It’s not just BjÖrk and Sigur Rós representing the
Icelandic music scene, Sólstafir
are well on their way to cementing a name for themselves, especially after
their triumphant 2014 with the release of ‘Ótta’ which featured in many top
albums of the year lists (mine included). Impossible to pigeonhole into a
specific genre, Sólstafir
attract fans from a broad spectrum, from the Darkthrone worshipping black
metal-ers (they delved into black metal in their early days) to the more indie
post rock followers. They are a band that are difficult to compare to others
and their wide spread appeal continues to flourish.
Tonight they play the Deaf Institute, a
different venue from the norm for many attendees; it strikes a good balance
between being cosy and intimate, but not so squashed in your inadvertently
cuddling strangers. The support band ‘Her Name is Calla’ impress with their
stompy post-rock anthems, intertwined with delicate vocal harmonies and
beautiful violin segments.
Sólstafir are magnificent, they have
honed their craft over the years and are an extremely assured live band, each
riff is executed with precision and ‘Addi’ is one of the most captivating front
men I’ve ever witnessed, no one in the crowd can avert their eyes from the
cool, calm yet intense singer/guitarist. Guitarist ‘Pjúddi’ is equally mesmerizing, clad in cowboy attire
and mutton chops that could give the wolverine Hugh Jackman a run for his
money, he looks pretty damn cool, and that’s before he whips the banjo out for
the title track off the new album ‘Ótta’. A few tracks from the latest release make an
appearance, and hearing them live further enforces the beauty and power of
those songs, particularly ‘Lágneætti’ which is such a standout track. The
aforementioned banjo presents itself, much to everyone’s delight for ‘Ótta’, and the very indie sounding ‘Dagmál’ is also translated live to absolute perfection. The
emotionally devastating ‘Fjara’ from ‘Svartir Sandar’ is welcomed by the crowd,
possibly their most familiar song which they did a stunning music video for,
before finishing with ‘Goddess of the Ages’ from the KÖld album.
Drummer
‘Gummi’ was sadly not a part of this tour due to personal reasons, however Karl
Smith filled in for the second leg of the European tour.
Sólstafir predominantly sing in their
native tongue, yet the music resonates so deeply, evoking images of journeying
into the wilderness surrounded by misty Icelandic landscapes. The mood of their
songs comes across quite harrowing at times yet the atmosphere in the room is
nothing but upbeat. This was a gig that no one wanted to end; the crowd is left
in rapture as everybody chats about how good it was the minute they left the
stage. Furthermore, no rock star behaviour from these boys as they emerged at
the merch stand happy to meet and great fans. The Nordic cowboys were
heart-stoppingly epic tonight, clearly not one of those ‘finding themselves’
bands but secure in their art and play with utter conviction, resulting in one
of the most enchanting performances I’ve ever seen.
Words by: Heather
Blewett
You can read our review of their latest record here
