Eivor, The Voodoo Rooms, Edinburgh
- Written by Gregor McMurtrie
Over the years if an artist had released 11 albums you would have expected to have heard of them at least, if maybe not their music.
Such is the case with Eivør and I.
Having read a magazine article and had my interest piqued by the styles mentioned I looked her up on a well known streaming service and was hooked on her latest album, Slor. And it was hugely fortuitous that she was touring at the time.
Upon arriving at the elegant Voodoo Rooms, a much underused venue, it seemed a lot of people in Edinburgh had also been captivated as I was only able to sneak in at the back (next to the dancing mixing and lighting engineer).
Sporting a “warrior jacket” (huge sparkly shoulder pads) Eivør Pálsdóttir and her band produced a show that swung all over the place, both musically and lyrically with a mix of traditional drums, electric and acoustic guitars, synth from start to finish. Switching between Faroese and English, whilst hitting some hauntingly high notes, bringing to mind mystical selkies luring sailors to their deaths, this performance showcased a huge talent that not many people know of outside Scandinavia.
Songs such as 'Rain', 'Bridges' and 'Boxes' (from previous albums) are simplistic in nature but give a much more in-depth insight into Eivør's life than many artists manage over a whole career.
This Edinburgh show was the last night of the Slor tour and it showed! Final song, 'Surrender', was thrashed out in such a shoegazesque fashion that you felt they could have continued for an epic 10 minutes ala My Bloody Valentine.
A fitting end to a concert that captured all of Eivør’s mix of folk, electronic and indie styles that in most cases wouldn't work but with this artist they do. Well worth checking out.