by Nikola Grbavac
Monday night at Klubbscenen at Chateau Neuf, a venue so fitting for this particular concert it could hardly have taken place anywhere else. As we sink one level underground the anticipation grows stronger, the silence louder. We are in the dark. In the distance, I can discern soft, warm lights emitting from the stage. The venue is quiet, intimate, and still quite vacant. The emptiness resonates the unique quality of the night’s performers — the ability to create an atmosphere of closeness and reverberate a mellow, sweet spirit in their music.
Klubbscenen fills up with people. The audience is a mainly young, alternative crowd, and as the Trine & Sander duo opens the concert with their simple yet distinctive presence, most of the crowd gets comfortable sitting on the floor, ready to enjoy the performance. The duo’s music, recognizably Scandinavian, infuses the room with an unmistakably crisp sound and a clear lyrical vision. The staunch perspective of the music is balanced out with a sort of naiveté often seen in the formative years of many artists’ careers. Trine is frank, but not brazen in her performance. Her demure and sometimes bashful demeanor creates an impressive contrast in comparison to the crystalline idiosyncrasies of her voice.
Much like the opening act, the main act – SIRI, present their work in what could best be called a sedating, slow-dance manifesto. The industry inspiration the band has referenced before, including among other artists Björk, Susanne Sundfør, and Radiohead, is apparent in traces alone, mostly in the vocalist Siri Byrkjedal’s performance technique. SIRI’s melodic and cool sound evokes a dreamy haze that delivers a clear effect on the spectators. Lyrically and melodically rich, SIRI’s work paralyzes the audience, maintaining them in a state of syrupy transfixion. The effects of this tranquil synesthetic journey the band is able to take their admirers on cannot be underestimated. It will surely be a joy to see SIRI’s future development on the Norwegian music scene. Until then, all that’s left to do is move slowly to the rhythm and let the music take over.
Manic Monday er et fast ukentlig arrangement for ny norsk musikk.