Hanne Hukkelberg @ The Borderline
London, UK 26th October 2009
Backed by just a guitarist and drummer, and trimmed of almost all of the bells and whistles (and bicycles) that accompanied her on stage in recent times, Hanne Hukkelberg exudes a relaxed air this evening, and bids us all a large hello, before opening with ‘Midnight Sun Dream’ - which in turn opens ‘Blood From a Stone’ , her current album. As statements of intent go it’s a pretty decisive one; spectral - almost transcendentally lovely - vocals weave themselves around softly layered guitar, underpinned by drumming which has more in common with the beating of a heart, and so the mood for the evening is set.
Though each song has a backing track as its bed, the trio sounds effortlessly loose, almost improvisational, as they explore much of ‘Blood From a Stone’ (with a mid-set detour down ‘Rykestrasse 68′). And there is much to explore, this being Hukkelberg’s darkest, most intimate work. But there are many places where the light reaches and where her jazz schooling and pop nous bubble to the surface, particularly during ‘Bandy Riddles’ and ‘In Here / Out There’. I mean, it’s hardly La Roux, thank the lord, though pop paints itself in many colours, shades and tones, and during the beautiful pre-encore ‘Crack’, with its nods toward The Cocteau Twins, she sounds like she’s carrying all our fears and worries on her own slight shoulders, but as she and her cohorts take our applause this singular talent rewards us with the brightest smile. We’d do well to nurture it.
Photos © Tim Ferguson
Related posts:
