In concert: Little Dragon

Little Dragon's Yukimi Nagano: feeling the love in Washington on Wednesday.(All photos by Mark Abramson/FTWP)

By Ally Schweitzer

D.C. has a secret. It's been enjoying Scandinavian electro-pop and not telling anyone about it.

The Swedish band Little Dragon returned to Liv nightclub Wednesday night on U Street NW. It was the group's third visit to the club since last summer, and that information was almost hard to come by. For a band as hip as Little Dragon - which made a prominent appearance on this year's Gorillaz album - there was a surprising dearth of Facebook or Twitter buzz about their return to DC.

(Lack of hype but not energy, plus more pictures after the jump.)

The lack of hype could not have prepared a casual observer for the revved-up scene at Liv. By the time singer Yukimi Nagano stepped onstage, the club was packed, with the first three rows howling like a bunch of Stevie Nicks fans. Nagano - barefoot, channeling Nicks with her shawl and tambourine - didn't say much as drummer Erik Bodin kicked into the quiet, glistening "Never Never," from last year's "Machine Dreams." The first three rows appropriately adjusted to the tempo, simmering down to sing backup to Nagano's soft and soulful croon.

Midway through a remixed, jammy set of songs from their downtempo 2007 self-titled debut, Nagano calmly declared, "I'm really feeling the love in DC." Minutes later keyboardist Håkan Wirenstrand flipped a switch and charged into the razor-sharp, squealing "Runabout," giving the crowd permission to once again lose their minds. DC's Swedish pop addiction might not be a secret for much longer.