We’ve been fans of Grimner at Soundscape since the latter half of 2015. After being introduced to them by Vorna’s manager, who’d arranged a three-date Finnish tour for them alongside the aforementioned band, I fell in love with their excellent music and have been a fan ever since (and have been introducing them to as many friends as I can!)
2018 has seen the band finally make it over here for a UK tour consisting of four dates – an appearance at Hammerfest festival in Pwllheli, as well as headline shows in York, Nottingham and London. We collectively attended two of the shows – our editor Natalie went to their festival show and our Mushroom woman of the North, Lisa, saw them in Nottingham! Here’s what we thought of the shows.
Hammerfest, Pwllheli – 15/03/18
Nat’s Review
Hammerfest is one of those yearly outings undertaken by the Thrashmong lot that I usually come along for, so when I found out that Grimner were going to be at this year’s edition, there was no way I was going to miss their debut performance in my home country! (Even if I did have to dress rather stupidly for the occasion, given the Thrashmong tradition of dressing up on the first night of the festival!)
Grimner had the dubious privilege of opening the festival. It’s a risky slot; sometimes a lot of people turn up but more often than not, attendees tend to spend a little more time drinking in their caravans and chalets before eventually making it out for the later bands. However with Grimner, they started off with a fairly healthy-sized crowd which only grew as the set progressed, so it made me very happy to see so many people enjoying this talented band – especially with the numerous chants of their name throughout their set!
The set mainly featured songs from their latest album Vanadrottning and previous release Frost Mot Eld, along with old favourite Forna dagar from their debut, and it felt like a good, representative mix of their best songs (even if they did exclude the dance-worthy Hinn Heiðinn Siðr). It was fantastic to see how the new songs translated in a live environment, with one of the highlights being Avundas Hennes Ungdom – it was such a reward to get the chance to hear it live, and it filled the room magnificently.
However, like with my last live encounter with the band, the highlight of the set was Midgård brinner. There’s just something about that song that really shines in a live environment and it’s so damn catchy that you can’t help but want to move about to it! It’s such an addictive song that’s great on CD, but has an extra sparkle in a live setting so it’s always a pleasure to hear it performed live.
I thought Grimner were absolutely fantastic when I saw them in 2015, but they’ve definitely stepped things up a notch now. Make sure you check them out if they’re playing a show near you because they will not disappoint!
The Angel Microbrewery, Nottingham – 17/03/18
Lisa’s Review
Walking into the venue (the upstairs event space of the Angel Microbrewery) just after doors, I was immediately struck by the unusual appearance of the room. Named “The Chapel”, it certainly looked like one with its tall roof and wooden pulpit at the rear. It felt like a chapel too – it was pretty cold and drafty. But this was a good thing – it was nice to experience a gig that didn’t immediately turn into a total sweat-fest, for a change!
Several people had already assembled and were waiting for the show to start, and we were soon rewarded for our punctuality when solo artist YYLVA took to the stage. The combination of skilful harp plucking and a crystal clear voice entwined beautifully, and perfectly complemented the classical surroundings. Many in the audience were captivated, myself included, and for an acoustic set, there was (thankfully) minimal background chatter compared to the usual. As most regular gig-goers would attest, this doesn’t often happen and is testament to the talent on display here. Clare’s rendition of a Radiohead song as a tribute to a late friend was a touching addition.
Between sets, there was chance to chat with friends and peruse the merch (which was very reasonably priced!) and then in no time at all Atorc came onstage. With their catchy yet pummelling folky riffs and matching image these guys are now a staple of the UK folk metal scene. There was plenty of audience participation going on – everyone’s fists were pumping the air by the time the second song, Voice of the Storm, was played, and the chants of SHIELD! from one half of the room and WALL! from the other provided an entertaining prelude to the song of the same name. Some of us at the front were having a merry jig to Tavern Song, and we were even treated to a couple of extra songs that weren’t on the setlist, which ensured the set ended on a high!
Many in the crowd had been eagerly looking forward to Isarnos, and they delivered a set full of their well-crafted, skilfully played songs combining the delicate sound of a multitude of traditional folk instruments including flutes, the violin and the hurdy gurdy with some seriously headbang-worthy riffs. Watching the traditional instrumentation being played to a professional standard and seamlessly integrated with metal is always delightful and these guys do it really well. The beer was properly flowing at this point, resulting in hair swinging aplenty and even a mini wall of death, despite the small size of the room. It was a great set full of energy from one of the most promising homegrown folk metal acts, who were definitely worthy of the subheadline slot. Another thing to note is that I was very impressed with the sound in the venue – it was top notch for all of the bands no matter where you stood in the room. Isarnos sounded the best I’ve ever heard them, and I’ve seen them a few times by this point.
After eagerly quaffing some beers in the break (the beer selection was excellent by the way, as you would expect from a venue with its own microbrewery), it was time for Grimner to take the stage. From start to finish there was a more or less constant jig pit, which was hilarious and fun, and the band were obviously very pleased about this, even telling us we were “more crazy than Hammerfest”! While this was later contested by a certain Soundscape editor who was at Hammerfest (HEINOUS LIES, I REFUSE TO BELIEVE THIS – Nat), I think for such a small crowd we deserve a pat on the back for that!
A pleasing mix of songs were played, with the recently released single En Fallen Jätte being very well received, showcasing the continuing strength and quality of the band’s material. But the obvious high point of the set was at the end where they played crowd favourite Eldhjärta to a mass of jigging people, all linking arms and dancing away. It was genuinely one of the most fun jig pits I’ve been in for some time, and the atmosphere was super friendly and exactly why folk metal shows are the best. No attitude, no arrogance, just a bunch of people out to have a good time and enjoy great songs. Bumping into some of the band members during the breaks and after the show, you could tell that they are genuinely nice people who truly enjoy playing for their fans. I really hope Grimner come back to the UK soon because I’ll be first in line to buy tickets and get right back in the jig pit again.
I genuinely can’t think of any complaints about this gig, it was one of the best of 2018 so far. Thank you to all of the bands and everyone else involved for putting on such a great show!
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