LIVE REVIEW

ljungblut live in Tønsberg & Oslo November 2018

Papirhuset, Tønsberg & Kulturkirken Jakob, Olso, Norway

9th, 10th and 12th November 2018

Written by Silke Jochum

Published at Reflections of Darkness


During the last days I had the great pleasure to experience three remarkable LJUNGBLUT concerts in Tønsberg and Oslo, Norway. These concerts were absolutely special! Not only because of the outstanding arrangements and locations, but also because of the fact that LJUNGBLUT had only played two shows before and had not entered a stage in seven years. It should also be mentioned that the band has never played outside of Tønsberg before, which made the gig in Oslo a premier.

Over the last years a lot has happened in the LJUNGBLUT universe. After the first three albums with English lyrics, Kim decided to write in Norwegian. Three more albums have been released since 2011. The latest one, ‘Villa Carlotta 5959’, came out just a few days ago. In the meantime Kim’s solo-project has transformed into a proper band with Dan Heide playing the guitar, Sindre Pedersen on bass, Joakim Brendsrød on keys and Ted Skogmann playing drums. Now seemed to be the perfect time to get back on stage!


The first two shows took place at Papirhuset in Kim’s hometown, Tønsberg. The little theatre can be visited by around 150 people and was totally sold out on the first night. Even at the second night there were only a handful of empty seats. The whole setting was very cosy and reminded us of a comfy living room. Carpets on the floor, and some 70s floor lamps standing between the musicians, gave the stage a very private and familiar atmosphere.

Beforehand, people were talking eagerly about their expectations and which songs the band might play. But at the moment the lights turned off and the band entered the stage, the audience fell into a reverent silence. As the first sounds of a keyboard appeared, a single beam of light came out of the dark and illuminated Kim from behind. The very melancholic tones of ‘Kast blomstne på’ filled the room and gave the concert a very dramatic start. I am pretty sure I was not the only person in the audience with goose bumps all over my body. What an opening song!

After creating a magical atmosphere with this first song, the band continued with tunes from the latest two albums. Each song was supported by a very beautiful light arrangement, which was individually set up to intensify the mood of the particular song. In my opinion, besides ‘Kast blomstene på’, ‘Migraine sky’ was definitely a highlight of the evening.

As a little surprise LJUNGBLUT played the beautiful SEIGMEN song, ‘The modern End’. Even at SEIGMEN concerts Kim is singing this song.


Therefore the choice seemed to be very natural and understandable. LJUNGBLUT gave it a highly unique sound, and played very differently from the original SEIGMEN version in a way that transferred ‘The modern end’ into another LJUNGBLUT song. At the two shows in Tønsberg there was a little break after ‘En vakker ide’. The audience could get a drink and have a little chat after listening attentively to the first part of the show.

After the break everybody focused on the music again, and the band immediately managed to capture the audience once more. The second half of the show was a great mixture of old and new songs, as well as songs with Norwegian and English lyrics. At the second night Kim changed one song and played ‘All nails’ instead of ‘Himmlen som vet’. Another very special moment was when ‘Is there another way’ blended into SEIGMEN’s ‘Dråben’ - a little tribute to the lately deceased Danish musician Kim Larsen. At all three concerts the fans started to applaud at this moment.

Like the shows in Tønsberg, the one in Oslo was another great experience. What made this third night even more special was the amazing location - Oslo’s beautiful Kulturkirken Jakob.

The atmosphere and the sound in this old sacral building perfectly matched the intense feelings of the LJUNGBLUT songs. And once again you could barely find any empty seats. The fans expected something great, and I guess nobody left the venue disappointed. LJUNGBLUT changed the chronology of the setlist a little bit, and there was no break. As there were more people than in Tønsberg, it would have been a much bigger interruption.


So I think it was a good decision to go without a break. It has to be said that at all three nights the audience was very respectful and considerate, being perfectly still the whole time during the concerts. Maybe Kim could have interacted a little more with the audience, but in the end his incredible music stands on its own. For me it was amazing to see how well Kim and Dan interacted on stage – Dan’s gorgeous guitar playing was a perfect accompaniment for Kim’s gentle voice. Even if the band in this combination had no live experience before, they all did a great job. These three LJUNGBLUT concerts were absolutely incredible and memorable! I feel really honoured that I got the chance to be a part of it.

Rating for all three shows


Music: 10
Performance: 9.5
Sound: 9
Light: 9.5
Total: 9.5 / 10

 

ljungblut is:

Kim Ljung, Dan Heide, Ted Skogmann, Sindre Pedersen, Joakim Brendsrød


Setlist 9 Nov 2018 Tønsberg


01. Kast blomstene på

02. Krysantem
03. Til Warszawa
04. Oktober
05. Ikke alle netter er like sorte
06. Norway has not yet died
07. Migraine sky
08. The modern end
09. Medaillon
10. 235
11. En vakker ide
---
12. Triumfbuen
13. Tempelhof
14. The other side of all things
15. Is there another way - Dråben
16. Himmelen som vet
17. Satellitt
18. The silence inbetween
19. Ohnesorg
---
20. Hasselblad

Setlist 10 Nov 2018 Tønsberg


01. Kast blomstene på
02. Krysantem
03. Til Warszawa
04. Oktober
05. Ikke alle netter er like sorte
06. Norway has not yet died
07. Migraine sky
08. The modern end
09. Medaillon
10. 235
11. En vakker ide
---
12. Triumfbuen
13. Tempelhof
14. The other side of all things
15. Is there another way
16. All nails
17. Satellitt
18. The silence inbetween
19. Ohnesorg
---
20. Hasselblad

Setlist 12 Nov 2018 Oslo


01. Kast blomstene på
02. Krysantem
03. Til Warszawa
04. Oktober
05. Ikke alle netter er like sorte
06. Triumfbuen
07. Migraine sky
08. The modern end
09. Medaillon
10. 235
11. En vakker ide
12. Norway has not yet died
13. Tempelhof
14. The other side of all things
15. Is there another way
16. Satellitt
17. The silence inbetween
18. Ohnesorg
---
19. Hasselblad