It's great to be able to kickstart things with details of some actual live Nordic influenced music taking place in the UK, and it comes courtesy of Bristol based, but part Norwegian Ålesund, a band that I last wrote about when I interviewed their lead vocalist and songwriter Alba in 2019. She named the band after her Dads hometown in Norway, a place we've mentioned in passing because of its close proximity to the brilliant Indiefjord festival.
The tour kicks off tonight at The Underground Stoke, not quite the place I normally associate with ethereal dark pop, but they then head across country to places such as Sheffield, Bristol, Milton Keynes, London and then to the fantastic Gullivers in Manchester. Accompanying them on tour will be Megan Dixon Hood, who recently released her 'East of the Sun' album - I'm looking forward to seeing her too.
Ålesund are equally busy on the recording front, having recently released 'Never Enough', an intense, powerful track build around thudding drum beats and layers of vocal melodies. Songwriter Alba says she's been 'keen to explore a heavier and grungier' sound to the music', and the new single certainly seems to demonstrate that.
Having seen these guys perform live previously, I'd really recommend going to watch them, they produce a really immersive sound, which adds to the intensity of the music, and vocally there's a hint of Nordic artists such as Kalandra and Danefae.
They're due to release a new single in the next week, with an EP to follow. More details of the tour dates on Facebook.