Anyone tired with the now over saturated female songstress market may lament yet another young whippersnapper joining the fold.
However, to dismiss Anna von Hausswolff purely on this basis would surely be foolhardy as unlike many of her contemporaries Miss von may in fact justify the hype.
She treats us to a support set that leaves the pockets in the Arches who’ve turned up early hungry for more.
Standing at not much more than four foot tall it’s a wonder such indecipherable howls can be produced by one so vertically challenged.
Offering to meet up at the merch stand afterwards she thanks both the audience and Efterklang confessing to being a fan of her fellow Scandinavians; on this evidence the appreciation may well be reciprocated.
Closing a short set sitting at her piano she warns us “this is a long one”.
Indeed it is, ‘Deathbed’ is worthy of every second, grandiose minor-mode organ swells complimented with her distinctive timbre.
Among the intelligible howls and gothic deconstructions is an artist who could merit her own headline tour on these shores.
In between full orchestra led outings Efterklang find time to perform some of the smaller venues around the globe.
However, Casper Clausen seems disappointed at the distance between artist and audience on this occasion, lamenting the gap between the Arches stage while also praising how ‘intimate’ things fell.
Whatever the opinion it certainly doesn’t detract from his or any others performance tonight.
Bursting onto the scene back in 2004, Efterklang are renowned for being one of the most exciting bands of the so-called indie-classical movement.
Hailing from Denmark, the trio is in Glasgow to present their masterful electronic orchestral sounds at The Arches.
The band has slowly tweaked their sound over the years, seemingly becoming more accessible with each release since debut Tripper. Piramida is their latest offering and the majority of tonight’s set is used to showcase this newest baby.
Following Sweden’s finest apocalyptic import since Ikea Copenhagen’s favourites arrive on the Arches stage to ripples of applause, band members shuffle to their designated areas before commander in chief Clausen enters.
“I wonder, I wonder, I wonder” his performance oozes charm and charisma, and he conducts both the crowd and his band with ease.
His bittersweet vocals quickly swell against the droning music, as the band open with ‘Hollow Mountain’, all fractured dreamscapes with dark ashen undertows.
Clausen, the band’s visionary, conductor and spokesperson enquires, “We’re having a good time Glasgow, are you?” Good time?! Good time you say!? Good time isn’t the half of it, at times the whole evening fells less like a formalised gig than a gathering of a family like cult joined in celebration of shared community and fused spirituality.
Those inside The Arches warm to he and his bands modesty and humour immediately, sincere in their musicianship and performance, but with an unassuming and lighthearted air.
Having not had the pleasure of attending an Efterklang gig for some years, I was surprised at how much they have embraced indie electronic pop.
The songs they play have distinguished transitions and lots of vocal sections (at least four members contributed on vocals), making their set always entertaining and accessible.
It’s hard to pin down the feeling their music inspires, the orchestral elements make them uplifting, dreamily delicate and pretty, while the micro-glitch electronic elements give them an experimental edge, and at times a melancholic one.
Previously, micro glitch and experimentation left little room for structured choruses or anthemic turns; material was nocturnal, intimate, mournful, and less playful.
The vocals were quieter and tinged with sadness; it was intriguing in its subtlety, and very original.
Their live rendition of ‘Step Aside’ from that album, although really enjoyable, displays a new undercurrent of warmth that doubtless the majority preferred.
This warmth is further extended with the exquisite execution of ‘The Ghosts’ a song introduced as “about ghosts, you know about them here?”.
Handclapping and toe-tapping all around as new wavy synths and unrivalled percussion beats marry with delicate harmonies as Clausen manages to whip sections of the crowd into a mini frenzy.
After which the band leader pauses proceedings to detail the conceptual catalyst for the latest album.
How, after spending nine days 600 miles from the North Pole in the abandoned mining town of Piramida, they created an album in homage to the trip.
It’s fair to say some of Efterklang’s recent recorded output feels quite a departure from their origins, nevertheless, it is an inspiring performance, live, their set is entertaining and refreshing the whole way through.
Calculated silences help emphasise the amazingly rich sounds of each instrument, especially the drums, which are a vibrant centrepiece on ‘Modern Drift’.
The occasional solos from the multitude of other devices are showcased in perfect measure; excelling at performing lightweight and seemingly free-flowing songs that are in reality probably anything but random or improvised.
As well as receiving a t-shirt the audience get to raise a glass (albeit plastic) to drummer Tatu whose birthday the band celebrate with some happy birthday singalonging and speech making.
Following some mock kissing and amid claims of ‘secret meetings’ the set reaches a beautiful conclusion with a gloriously nostalgic unplugged/unmixed version of ‘Alike’; dispersing from the venue, you get the feeling, it may as well have been everyone else’s birthday such is the quality on show.
No matter how noisy the ensemble become as a song coalesces, the pleasant melodies coming out of the chaos are perfectly easy to absorb.
Something of a unique group, whether in favour of the changes in direction or not, as a live entity Efterklang prove a thing unto itself, seemingly they can only continue to evolve irrespective of ideals or concepts.
Words: Andy Quigley
Photos: Neil Donaldson
