I hadn’t heard of Efterklang until ex-housemate-Vic mentioned that she and her other half were going to see this sort of Sigur-Ros-y like band at the Concert Hall in Reading. He wanted to see the main act, Vic the support (Nancy Elizabeth). Both acts sounded interesting, and since it was only here in Reading I got myself a ticket.
It seemed that doors opened at 8pm, so we assumed that the support would start at 8:30pm, which gave us time for a quick pint before the show. Unfortunately (for Vic, especially), the show started at 8pm, so we only caught the last song from Nancy Elizabeth. Shame – what little I heard sounded good. Vic saw her in the lobby after the show and was told that she’d be back next spring, so maybe I’ll get to see her then.
So, Efterklang. Described by their label as:
Efterklang make music for the inspired. But don’t feel left out, for Efterklang inspire all. Otherworldly pop songs, both magnificently ambitious and engagingly intimate. Breathtaking panoramas of sound with few clear antecedents. This is music with no boundaries.
Their label is deliberately trying to undersell them, then.
Vic described them as being Sigur Ros / The Magic Numbers / Pulp / Guillemots. Which I don’t really see, myself.
To be honest, I don’t know how I’d describe them. I also don’t know if I care. For most of the (too brief) show I was rapt – great musicians, great songs (soundscapes, even). I think they were singing in English for most of the songs, but I couldn’t make out enough to know for sure, and it didn’t matter, it all just worked perfectly. The lead singer apologised for playing a lot of songs from the forthcoming album (due out in February 2010), but since I didn’t know any of their stuff anyway, I was quite happy. Their last song before the encores was Cutting Ice To Snow from Parades, and since we were such a quiet audience they decided to perform the first part of it without mics, which sounded great.
Efterklang - Performing Parades
I picked up their latest disc, Performing Parades, on the way out, and I’m listening to it as I type. It’s a live album of the band performing their 2007 album Parades with The Danish National Chamber Orchestra. It’s a beautiful disc, and I wish I’d discovered them and it before they performed the same album on the South Bank last week! The album is reviewed by the BBC here.
Definitely a band to keep an eye on – I’ll be picking up their next album when it comes out in February, and I’d definitely go to see them again.