Event name: Blåsvart Aften #14
Artists: Northaunt (NO) / Nortfalke (NL) / Draugurinn (SE) / Grift (SE)
Venue: Good Omens
Location: Trondheim, Norway
Date: 25th November 2023
The brainchild of Jan Roger Pettersen of Svartsinn fame, Blåsvart Aften is one of the longest-running dark ambient events/festivals in existence. The first edition took place as far back as 2007, and since then, Jan hasn't failed to provide an interesting lineup in his hometown of Trondheim, Norway year after year (bar the cursed COVID years, of course). Sadly, the last time I had visited was way back in 2013, so when Jan told me that Hærleif of Northaunt would grace the stage of the event's 14th edition with his elusive presence, it didn't take long for me to book tickets & accommodation and make another pilgrimage to the North.
The great thing about Blåsvart Aften is that even after all these years - perhaps due to its geographic remoteness - it manages to retain the feel of a local event for a local audience, which imparts upon it an atmosphere of intimacy that is rarely encountered at gigs nowadays. The attendees freely mingle with the artists, who themselves take the time to watch all the other acts, and there's a spirit of camaraderie all around. The fact that the event takes place in Trondheim, one of the most interesting cities in Norway, only adds to the appeal. Therefore, after making myself reacquainted with the city centre and the main sights in adequately freezing Norwegian weather, I made my short walk to Good Omens, where the last couple of editions have taken place. After chatting with the artists in the backstage for a while, the clock soon struck 20:00 and it was time to make my way to the gig space itself.
Northaunt (NO)
There are two certainties ahead of every Northaunt performance: (i) it's going to be great and (ii) Hærleif will not be happy with it. This one was no exception. While Northaunt might not be my favourite project of Hærleif's (I'm too partial to Therradaemon and especially The Human Voice), there's no question that we're talking about top-tier, old-school deep dark ambient. This 40-minute performance was a crystal-clear example of that. Rather than a sequence of tracks, it was one big glacial movement, reflecting the fact that no less than three of Northaunt's albums are titled "Istid" ("Ice Age" in Norwegian). The droning, deep bass reverberated throughout the venue, rearranging itself every now and then into different sequences reflecting the beautiful visual backdrop of Norwegian mountains, glaciers and fjords. Few sound systems can withstand Northaunt's rumbling frequencies, resulting in occasional microphonics, but these were mere blips in an otherwise excellent performance, further enhanced by the ethereal female vocals kindly provided by Kerstin Bjarnar, who accompanied Hærleif for this gig exclusively. What a tremendous way to open the night, and a tough act to follow for sure.
Nortfalke (NL)
I have no problem admitting that I have a difficult relationship with dungeon synth. While I can definitely appreciate the unique soundscapes, I find that artists in the genre often resort to sounds and samples that I have no other way of describing than "corny". When I casually mentioned this to Maarten, the artist behind Nortfalke, I was shocked to hear him agree enthusiastically! If anything, he expressed even more vitriol than me for the abovementioned acts that are actively making a mockery of the genre. This gave me confidence ahead of the performance, and I was not to be disappointed. While unquestionably dungeon synth, Nortfalke produces a unique strain of it that is obviously influenced by darker forms of dark ambient, crafting a much more layered and atmospheric sound than what you'd normally expect, rendered even more powerful in a live environment. While a solo project for all studio-related purposes, Nortfalke performs live as a duo, aided by another Dutch dungeon synth initiate, namely the artist behind De Vijf Cruyssen. The setlist was a good overview of Nortfalke's discography (including select tracks from "Atmosfeer", which is probably my favourite album of theirs to date). Suffice to say that I walked away from the performance with a much-improved opinion of what the genre can offer, and Nortfalke's latest album "De Widde Juvver", which came out mere weeks after this performance and which I hope to review soon, is further testament to that.
Draugurinn (SE)
Draugurinn is a most interesting beast. The brainchild of the Swedish-Icelandic multi-instrumentalist Disa, Draugurinn (Icelandic for "the ghost") first reached wider audiences after her seminal album "Myrkraverk" was reissued by Nordvis in 2017. However, it was her latest album, "Minningar Úr Undirheimum", that really captured my attention when it came out in 2022. It showcased a dark, ritual-like ambient of the subtlest kind that requires the listener's full attention, so I was very curious to see how it would translate to a live context. Sadly, Disa's trip was not off to a good start, as the airline that brought her to Trondheim had managed to lose all of her luggage, including many of the instruments and virtually all of the stage attire that she normally uses for live performances. While Disa was understandably distraught, I'm happy to report that, with a bit of scrambled last-minute logistics, adequate replacements were found, and in any case the performance didn't suffer from it in the least. This was not just a regular performance, though, as Draugurinn dedicated it to Kirsten Iversdatter (aka Finn-Kirsten), a Sámi woman who was condemned and executed for witchcraft in Trondheim in 1674, burnt at the stake mere steps from where we were watching the show almost exactly 350 years later. Disa obviously drew heavily from the symbolism and the significance of the time and place, as she eschewed the more "traditional" aspects of the Draugurinn sound to craft a blood-curdling one-off performance. The ritual-like sequence of sounds and events was no mere eulogy to Kirsten - the bare-footed Disa became Kirsten in flesh and blood, effortlessly channelling anger, resentment, betrayal, disappointment, and bitterness in the name not just of Kirsten, but of all those who have been sacrificed at the altar of religious bigotry and fear of the unknown throughout the centuries. As the crescendo of wails finally subsided into an uncomfortable silence, there wasn't a single soul in the room that wasn't utterly moved by what we had just witnessed. One of the most powerful live performances I've ever seen and the definite highlight of the evening without a doubt.
Grift (SE)
As we came back to our senses, it was time for the last and possibly best-known act of the evening, Grift. While the band sometimes performs as a four-piece, this was a solo acoustic appearance by Erik, the mastermind behind the project, which was fully in keeping with the atmosphere of the venue. Erik himself is a rather enigmatic figure; having spent a couple of days in his company leading up to the event, I couldn't match the soft-spoken, mild-mannered Swede with the powerful, commanding voice I had heard on Grift records. Appearances can deceive, it seems, as the performance was every bit as imposing as I would have expected, if not more so - at times, Erik sounded less like a human and more like a mountain god of some kind. This was offset by calmer acoustic passages, celebrating the beauty and power of nature (but also human powerlessness in the face of it) as only Grift can, which was perfectly complemented by the wonderful visual backdrop featuring scenes from the Swedish countryside. It was a perfect wrap-up to the evening, and one that I'll be happy to repeat once Grift make their way to Paris in 2025, albeit in a very different setting.
In sum, it was great to go back to Trondheim after a decade, and even better to get to see and meet the different artists that partook in the event, all of whom without exception proved to be great people off the record (if you'll excuse the pun) as well. I also have to extend my congratulations to Jan who organised the whole event, and managed to make it all go smoothly despite having four artists with vastly different sounds hit the stage one after another. I enjoyed the experience so much that I've already booked tickets to see Blåsvart Aften #15 that takes place in just over a month from now, and which may or may not be related to the fact that none other than Desiderii Marginis is performing. Sees snart!
(Artist photos kindly provided by Astrix Manson.)
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