Our magazine was lucky to cover the SEIGMEN tour last year in December which was a unique experience. These days spent in Norway end of 2018 were indeed very special while travelling around this beautiful country, meeting so many different people in every place and experience the shows in different corners of the country.
When the new dates for December 2019 were announced it actually took me about three weeks, I think, to see who would win this debate - the reasonable mind that said it’s clearly a big chunk financially and time-wise, and the heart that just kept throwing all the memories of last year and the wonderful rush of adrenaline and endorphins travelling day by day somewhere else, sometimes even having time for some sightseeing, having some drinks with friends, attending the shows, editing photos until 3 am, sleeping 2 - 4 hours, travelling to the next destination. So after a few weeks the decision was made - the whole tour once more, please. Without spoiling this tour felt different, but was good in its own way and I am glad it was the way it turned out. Following dates were covered:
Seigmen - “Live 89 - 98” Tour December 2019 - Special guests: Kalandra
Union Scene, Drammen, Norway, 13th December 2019
Terminalen, Ålesund, Norway, 14th December 2019
Folken, Stavanger, Norway, 18th December 2019
Sentrum Scene, Oslo, Norway, 19th December 2019
Brygga Kultursal, Halden, Norway, 20th December 2019
Støperiet, Tønsberg, Norway, 21th December 2019
Seigmen
SEIGMEN was founded originally as KLISNE SEIGMENN back in 1989 and had the first live performance at Julerock in December 1989. The five founding members that are forming the band up to this date - Kim, Alex, Marius, Noralf and Sverre - keep making an important influence on the music scene in Norway as well as beyond. With every album that was released from the early 90ies to so far 2015 they managed to invent their sound quite impressively over the time when we look at it in total without ever losing their signature sound. With ‘Metropolis’ they climbed to the top in mid 90ies and became popular all over the country. Following support tours in Europe also gained them a fan base abroad, but the break-up in 1999 set an early end to the successful career after ten years of existence.
In 2005 SEIGMEN had united for the very first live show since 1999 and after a while played several more gigs over the years. In 2015 they finally released their first studio album in 18 years with ‘Enola’. And in 2018 they even returned to Germany after 20 years and played two fabulous shows at the Wave-Gotik-Treffen and in Berlin in May that won’t hopefully stay the only ones. The tour in December 2019 is dedicated to their first and fulminant decade - ‘Live 89 - 98’ is dedicated to the first nine years of the by now 30-years-long-journey and starts from the very beginning when the band was still called KLISNE SEIGMEN and wouldn’t turn out as it is if someone didn’t had the idea for the four special retrospective shows in Bergen last May (you can read more about it HERE). https://www.facebook.com/Seigmen/
Special guests: Kalandra
KALANDRA are the special guests on the ‘Live 89 - 98’ SEIGMEN tour in December 2019. Their music range is somewhere between Folk Rock & Pop, fairy-tale storytelling, some Pagan and modern music world influences can be found in their music as well. KALANDRA started creating music in 2011. They have released several singles in the past few years, the ‘Beneath The Breaking Waves’ EP in 2017 and their latest single ‘The Waiting Game’ in 2019. While 2019 was fading away and the tour with SEIGMEN went on, KALANDRA were announced for the Midgardsblot Festival 2020 and the first headliner show on 5th March 2020 at Blå in Oslo was confirmed. http://www.kalandra.no / https://www.facebook.com/Kalandramusic
13th December - Union Scene, Drammen, Norway
And so 364 days later the flight is going again from Hamburg towards Oslo, taking the next available train to Drammen for the first show of the tour. Drammen is greeting with temperatures around freezing point and higher and so the path of 850 meters to the hotel & venue that is next to it not just looks like covered in “black ice of death”, so I, fully packed with luggage and not used to walk on ice that is that slippery at all anymore, actually decide to take a taxi for the short distance. These 105 crowns were totally worth it to me, my bones and my equipment not being destroyed on the way to the first show. However the hotel was reached safely and then it was just like 50 meters out of the hotel door to the venue.
In between I relaxed a bit in the hotel room while watching SEIGMEN videos on YouTube to groove myself in after a very packed and busy last week of actual work in Hamburg, grabbed a snack at the lobby, and met a fellow fan and photographer for a drink. Only later I realized how meaningful that meeting has been. Time well spent. Union Scene is a quite cool venue, and while waiting inside before the doors opened, I got to talk to some other visitors. The usual answers that I am from Germany and actually following the whole tour usually are enough info to get into a conversation and being asked about my opinion on RAMMSTEIN. You might remember it from the last diary as well, if you’d read it.
Kalandra
This was for me the first time to see KALANDRA live on stage and from the first pre-listening at home when they were announced as special guests on this tour I was looking forward to see them live on stage. The four turned the venue into a magical place with their live performance and this was definitely the start of something that was about to touch my heart. The music, the energy and Katrine’s remarkable voice - kidnapping you into the woods, endless landscapes, magical surroundings and mythical dreams. This first time was already something quite special and it was telling me, the next evenings might get even more meaningful and enchanting.
From the fragile ‘Virkilighetens Etterklang’, over to deep and gloomy ‘Concrete Landscapes’ and closing with ‘Naive’ - a magical, musical journey that KALANDRA are taking everyone on.
Setlist
01. Virkilighetens Etterklang
02. The Waiting Game
03. Concrete Landscapes
04. Slow Motion
05. Ensom
06. Naïve
Seigmen
The first show of a tour is always something special and quite different. You don’t know the setlist yet, everyone has to get into the vibes and every setlist works different on the crowd, so you don’t know how that one will go. On the other hand it felt quite familiar to be back here again. As exactly one year ago - the tour started in Drammen, at that same venue. And then the first song - somehow I really hoped that we will hear that one again as the tour title is also including the year 89, when it all had started - and here was ‘Rosa Boots’ again! SEIGMEN played that song for the first time in a very long time earlier the year in Bergen during the first of the four shows - the replication of the show in 1993 included that one and it was lots of fun hearing that one - the spirit of the wild, young and full of craziness minds. Raw and real as it is. And the first song that Kim wrote for KLISNE SEIGMENN. Pretty sure it hadn’t made this setlist if SEIGMEN wouldn’t have done these historical recreation of the four Bergen shows earlier.
The second song actually confused me, when the guys played it I was just thinking “okay, this one is so catchy. And I am pretty sure I’ve never heard that one before. Wow.” Indeed also a really rare gem was brought to us from around 30 years ago with ‘Sure Tær’. I am still confused I didn’t know that song before, no matter how old it is. It’s awesome. Two songs that didn’t make it into the other cities’ setlists - ‘Mono Doomen’ and ‘Simone’. The last has a special meaning to me as it was the first SEIGMEN song I ever heard live. And that made it clear from the first second that though SEIGMEN and ZEROMANCER share three of five band members, this is different from everything I was “used” from ZEROMANCER, the band that I got to know many years earlier than SEIGMEN, as it is the case with many fans who are not from Norway. To describe ‘Simone’, it’s dark and aggressive while being restrained to a point. Like the quiet, calm atmosphere before the storm hits in. And it does.
A worthy tour kick-off. Good vibes, great setlist that is able to surprise even the most hard-core fans as the last song before the encore did, ‘Frost-Bite’. I’ve seen this title many times being mentioned as one of the favourites and on many concert wish lists. It’s been a very long while and a huge surprise - around me people wondering “Is that possible?” when the first sounds were played. Only Alex, Marius and Sverre on stage, green-blue light covering the stage - incredibly magical and emotional atmosphere. I am going more into the details of the setlist while writing about the following shows. But one thing was clear at the end of the Drammen gig - this setlist is the first chronological (beside of the encore songs) that SEIGMEN have ever done and as they say will stay the only time they did something like this.
‘Hjernen er alene’, the song that is always played at the end, stayed the end of the setlist, though it would have been interesting to hear that one once in between, but then some people might get confused and leave as they’d believe this is the last song as it (almost) always is.
Setlist
01. Rosa Boots
02. Sure Tær
03. Skjebnen
04. Fra X til døden
05. Mono doomen
06. Simone
07. Mesusah
08. Ohm
09. Döderlein
10. Dråben
11. Metropolis
12. Rød himmel
13. Bayon
14. Slaver av solen
15. Trampoline
16. Neon Sun
17. Universal
18. Frost-Bite
---
19. Agnus Dei
20. Hjernen er alene
The first short night at the hotel ended quickly, the flight to Ålesund left at nine something in the morning which meant that I had to leave the hotel around 6:30.
14th December - Terminalen, Ålesund, Norway
The anticipation about visiting Ålesund again and knowing I’ll have an extra day there made it all unimportant. Arriving so early at your destination has the advantage that you have time to walk around - what a clear and lovely day it was. Just grabbed some food for a breakfast and sat down at the harbour, just behind the venue with the view on the mountains, the harbour industry, and the sun breaking its way through. An outdoor breakfast in the mid of December - you’ve gotta love this place. A few hours later I was able to get into my room, get some more sleep, have another conversation about the reason I was travelling around at this time of the year - this time with my host and soon heading over to Terminalen.
Also coming back to the venue, Terminalen, was absolutely like coming home. I’ve been there already for the 3rd time, the first time on my backpacking Norway tour in summer 2017. Terminalen is cosy, there are tables and chairs, many different possibilities to chill and have a beer and especially in summer the outside area is very nice to hang around.
Kalandra
KALANDRA were on time and started their set as in Drammen with the very soft and fragile ‘Virkelighetens Etterklang’. The “reverberation of reality” is such a fragile, enchanting song. Very lovely and detailed. KALANDRA are creating beautiful, endless, untouchable worlds that are about to disappear like soap bubbles once you try to touch them. ‘The Waiting Game’ is more on the run, fleeing, carrying some restlessness while Katrine’s voice is showing a wide variety and is surprising song by song. The gloomy mood of ‘Concrete Landscapes’ is literally breath-taking. This song is clear, and beautifully thoughtful. The increasing intensity towards the end is so strong, you cannot escape. ‘Ensom’ and Naive’ closed the short, but enchanting set.
The energy that came over to the audience increased and it was a pleasure to watch them act on stage. And that all when Katrine told the audience in between that they had a pretty long drive today and just about four hours of sleep.
Setlist
01. Virkelighetens Etterklang
02. The Waiting Game
03. Concrete Landscapes
04. Slow Motion
05. Ensom
06. Naïve
Seigmen
Here we go. Back to 1989. ‘Rosa Boots’ and ‘Sure Tær’ kick off - lots of energy, unpolished, crazy light show, the unity inside the band as an incredibly energy ball on stage. Following ‘Fra X til døden’ and ‘Skjebnen’. ‘Fra X til døden’ is a highlight for everyone who loves hard, virtuous guitars and basses, a masterpiece if you enjoy a well-done and virtuous play. This one is literally an explosion and such a great one. Enjoyable to watch and turning the most loyal “synth popper” for a moment into a “hard rocker”, I believe. As the show goes on we get to hear so many different songs - a calm and beautiful gem is ‘Dråben’ - a GASOLIN cover, now honouring the late Kim Larsen who passed in autumn 2018. During this chronological concert the development of the music that was written by SEIGMEN gets so clear and impressive. While reinventing their sound as the time passed by, the “SEIGMEN sound” always stayed immediately recognisable. Whatever it is, it’s unique.
Every single time that one song - mostly in between - is played, you can feel how the whole venue is going back to the year 1995. ‘Metropolis’ feels like the unofficial hymn of a whole generation. Neither have I been old enough in the 90ies to listen to this kind of music (only through my older brother a bit), nor have I known anything about Norway at that point in my very young live. But I believe a part of this atmosphere awakens every time this song is played live at any show in Norway. I’ve read a lot about this time, watched interviews, trying to understand how impressive that time period must have been for SEIGMEN. Important and exciting, and at the same time very demanding and at some point probably also exhausting. The emotions that are transported are telling a story of almost everyone who is at the concert and it’s incredibly beautiful to see.
Writing this I just thought, it would be so interesting to hear the people’s story of that time. Maybe I just should ask next time someone is starting a conversation wondering why someone is coming over from a different country to see the shows. For the same reason everyone else does, I believe. Distances are of no meaning when there is magic that music creates.
Setlist
01. Rosa Boots
02. Sure Tær
03. Fra X til døden
04. Skjebnen
05. Mesusah
06. Ohm
07. Döderlein
08. Dråben
09. Metropolis
10. Rød himmel
11. Bayon
12. Slaver av solen
13. Trampoline
14. Neon Sun
15. Universal
16. Frost-Bite
---
17. Agnus Dei
18. Hjernen er alene
Before the next show in Stavanger there were a few off-days. I decided to stay in Ålesund one day longer, sleep in and enjoy the probably most beautiful place I’ve been in this country so far, though every place here is exciting. The combination of breath-taking nature and Jugendstil architecture is quite unique. After having walked around the city centre the day before, without having a plan, I ended up walking down to the Hessa Island. I’ve been there 2.5 years ago with my best friend. It was one of the hottest days during our month-long-trip around Norway with + 30 °C, the first sunburn of the year for me, and unbelievable beautiful nature. The WWII bunkers hiding inside the hills appear even more unrealistic in this fascinating surroundings.
This time I walked down there on my own, + 5 °C, listening to LJUNGBLUT and taking care of not walking too far away into the “wild” by the time the sun should be setting down (as we were very close to Solstice, that day it was at 3:01 pm). I didn’t expect that much from walking down there as it is winter, no snow beside of in the heights of the mountains, the sky was greyer than anything else, of course no green leafs, just bare branches. And still. The fjord and this island were the most beautiful thing I can imagine. The calmness and majesty of this place is exhilarating. Sitting down on the stones, watching the waves quietly hit against the shore and the last glow of the sun hiding behind the scattered clouds and mountains on the horizon and listening to the lines “Omfavnet av lys, At ansikt blant tusenvis. Alt du ønsket deg, Jeg ser alt så klart for meg nå” (from ‘Det hviteste lyset’, LJUNGBLUT) while breathing in the cold air and trying to capture the fading glow of this afternoon in my mind forever.
On Monday I went back to the South to visit my friends not far from Tønsberg and on Tuesday going to the Southwest to the next concert place, Stavanger.
18th December - Folken, Stavanger, Norway
Also in Stavanger I visited a fellow friend I got to know through the music here, we had a relaxed Tuesday evening, played a mix of a board and card game I’ve never seen before and I spent the Wednesday before the pre-party mostly finishing another special for the magazine. Anyway it was raining and at least I’ve got the mountain view out of the window - not the worst place to get things done. Some wine glasses later (they turned out as magical as the year before here) I headed over to the venue. Again a well-known place, and I even met someone I would have only expect to see in Oslo or Tønsberg. It is fascinating how this country became so familiar in just about 3.5 years.
Kalandra
After two shows I was already quite into the music of KALANDRA, the first phrases settled down in my mind. I’ve got familiar with their performance, though they were changing their setlist day by day a bit, which makes it easier to take better photos. The energy was growing and so was the confidence. Don’t get me wrong, they didn’t appear “not confident” to me at the beginning of the tour, but the more into the tour we dived, the more the live energy grew and became more and more strong and exciting.
Seigmen
Stavanger was sold-out and so was the atmosphere - on fire! Stavanger loves SEIGMEN and I am sure that SEIGMEN love Stavanger as much back. What shall I say - though it was a Wednesday, the sold-out Folken venue was absolutely on fire and having lots of fun. The songs from 1989 were as much celebrated as these from 1994 or 1997. As Alex told the audience “we just had 89, 90, 91… now we are getting to 94” and so Kim explained to the audience the special setlist that is set chronologically. The “94 song” was by the way ‘Ohm’. ‘Döderlein’ is pretty much a classic and must-be in the band’s setlists and always a guarantee for a loudly singing crowd. Also if you are not fluently speaking Norwegian, ‘Döderlein’ and ‘Slaver av solen’ are two songs I recommend to start with if you’d like to sing along some of the Norwegian songs as well. Works at least good for German speakers. Approved by myself and friends of mine who joined me to see the SEIGMEN shows in 2018 in Germany. No surprise so that ‘Slaver av solen’ made it into the setlist as well.
Two songs that came up in Bergen as well are ‘Rød himmel’ and ‘Bayon’ from the ’Metropolis’ album, released in 1995. They still have the Grunge Rock attitude as the early songs do but show a development to details in songwriting that differ from ‘Pluto’ and ‘Ameneon’. I often get asked, so also this time, which band is my favourite, ZEROMANCER or SEIGMEN. I understand that some people prefer one to another, there is also a lot to them about the personal history you got with a band or specific songs. However I get two completely different emotion states from both which is the reason that I am mentioning it here - ZEROMANCER’s energy feels quite more extroverted, while the things that happen to me during a SEIGMEN show happen for a great part on the inside, so it feels kinda introverted which does not mean that I or other people are not showing their emotions during the concerts - it is more about the feeling - and really difficult to describe. Maybe you know what I mean. Some people did.
Anyway, in Stavanger it felt like the good energy of the shows was increasing day by day. Also someone found some glasses and something to drink backstage and so the band and the audience shared one or another “Skål”.
Setlist
01. Rosa Boots
02. Sure Tær
03. Fra X til døden
04. Skjebnen
05. Mesusah
06. Ohm
07. Döderlein
08. Dråben
09. Metropolis
10. Rød himmel
11. Bayon
12. Slaver av solen
13. Trampoline
14. Neon Sun
15. Universal
16. Frost-Bite
---
17. Agnus Dei
18. Hjernen er alene
The next day started again quite early. Very grateful for getting a ride to the airport as my flight was scheduled for 8:20 and otherwise with bus etc. I would have needed to get up way earlier. Off to Oslo. The weather in Oslo went from like - 8 °C to + 5 °C in about 24 hours. It was crazy. When I arrived and met a friend from Germany for a very nice hot chocolate and breakfast date in the city centre it was still quite cold and also the view from the plane on arrival was very snowy, on my way to the venue in the evening the slippery roads and squares were back again as the temperatures increased. Winter in Norway can be a pretty crazy thing, I tell you!
19th December - Sentrum Scene, Oslo, Norway
The show tonight in Oslo at Sentrum Scene was for sure the biggest of the tour and very close to sold-out (I don’t know the exact numbers of sold tickets, the mighty internet says the capacity is around 1,700 people). But this one was special to me also for another reason. When I came to Norway for the first time to see a SEIGMEN show, this was the venue where I saw SEIGMEN for the second time (a day after the show in Hamar in 2016). I’ve seen SEIGMEN quite many times in between, but it was the first time that I came back to Sentrum Scene, so some flashbacks were running through my mind as I was looking around me trying to remember that last time here and realizing how much has happened in between. Also as we were starting the second half of the tour in the South more and more known faces appeared at the venues and once more I met some people who came from abroad for the first time.
Kalandra
KALANDRA seemed on that, so far biggest stage I’ve seen them as strong and captivating. As they posted the next day - Oslo cured them from stage fright and I don’t know what happened there, but totally approve. They took over the stage and performed as it was their own headliner show. The venue was also quite well packed already and I was grateful that the audience actually listened. The band showed the full range of emotions and the magic was spreading all over the not so small venue. The last song played tonight was ‘Brave New World’ and if you’d ask me for one recommendation to listen to, go for this one.
This song shows so much of their variety and songwriting qualities. If you are already into bands and artists like WARDRUNA, AURORA, EIVØR or GÅTE - this band enriches the spectrum of modern days’ Norse Folk genre with their refreshingly creative songwriting and performance.
Setlist
01. Virkelighetens Etterklang
02. The Waiting Game
03. Borders
04. Slow Motion
05. Naïve
06. Brave New World
Seigmen
Sentrum Scene is the place to be for SEIGMEN. They are a great band for an underground student club stage, but - and it is not often that I say it - even more I enjoy seeing the five rocking the big stages. There is something majestic about their performance on a stage like this. I still think with some goose bumps back of the show at the biggest stage of the Wave-Gotik-Treffen in Leipzig, Germany in 2018. The mystery, intensity and majesty of their show grows exponentially and songs like ‘Agnus Dei’, ‘Mesusah’ or ‘Neon Sun’ take over even the biggest venue. Oslo went wild. For many it was probably the last work day before the Christmas vacation (or just 1-2 days to go), so the crowd had fun. When I was about to leave the pit and looked back I saw Alex picking up (not 100% sure, but I think it was what I assume) a pink or red lace panty that was thrown on stage - it caused of course some laughter and someone commented something with the reference to ‘Rosa Boots’ if I recall it right.
Sharing the pit in Oslo with such great photographers as Bjørn Opsahl, Silke Jochum or Arash Taheri was another personal highlight on a different level. I haven’t written much about the songs from the ‘Radiowaves’ era that were performed yet, so it’s about time. There is barely a better song to make me happy and wanna literally cry as it is as intense as ‘Trampoline’. I still remember that moment when I had the chance to hear it for the first time in December 2017, and it is still as intense as it has been. ‘Radiowaves’ is a very different and probably quite brave album for the time back in 1997 when it was released. I know that the press opinions were split, for some it was and still is the best album at least of the decade, for others the break to the previous albums might have been too strong - the shadow of the early-nineties-Grunge disappeared completely being replaced by ingenious synth and strings compositions.
We hardly dared to breath in when ‘Trampoline’ was over, and then ‘Neon Sun’ just took over the emotional rollercoaster. And somehow ‘Universal’ that never was my personal favourite (you are of course free to decide which songs are yours) suddenly caught me live on this tour. I am still surprised, never thought it would, but here we are. It is very satisfying to sing along this one, especially when you are surrounded by your friends. And ‘Frost-Bite’ just doesn’t need more words. It has been the highlight of every single evening on this tour.
Setlist
01. Rosa Boots
02. Sure Tær
03. Fra X til døden
04. Skjebnen
05. Mesusah
06. Ohm
07. Döderlein
08. Dråben
09. Metropolis
10. Rød himmel
11. Bayon
12. Slaver av solen
13. Trampoline
14. Neon Sun
15. Universal
16. Frost-Bite
---
17. Agnus Dei
18. Hjernen er alene
Oslo offered some more time after the concert to talk with friends, exchange impressions of the show also the queues to the wardrobe to pick up the jackets (45 NOK for the wardrobe here! I’ll never again complain about beer for 89 NOK) were pretty long, so no need to hurry and finally just enough time to hang out afterwards. The best about the second tour part for me personally was that from now on I could travel by train and just a few days before I realized that Halden, the next tour destination, was just a very few kilometres away from the Swedish border. The view out of the train window on my trip to Halden the next day however was a perfect grey-in-grey-painting.
There were not even many shades in this grey. When doing my research on accommodations I was totally surprised that Halden had a hostel. That “hostel” however turned out to be a shared-room belonging to the Pub across the street. Beside of me there was another guest who called himself “the Swede”. This tour so far has been quite different to me than the one the year before. I still met many friends, but beside of me spending when possible also a lot of time on my own, the conversations I had were more of a deeper meaning. I realized it to the fullest way later. However the Swede was one of the people who made me think a lot about life and feeling grateful for what I have. I assume he just lost his home as he told me he was going to stay there for a few months. He was also quite in pain, taking strong painkillers and waiting for his surgery around Christmas.
We were four days away from this time of the year that people spend with their loved ones and he was here in this “hostel” in this small Norwegian town, in his mid 50ies, suffering a lot health-wise and seemed to be a very lonesome person. On the other hand he was extremely positive towards me, quite interested and very courteous without exceeding limits. We even listened to SEIGMEN for some time, though he meant that the music is quite depressive while I thought, he is not wrong, but this same music gives me so much strengths and positive feelings as well. At the same time I saw him, trying to be as positive as possible on the outside, but the pain, also the emotional was just shining through his eyes. And for some reason this person who I met so randomly and shortly made me think of this encounter also days later.
20th December - Brygga Kultursal, Halden, Norway
Halden was the only place that SEIGMEN haven’t played last year out of the six and so for me it was the first time in this small, quite cute town that did not look like the Norwegian places I’ve been so far to. I don’t know if that was the Swedish influence, but it felt very different here. The colours of grey stayed until the sun set down. I did not have the time and motivation to go up to the Fredriksten fortress, also the view wouldn’t probably be the best with the rainy, foggy and grey sky. But we managed to schedule an interview (yes, keep your eyes open) and I believe I’ve seen the most part of the town afterwards. The doors opened at 9 pm which was the latest on this tour, until then I was hanging around in my room, walking around the brygga area or just sitting at the promenade, watching to the Idefjord, the mountains and the fortress in the darkness. It was one day until Solstice. So the darkness came early.
Kalandra
It might have been latest in Halden that I did not came to see KALANDRA as support act, but was actually really looking forward to their show and even thought for some moments if I could make it to their show in Oslo in March. Pretty sure I won’t (this time), but somehow the optimist in me hopes that they might play some shows in Germany as well in the near future. I really hope so. However it felt like the packed show in Oslo really gave them a boost though the audience was quite different in Halden. So KALANDRA delivered an amazing, strong and enchanting show. And the light show was different - the colours of the lights were beautiful and fun to shoot. It made me happy that also many other people I spoke to liked them, even those who said themselves that they are usually not into “that kind” of music (whatever that kind may be). The set was over in no time, the magic spread all over and the Nordic Myth paired with modern elements enchanted one more time.
Seigmen
As far as I know this was the first time ever that SEIGMEN played in Halden (correct me if I am wrong). I actually thought that the venue would be even smaller, but the Brygga Kultursal was quite decent, nice atmosphere, very helpful and friendly people working there happy to help and answering questions kindly. The “new to me but actually very old” song ‘Sure Tær’ disappeared from the setlist in Drammen, but ‘Nihil’ came in. Love this one too as many of the songs from the ‘Metropolis’ era. Beautiful rock song, what else. I remember that last year another song from this album made it into my personal-tour-top-3 - ‘Juvel’, it became more and more important from show to show. I feel the band’s energy on stage was incredible that night though I wished the rows behind us would have been a bit more enthusiastic (and considerate, to that guy who didn’t get that it is not okay to be touchy - duh).
However, things happen, we dealt with it as good as we could and for me personally this gig was very intense. This was actually my first two weeks of coherent vacation in a year, as for most of us the weeks before were crazy and so by that time there was finally that feeling of letting go. At this moment I think I can name my personal three tour favourites that turned out to be ‘Rosa Boots’, ‘Universal’ and ‘Frost-Bite’. All three quite surprising in that setlist and extremely cool in very different ways.
Setlist
01. Rosa Boots
02. Fra X til døden
03. Skjebnen
04. Mesusah
05. Ohm
06. Döderlein
07. Dråben
08. Nihil
09. Metropolis
10. Rød himmel
11. Bayon
12. Slaver av solen
13. Trampoline
14. Neon Sun
15. Universal
16. Frost-Bite
---
17. Agnus Dei
18. Hjernen er alene
The next day I took the train from Halden to Tønsberg. The usual melancholy of the last tour day was spreading all over and the rhetorical question how these days went by so fast again. Arriving in Tønsberg literally feels like visiting a well-known place though the total number of days spent here is not that high actually. But when you leave the train, don’t need a navigation app to get to your hotel, recognize all the shops and places on your way and walk into the hotel like into a friend’s place - that’s crazy. And awesome. May this tradition stay around for as long as possible…
21st December - Støperiet, Tønsberg, Norway
Wow, this huge black concert banner advertising the concert put up outside of Støperiet was awesome! The view over to the venue from the other side of the river where the hotel is located is one of these things that make my heart literally jump. In 2016 the two shows here were the reason for me to come back to Norway for the second time and probably the moment when I knew, this is gonna be something unique with this band. December 2019 and I approve. The show was announced as sold-out in the morning which was a good reason to celebrate. Before the show there were two pre-drinking get-together events in the URO bar and the newly opened rock bar BaRocken.
We ended up before the concert at URO, doing the SEIGMEN pub quiz and in the end I was with the winner team. I was surprised how much I already knew, but still learned some more facts. Knowing these things I really feel a bit like a SEIGMEN nerd now. Thanks to the team mates! Also we met more and more people as Tønsberg is just that big music family get together - the last Saturday before Christmas. It couldn’t be better. At the venue even more people I know and got to know new ones - as it is. That’s what I love these concert journeys for. The time had come for the final show of the ‘Live 89 -98’ tour. December 2019. One more show and the last show of the year is done.
Kalandra
KALANDRA delivered. Starting with ‘The Waiting Game’ that is all the mystic. “There is a fire inside me / Waiting for something / Waiting for something. [...] I’m waiting for you. You’re waiting for me. Afraid of what we find” - this is so much of what we all know so well. A beautifully challenging song, thoughtful, rousing. Katrine was telling in an announcement, if my mediocre Norwegian knowledge did not deceive me, about Iceland, black mountains, the incredible landscapes, the inspiration for the song, I believe it was for ‘Island’. Indeed a place on earth I’d really love to visit one day and KALANDRA would totally make it into my travel playlist if I ever make it over there.
Last time for now also ‘Slow Motion’ and the out of the ordinary ‘Brave New World’. “A brave new world will rise / If we do not act upon its lies / Hold your tongues no more / Learn from all the ones who came before” - could be a great hymn for the time we are living in.
Setlist
01. The Waiting Game
02. Island
03. Borders
04. Slow Motion
05. Brave New World
06. Naïve
Seigmen
This last show in the band’s hometown is always something special. And this one turned surprisingly out to be my favourite show on this tour and in Tønsberg so far. Sverre, Noralf, Marius, Alex and Kim were in the best mood, releasing the “animal” one last time this year with the energy of a dragon who set the venue on fire. ‘Sure Tær’ came back to my delight, ‘Rød himmel’ had to go. The sold-out venue was taking the energy gratefully and giving back all their vibes back to the band and crew. After taking photos in the pit, I stood on the side, left from me a woman celebrating the guys and singing along to the fullest. Though I could not stand next to my friends as it was so packed everywhere, the energy and joy of the people around me helped to cure the melancholy and just have as much fun as possible. Huge thank you for being such a wonderful audience, Tønsberg!
When suddenly one of my closest friends appeared next to me, everything was just perfect and the way we celebrated ‘Neon Sun’ and ‘Universal’ together (I am glad you cannot hear us singing along now) or me getting a tiny bit emotional during the last ‘Frost-Bite’ performance so long - it feels actually weird to write publicly about such personal emotions, but that is what music is doing with all of us, isn’t it? These last five songs made the perfect final to this last show and week - enjoying one of your favourite bands rock the stage despite all the health issues most of you might also know about, see the sparkling eyes of all the fans and friends and having someone by your side who shares your feelings about all that is happening in that moment - this is what pure gratitude is for.
Setlist
01. Rosa Boots
02. Sure Tær
03. Fra X til døden
04. Skjebnen
05. Mesusah
06. Ohm
07. Döderlein
08. Dråben
09. Nihil
10. Metropolis
11. Bayon
12. Slaver av solen
13. Trampoline
14. Neon Sun
15. Universal
16. Frost-Bite
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17. Agnus Dei
18. Hjernen er alene
It felt quite sureal to say goodbye to everyone afterwards, wishing all a merry Christmas and a happy new year. We spent half of the night having some wine and talking in a small group of friends, wondering how cool it is that we all were now here - travelling from Ski (close to Oslo), Stavanger, Helsinki and Hamburg. How music doesn’t care about borders, languages or nationalities. Here we all were sitting together because of our deepest love for music. Reflecting on that week with that many deeper conversations, all the encounters with friends and new to me people I once more got the prove through the conversations (thank you all for being so real) that wasn’t needed but anyway - for many of us music means healing and either you’ve been already doing good again or are on your way - keep going. Listen to your heart and to whatever kind of music brings it back to life. There is no light without the darkness and may your favourite music be the light showing you the path out of the dark or unknown.
Closing this with last two quotes - “Somebody tell me, where are we going” (‘Brave New World’ by KALANDRA) & “jeg lukker et øye / og ser halvt / jeg lukker begge / og ser alt” (‘Ohm’ by SEIGMEN).
All photos by Nastja Izotova
Complete tour diary by Nastja Izotova
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