Over recent years, Wardruna have grown from a very niche act into an international name regularly selling out large venues with their interpretation of Norse folk (a label which does not really do their music justice). Their music crosses many musical genres and attracts fans from a diverse number of backgrounds. The driving force behind Wardruna is Einar Selvik, who ensures authenticity and historical accuracy wherever possible through their work and instrumentation, which has resulted in a back catalogue that is revered in many quarters.

Unfortunately, the release of their most recent album ‘Kvitravn’ fell in the middle of the COVID lockdowns and their planned tour had to be postponed. However, the tour finally got under way with the fantastic Jo Quail in support (for the UK dates). The first date on the tour was at a sold-out Royal Festival Hall in London where both Jo Quail and Wardruna received a rapturous reception, including three standing ovations for the latter.

The following night, the tour rolled into Manchester’s Albert Hall. The building is a grade II listed, converted Wesleyan Chapel and is an impressive concert venue with a seated balcony and a standing floor area, contained within the sumptuous baroque and gothic architecture. The queue outside the venue was absolutely huge but thankfully most were inside by the time virtuoso cellist Jo Quail took to the stage.

Walking onto the stage as a lone figure with her logo projected onto the backdrop behind her, Jo took a few moments to set up her cello then launched into ‘Rex Infractus’ from her debut album. Using innovative looping techniques, Jo builds her tracks from humble beginnings to complex, multi layered masterpieces and the audience were quickly enthralled.

The momentum continued to build with an epic ‘Gold’ which was perhaps the highlight of her short set as the layers began to build creating an enchanting intensity. The set was brought to a close with a brooding ‘Adder Stone’. Jo was beaming throughout the performance and looked genuinely delighted and humbled at the reception she was given.

After a short interlude, Wardruna took to the stage, greeted by a scream of ‘Odin’ from a member of the crowd. The rear of the stage and the flanks were covered with a white hessian style material which had the Wardruna bind rune projected onto it. There were also strategically placed traditional instruments on the stage including a Kravik Lyre, Tagelharpa, Lurs and a goat horn. The venue was completely rammed by this time as the familiar tomes of ‘Kvitravn’ filled the hall accompanied by a white raven on the backdrop. The hypnotic melody had the crowd transfixed leading into ‘Skugge’. Its initial sombre drones soon led into a more upbeat folkesque melody. The momentum was kept up with ‘Solringen’ which opened with the sounds of birds chirping. The backdrop was lit up with a bright colourful ring, in keeping with the song’s title which I believe translates to ‘The Ring of the Sun’. The initial melody soon built to its rousing finale, led by an impassioned Einar Selvik.

‘Bjarkan’ opened with the sound of running water leading into an Aboriginal tinge to the music. Lindy-Fay Hella provided a particularly strong vocal performance which carried over into ‘Heimta Thurs’ with its pulsating rhythm and haunting melody. At this point I noticed the amount of people in the crowd talking over the music, which was in stark contrast to the deferential silence afforded in London the night before and unfortunately that was to become a constant for the rest of the show. However, a glorious mix of instrumentation led to the track’s dramatic finale which saw Lindy-Fay shrieking like a Banshee. The atmosphere continued to build with ‘Raido’ and ‘Lyfjaberg’ with their hypnotic, almost yearning melancholy. Lindy-Fay Hella’s ethereal, exquisite vocals combined perfectly with Einar’s deeper, more rich vocals.

The rest of the band left the stage, leaving Einar for a solo performance of ‘Voluspá’. This true modern-day skald gave a fervent performance which was absolutely mesmerising. ‘Tyr’ followed, with the stage initially cast in an orange glow, as two Lurs were being played with the shadows of these impressive instruments being cast onto the back of the stage. Lindy-Fay Hella once again took prominence for a poignant solo at the beginning of ‘Isa’, which then built in intensity before ‘UruR’ which saw a Lur being used once again. The stage was bathed in red, and Einar was only visible in silhouette for most of the track. Crowd favourite ‘Grá’ saw Einar and Lindy-Fay Hella combine beautifully once again and as the track develop, the crowd accompanied with hand clapping.

The set was really gathering momentum by this stage and it felt that it was building towards a powerful finale. The glorious ‘Rotlaust Tre Fell’ kept things building with the use of dramatic strobes, somehow enhancing the glorious melodies. This was utterly entrancing as the track built through its rhythmic chanting to a dramatic climax. The band next launched into ‘Fehu’. Whenever I have seen Wardruna live previously, Einar has taken time to introduce this track, explaining its meaning, and it occurred to me that there had not yet been any dialogue with the crowd, allowing the music to do the talking. During the track, the male and female vocals combined perfectly and the track saw Lindy-Fay Hella and Katrine Stenbekk dancing and spinning in response to the music. As the set continued to build, the energy in the venue was palpable and ‘Odal’ continued this with its pulsating power and breath-taking melodies

Einar then took a moment to speak with the crowd, thanking them for coming and for such an amazing response. He was greeted with rapturous applause and cheering, and the crowd in the balcony were stamping their feet. There was also a long chant of “Warduna”. Einar was grinning from ear to ear and said how overwhelmed he felt at such a reception. He then introduced ‘Helvegen’, explaining that the song isn’t about trying to recreate the past, or escapism or pretending to be Vikings.

Rather it is about taking something old and creating something new. He then discussed the demise of song culture in both the Nordic and English cultures reflecting that their used to be songs for everything in life including birth and death, explaining that ‘Helvegen’ is a song about death, dying, crossing over and letting go before playing this iconic track. As always, this was absolutely immense bringing goosebumps and many in the crowd described having a tear in their eye as the track closed with an emotional vocal solo from Einar. The crowd were on their feet once more with rapturous applause as the band took a bow.

Einar toyed with the crowd but then said there was enough time for a short song, before explaining its origins sitting with the TV show ‘Vikings’ and in particular a scene when Ragnar Lothbrook (which apparently translates to “furry pants’”) was captured and thrown into a pit of snakes. Einar performed this track by himself with the backdrop deep blue with the Wardruna bind rune once more being projected. At the end of the track, there was more rapturous applause and another standing ovation. Einar looked truly humbled by the response before warning the crowd that it was a full moon and advised against getting too drunk before leaving the stage. This had been an absolutely breath-taking show and the energy was overwhelming.

The tour rolled into Cambridge and then Birmingham the following nights, and although the shows were the same musically, each show had its own energy and personality. Cambridge was another standing venue but the energy from the crowd somehow felt a little less than in Manchester and there was no standing ovation from the balcony, whereas the Birmingham show was in the prestigious Symphony Hall. The acoustics in here were unsurprisingly the best of the four shows and allowed the nuances of the music to be fully appreciated.

So, this was an amazing run of four shows from both Jo Quail and Wardruna, and although the music isn’t metal, the energy, passion and intensity are comparable. If you get the chance to catch either of these artists again, I cannot recommend them highly enough.

Review & Photos Andy Pountney