I hadn’t realized it until I drove home last night, but exactly one year ago to this week a small group of us went to see Moddi in Manchester, and it was that gig that inspired us to set up the Nordic Music Review. Moddi is such an upbeat positive performer, he instantly energises those around him and as we said in our very first review, his storytelling would grace the halls of the Lady Galadriel, let alone a small room at the back of the Castle Hotel. There were probably about 40 appreciative music lovers there, but it reminded us that there are so many great Nordic artists out there who don’t get much of an opportunity in the UK, and maybe we should do our own small bit to help.
And yes, the Nordic Music Review is still a small enterprise. But we’ve had over 10,000 different people visit the website, and have a good core of regular readers who visit every week, which is really appreciated. So whilst we may be small in comparison to other big music websites, we know that we are in our small way helping promote good Nordic music in the UK (and elsewhere).
But organizing and promoting a gig was a completely different proposition, and far more stressful. We wanted to do it, because we genuinely felt that an artist such as Sara Forslund would be really appreciated by those who heard her in the UK, if only she could get the opportunity. And we also want to showcase some of the best young Nordic artists based in the UK, so it was great to have Nils Martin, studying in Liverpool, playing too. To get an audience of almost 40 was just brilliant, the acoustics in the Nordic Church are stunningly good, and those we have spoken to loved it. And so did we.
Nils Martin is a real genuine talent, and with this huge slice of originality and quirkiness too. His suitcase inspired drum, or should that be a drum inspired suitcase, adds to the occasion, and his lyrics are thoughtful and expressive too. We loved Sara Forslunds album, ‘Water Became Wild’, and seeing it live brought an even greater appreciation of what a stunning and captivating album it is. But it’s the intensity of her performance and strength of her vocals that wowed the audience, and cellist Georgina Aasgard added an extra dynamic and subtlety.
We had, to be honest, been saying that we probably wouldn’t do another gig, we’re not experts at gig promotion, and we don’t want to disappoint artists and audiences by putting on unprofessional events . But in a similar way to Moddi inspiring us a year ago this week, we’ve now been inspired again. Inspired by the great performances by Sara Forslund and Nils Martin, inspired by the audience attendance and reaction, and inspired by the lovely enthusiasm shown by 2 of the Norwegian band ‘I See Rivers’ who came along to the gig and persuaded us that we should do another sometime. And whilst their request for us to get Moddi himself to come over and play at the Nordic Church may be a bit far fetched, we would love to try and do this again sometime. So thanks for coming. And we’ll see you again in Liverpool some day soon….