LIVE REVIEW

ljungblut live in Tønsberg & Oslo November 2018

During the last days I had the great pleasure to experience three remarkable LJUNGBLUT concerts in Tønsberg and Oslo, Norway. These concerts were absolutely special! Not only because of the outstanding arrangements and locations, but also because of the fact that LJUNGBLUT had only played two shows before and had not entered a stage in seven years. It should also be mentioned that the band has never played outside of Tønsberg before, which made the gig in Oslo a premier.

The first two shows took place at Papirhuset in Kim’s hometown, Tønsberg. The little theatre can be visited by around 150 people and was totally sold out on the first night. Even at the second night there were only a handful of empty seats. The whole setting was very cosy and reminded us of a comfy living room. Carpets on the floor, and some 70s floor lamps standing between the musicians, gave the stage a very private and familiar atmosphere.

Beforehand, people were talking eagerly about their expectations and which songs the band might play. But at the moment the lights turned off and the band entered the stage, the audience fell into a reverent silence. As the first sounds of a keyboard appeared, a single beam of light came out of the dark and illuminated Kim from behind. The very melancholic tones of ‘Kast blomstne på’ filled the room and gave the concert a very dramatic start. I am pretty sure I was not the only person in the audience with goose bumps all over my body. What an opening song!

Therefore the choice seemed to be very natural and understandable. LJUNGBLUT gave it a highly unique sound, and played very differently from the original SEIGMEN version in a way that transferred ‘The modern end’ into another LJUNGBLUT song. At the two shows in Tønsberg there was a little break after ‘En vakker ide’. The audience could get a drink and have a little chat after listening attentively to the first part of the show.

After the break everybody focused on the music again, and the band immediately managed to capture the audience once more. The second half of the show was a great mixture of old and new songs, as well as songs with Norwegian and English lyrics. At the second night Kim changed one song and played ‘All nails’ instead of ‘Himmlen som vet’. Another very special moment was when ‘Is there another way’ blended into SEIGMEN’s ‘Dråben’ - a little tribute to the lately deceased Danish musician Kim Larsen. At all three concerts the fans started to applaud at this moment.

So I think it was a good decision to go without a break. It has to be said that at all three nights the audience was very respectful and considerate, being perfectly still the whole time during the concerts. Maybe Kim could have interacted a little more with the audience, but in the end his incredible music stands on its own. For me it was amazing to see how well Kim and Dan interacted on stage – Dan’s gorgeous guitar playing was a perfect accompaniment for Kim’s gentle voice. Even if the band in this combination had no live experience before, they all did a great job. These three LJUNGBLUT concerts were absolutely incredible and memorable! I feel really honoured that I got the chance to be a part of it.