Ælvespeilet, Porsgrunn & Lille Ole Bull Scene, Bergen, Norway26th & 27th April 2019
Ljungblut - Tour 2019
Late April 2019 - spring finally arrived in Norway and for the fans of the emotional, thoughtful and personal repertoire of LJUNGBLUT another very rare opportunity to see LJUNGBLUT live on stage appeared. Two exclusive gigs in Porsgrunn on 26th April and in Bergen 27th April offered a chance for two really special evenings.
LJUNGBLUT is a Norwegian band, formerly started as a solo-project of Kim Ljung, also known from the bands ZEROMANCER and SEIGMEN. Over the years LJUNGBLUT grew to a band with four more musicians - Dan Heide on guitar (ex-ZEROMANCER), Ted Skogmann on drums (APOPTYGMA BERZERK), Joakim Brendsrød on keys and trumpet and Sindre Pedersen on bass. During this two shows, Terje Johannesen jumped in for Joakim though.
Day 1 - Porsgrunn, 26th April 2019
Different than expected Porsgrunn welcomed its guests with sunshine and literally invited to enjoy the sunset at the Porsgrunnselva promenade. The location of this first night, Ælvespeilet, is also to be found at the promenade and has its very own charm. Inside of Ælvespeilet it is possible to get a glass of wine while waiting for the doors to the hall to open. Other then known from the ZEROMANCER and SEIGMEN gigs the venues for LJUNGBLUT gigs are equipped with chairs and this time even small tables with tea lights that made the whole venue very comfy, created an intimate atmosphere and invited to enjoy the evening.
The lighting was very dark with extraordinaire details on this evening. Knowing the autobiographical and dark-themed songs of LJUNGBLUT it was the perfect choice to create a very unique atmosphere. The stage was decorated with old lamps and vintage lampshades like a living-room from back in the days and a great selection of instruments made it perfect.
Short after 9 pm as most of the tables were taken now and wine glasses joined the tea lights, the concert began - the band members came on stage one after another to the sounds of an old-sounding tape sample. While Sindre was standing, everyone else sat down on the stools and the evening started with the engaging rhythms of ‘Hasselblad’, the first single from the current album ‘Villa Carlotta 5959’, released in November 2018. ‘Hasselblad’ is one of that songs that actually makes me want to dance, there is some 70ies and 80ies vibe in there, influences of Post Punk, some spacy tunes and a really catchy and energetic melody along with the remarkable voice of Kim Ljung. This first single immediately caught me when it was released and has everything to catch the attention of the listener. That does not just work at home on the speakers, but also perfectly live.
Moving forward with ‘Oktober’, a song that covered everyone and everything in the hall immediately in bittersweet, cutting and impermanent beautiful melancholy; the autumnal wind and falling leafs literally appeared in front of my inner eye while outside everything was in full bloom. ‘Til Warszawa’ invites to an imaginary journey. It feels like the melancholy gets less painful, but at the same time digs much deeper into the mind right now. With ‘Ikke alle netter er like sorte’ there is the first song that is not taken from the new album, but the one before, released in September 2016. A calm, storytelling song that makes you dream away. The time travel goes on with ‘Albino’ from the debut album ‘Influences For A New Album’ from 2005, also the first song with English lyrics tonight.
In between Kim is talking to the audience. A very personal, close, calm evening. Some stories or comments to the band colleagues, little jokes here and there. I did not understand all of them, probably just about half, but all the vibes during these small talking sequences felt relaxed and easy while still paying tribute to the special evening. Very rarely when something went little wrong you could hear Kim curse (yes, I understood that) and some giggles spread through the hall, just to get soon silent again to be able to listen carefully to all the small and virtuous details that the musicians on stage created in that moment.
Though everyone took care, audience as well as the band, that the songs get enough space and attention and no doubt, the musical skills on stage were infinitely impressive, it was not about creating a stiff or too official setting. The perfectly imperfect atmosphere was all what that evening needed. ‘Still Can’t Say I Love You’ is balancing between being calming and surprisingly, if you would not know the song before, intensifying towards the end until the calmness gets broken by the heartrendingly screamed last lines. That one created for sure the most shudder and tingle under the skin. Still feeling it when writing these lines.
Another favourite song of mine that made it into the setlist is ‘Tempelhof’. Inspired by the used-to-be airport and now a huge area used for any kind of activities in Berlin, this song always reminds me of my second-favourite city back home in Germany, Berlin (after Hamburg of course). All you want to do is just close your eyes and dream yourself away while listening to the light melody and Kim’s soft, calming voice. A touching highlight of the evening is ‘Is there another way’ that flows into the touching and very fragile ‘Dråben’, originally from GASOLIN, covered 1999 by SEIGMEN and now a tribute to GASOLIN’s vocalist Kim Larsen who passed way in September 2018.
‘Novae’ creates a glimpse of hope with the melody, while still being a song that was made of that unique Ljung-melancholy. The journey continues and after ‘En vakker idé’ the band leaves the stage for a moment. The audience is patiently awaiting them to come out for an encore. And they do us the favour. The last two songs are ‘Migraine Sky’ and ‘Ohnesorg’. As it is known Kim is suffering from Migraine for way too many years, and I doubt another song could represent what he is going through better than ‘Migraine Sky’ does. The drums are falling down like thunder, the lights underlining the frightening intensity of the pain, the lyrics telling the story. This piece is so much more than just a song, it is like a diary of suffering, of a life.
‘Ohnesorg’ closes this first evening. The sun set down a while ago when we left and with a head full of thoughts it was about time to go to bed, as the program for the next day was about to start early.
Setlist
01. Hasselblad
02. Oktober
03. Til Warszawa
04. Ikke alle netter er like sorte
05. Albino
06. Still San’t say I love you
07. Superga
08. Tempelhof
09. Is there another way / Dråben
10. Novae
11. The other side of all things
12. Norway has not yet died
13. En vakker idé
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14. Migraine sky
15. Ohnesorg
Rating
Music: 10
Performance: 10
Light: 9
Sound: 10
Total: 9.8 / 10
Day 2 - Bergen, 27th April 2019
The previously promised rain and grey sky finally reached Porsgrunn on this Saturday morning. We decided that it was the better fitting weather for LJUNGBLUT concerts anyway and also the one thing that Bergen, the city that we were about to visit on this Saturday, is really famous for: rain.
Knowing how beautiful Bergen can be on sunny summer days, I was glad to come back after almost two years, despite the autumn-like weather. So changing cities and meeting friends for dinner and some wine, it was about time to get to Lille Ole Bull Scene, a club and concert venue in the centre of Bergen that couldn’t fit better with its ambience to LJUNGBLUT… somewhere between classy, retro and kind of fancy in its own way.
There was one change in the setlist for the second day: ‘Leitmotif’ replaced ‘Novae’, soft and dreamy, beautiful song with the distinctive Ljung-signature. For me Bergen turned out a tiny little bit more intense. The concert in Porsgrunn was my premiere with LJUNGBLUT, therefore very unique and hardly comparable and I was kind of more observing all the little details that happen on stage and the interaction between the band and the audience. The venue in Bergen felt even more intimate and the audience showed a tiny little bit more passion, but honestly, both nights were perfect the way they happened. There was nothing I would have changed.
I believe I understood even a little bit more of the conversations on stage and caught myself reacting spontaneously on one or another comment coming from Kim. Everyone was relaxed and curious, absorbing every little detail happening, be it a story, a sound or the atmospheric evening as it was, at the same time also very respectful trying not to disturb anyone while enjoying the music and the atmosphere. The songs felt at least as intense as the night before, probably even more. Sometimes it felt like sitting down and closing the eyes while listening, while in another moment it felt more like watching Terje play the trumpet or Dan conjuring beautiful but unusual sounds on his guitar with the help of the violin bow. It looked so crazy, though amazing at the same time!
Also watching Sindre and Ted play their instruments never got boring and of course Kim, performing in the most straight, honest way you can imagine. Nothing there to hide. LJUNGBLUT is the most autobiographical of all three bands, revealing all the sorrows, doubts and pain, physical and emotional injuries. The second evening went by just way too fast and suddenly it was all over for this time. However the effect of the two nights stayed with me even when I landed back home in Hamburg - the city that loves to welcome me back with a grey, heavy sky - this time reminding even more of the precious moments that just happened.
Setlist
01. Hasselblad
02. Oktober
03. Til Warszawa
04. Ikke alle etter Er like sorte
05. Albino
06. Still can’t say I love you
07. Superga
08. Tempelhof
09. Is there another way / Dråben
10. Leitmotif
11. The other side of all things
12. Norway has not yet died
13. En vakker idé
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14. Migraine sky
15. Ohnesorg
Rating
Music: 10
Performance: 10
Light: 9
Sound: 9
Total: 9.5 / 10
All Pictures by Nastja Iz
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