intensely bright LED backdrop. It made for a striking visual introduction, but also meant that the members were not immediately easy to see in detail as the show began.
Once the opening sequence concluded, however, the concert settled into a polished and highly professional rhythm. The choreography was precise, the pacing was brisk and every moment appeared meticulously rehearsed. There was little room for spontaneity, but that was clearly by design.
Four Melodifestivalen entries and a decade of hits
Naturally, Melodifestivalen played a major role in the setlist. “Hello Hi”, “Rollercoaster”, “Habibi” and “Yihaa” all made appearances, serving as reminders of the competition that introduced many fans to the group. The final trio of Melodifestivalen entries formed a particularly strong closing stretch, culminating in “Yihaa”, complete with the now-familiar whips from the song’s Melodifestivalen staging.
With more than a decade’s worth of material to choose from, Dolly Style faced the challenge of fitting fan favourites into a relatively compact set. Before launching into a medley, the members playfully debated which song to perform next, each loudly championing a different song until the stage descended into a colourful cacophony of competing suggestions. The obvious solution, they eventually concluded, was to play them all.
What followed was a medley that condensed portions of “L-O-V-E”, “Unicorns & Ice Cream”, “Moonlight” and “Jump” into a rapid-fire celebration of the group’s catalogue. The exchange was clearly well rehearsed, but it nevertheless provided a charming moment of banter and gave the performance a welcome touch of spontaneity. The sequence concluded with a shortened version of “Jump”, only for the song to return moments later in its full form. For older readers wondering whether this involved a surprise Van Halen cover, the answer is unfortunately no.
Scarlet crashes the party
Shortly after “Jump”, the afternoon took a turn into more unusual territory. Scarlet, who had already performed a full set earlier in the day, returned to the stage to join Dolly Style for “Haunted Disco”. On paper, the pairing remains delightfully bizarre. Scarlet’s dark horror-inspired electro-metal aesthetic appears worlds apart from Dolly Style’s colourful pop universe. Yet the collaboration somehow works, perhaps because Melodifestivalen has conditioned Swedish audiences to accept almost any genre combination imaginable.
Given that both acts were performing at Liseberg on the same day, a live rendition of “Haunted Disco” always felt likely. Scarlet had also joined Dolly Style for the song at Gröna Lund only a few days earlier. What was more surprising was what happened next. After “Haunted Disco”, Dolly Style disappeared backstage while Scarlet remained on stage and proceeded to perform both their recent single “Don’t Be Scared” and their Melodifestivalen entry “Sweet N’ Psycho” once again. Both songs had already featured prominently during Scarlet’s own concert earlier in the afternoon.
Personally, I enjoy Scarlet’s music and therefore had little reason to complain. However, one could not help but wonder what some of the younger Dolly Style fans made of the situation. Many had already sat through an entire set of danceable electro-metal before Dolly Style appeared. Receiving an additional helping of Scarlet midway through a Dolly Style concert probably raised a few eyebrows among children expecting uninterrupted bubblegum pop.
A mid-show transformation
As it turned out, the extended Scarlet segment served a practical purpose.
When Dolly Style eventually re-emerged, they did so in entirely new costumes. Once again lifted into view from behind the stage structure, the quartet appeared wearing full-body silver jumpsuits that made them resemble astronauts preparing for launch. During “Mayday”, one of the group’s newer songs released in 2026, the outer layer was dramatically removed on stage, revealing a second set of coordinated silver outfits underneath. At that point, the members were distinguished primarily by their brightly coloured wigs and matching microphones.
The transformation provided one of the concert’s more memorable visual moments and helped maintain the sense of spectacle that ran throughout the performance.
New songs and summer vibes
While Dolly Style’s Melodifestivalen entries naturally received some of the loudest reactions, the set also highlighted newer material. The recently released single “B.E.A.C.H. PLS” brought a distinctly summery atmosphere to Liseberg and demonstrated that the group continues to expand its catalogue rather than relying solely on established favourites.
The song’s title is also a little cheekier than what audiences have traditionally come to expect from Dolly Style. Younger fans will likely hear it as a carefree beach anthem, while older listeners may appreciate the playful pun hidden in plain sight. It is a small detail, but one that shows the group is still finding ways to entertain multiple generations within the same audience.
A colourful finale
The atmosphere throughout remained cheerful and warmly inclusive. Towards the end of the show, the group took time to acknowledge several children in the audience celebrating birthdays, creating a sense of personal connection despite the large crowd. One young girl standing with her father not far from where I was positioned waved enthusiastically in hopes of being noticed, but unfortunately remained just out of sight from the stage.
The concert concluded exactly as expected: with “Yihaa”, whips, pyro and a final burst of colourful spectacle. Once the last notes faded, the group was lowered behind the stage structure for a final time and disappeared from view.
It was a fitting ending to a performance that prioritised precision over unpredictability. Every entrance, costume change, lighting cue and stage movement appeared planned down to the smallest detail. There were no extended improvisations, no unexpected detours and no encore. Dolly Style delivered exactly the show they intended to deliver.
And judging by the sea of smiling children leaving Liseberg afterwards, that was exactly what their audience came for.
Also check out our coverage of Scarlet’s opening set earlier in the day.
Setlist
- Hello Hi
- Tjofaderittanlej
- Girls Girls Girls
- Pom Pom
- Habibi
- Cherry Gum
- Rollercoaster
- Medley L-O-V-E / Unicorns & Ice Cream / Moonlight / Jump
- Jump (full song)
- Haunted Disco (featuring Scarlet)
- Don’t Be Scared (performed by Scarlet)
- Sweet N’ Psycho (performed by Scarlet)
- Mayday
- Confetti
- B.E.A.C.H. PLS
- Bam Bam
- Yihaa
This show was shot with
Camera bodies
- Sony a7 IIIWideangle shots
- Sony a7R IIMidrange/telephoto shots
Camera lenses
- Tamron 16-30mm f2.8Wideangle Zoom
- Samyang 35-150mm f2–2.8Midrange/Telephoto Zoom
Concert photo gallery
