I had been really looking forward to seeing Lowen as their 'Do Not Go To War With The Demons Of Mazandaran' album is incredible (and was in my top 3 albums of 2024). The singer, Nina Saeidi, is the obvious focus and she sounds incredible, combining a middle eastern vocal style with real power. The sound is a little muddy, meaning that some of the intricacies of the studio recordings are lost a little. '...Najang Bah Divhayeh Mazandaran' is heavy with slow, grinding guitars and numerous time changes. 'Corruption On Earth's complex, eastern tinged guitar lines bring Opeth to mind, only with a much heavier guitar tone. The slow,
heavy middle section even brings Nile to mind. When they get into their stride, with all their complex twists and turns, it is quite breathtaking. They finish their set rather abruptly, with no fuss or any acknowledgement to the crowd.
Gåte were this year's Norwegian entry in the Eurovision Song Contest but it isn't a typical Eurovision crowd in attendance tonight, it seems like more of a prog rock crowd. Not that it's that busy anyway. They start off with an electronic backing track and ethereal vocals. It has a John Carpenter feel before the rest of the band join in to create a powerful and hypnotic fusion of folk and rock. They have more of a technological edge than you would think. 'Knut liten og Sylvelin' rides a distorted bassline which sounds a bit like Josh Wink's 'Higher State Of Consciousness' and although it is still folky, it also manages to be quite heavy too. They are probably much more of a prog band than is evident on their records. Gunnhild's vocals are perfectly clear, adding an eerie and icy feel to each song. It's the vocals which provide the folk aspect to their sound. When she plays the violin on 'Solfager og Ormekongen', it has much more of a traditional feel akin to Heilung or Wardruna and it is magical. The attempted singalong on 'Hamløypar' doesn't quite work but that is mainly because we can't get anywhere near the notes Gunnhild is singing. It is still pretty good though. The venue is only a quarter full but the band still put in a committed performance and the crowd is pretty appreciative of each song. The gentle folk of 'Liti Kjersti', performed acoustically with just guitars and vocals, is pretty moving. It is generally the more traditional folk numbers which are more successful. The dynamic 'Ulveham' (the Eurovision track) closes the regular set in a fine fashion. First encore 'Bannlyst' starts off as jaunty folk that verges on the cheesy but ends up quite rousing. The piano led ballad 'Sjåaren' is very emotive and the part where Gunnhild sings unaccompanied is spine tingling. It doesn't always hit the mark but when it does it is very good.
Gåte ***
Lowen ****
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