Store Vega

Denmark’s ten must-see concerts in December

/ Alan Kortbaek / Leave a comment

Original article written for The Local Denmark, available here

Christmas dominates the proceedings in December, but the month still features several promising shows, particularly within the drum ‘n’ bass and heavy metal genres

If stadium-sized gigs are your thing, December is definitely not the month for you. More intimate, less commercial gigs are a bit of a given in a month in which shopping and julefrokoster eat up our time,  and amongst these, several hold great potential as events to be remembered.

The Local has gone digging amongst the scraps and found the best of the lot.

Children of Bodom
Amager Bio, December 1st at 8pm
What was originally supposed to be a double bill with Lamb of God at Vega has been downsized after the American band cancelled its tour in the aftermath of the Paris attacks. Finland’s Children of Bodom are soldiering on and will bring their seemingly gruesome and even barbaric thunderous approach to metal to rip whatever rafters bind Amager Bio’s roof to its hinges. ‘I Worship Chaos’ is the title of their ninth studio album, which was released earlier this year, adding to a catalogue of chaos-causing music over the years.

 

Doe Parro
Ideal Bar, December 2nd at 8pm
If you hear Doe Parro’s name mentioned in the same breath as Bon Iver or The Tallest Man on Earth, you may quite rightly wonder why. LA-based Parro is not a rock musician by any stretch of the imagination but her producers have had great success with the previously mentioned artists – a testament to her eclecticism, which spans the genres of R&B, soul and even the odd touch of dubstep.

 

Kadavar
Rust, December 2nd at 8pm
Kadavar are a watered-down take on Black Sabbath and Led Zeppelin, featuring similar trippy, heavily laden rock influences. Armed with a new album,  ‘Berlin’, expect burly, broad-shouldered show from these German heavyweights.

 

Clutch
Store Vega, December 4th at 7pm
Clutch epitomise all that is good and great about the American hard-rock tradition. Touring in support of their 2015 album ‘Psychic Warfare’, the Maryland-based band has been a mainstay for well over 20 years. With the band seasoned veterans in what Consequence of Sound dubbed “belligerent boogie rock”, Clutch will be the soundtrack for a Friday night party not to be missed.

 

Flavour, Dj Graded & Luc Rocc
Rust, December 5th at 11pm
Rust’s new nightclub fixture ‘Flavour’ kicks off its December programme with a visit from two of hip-hop’s veritable local representatives. Dj Grdaded, a four-time Danish DMC champion and two-time Nordic champ, is a permanent establishment within Copenhagen’s hip-hop scene. Luc Rocc is slightly less well-known but holds an impressive portfolio as one of the city’s foremost disc jockeys.

 

Area 55
Store Vega, December 5th at 11:30 pm
Area 55 is a trance collective that has hosted some of the city’s most renowned underground trance events, many of which have taken place in venues such as KPH Volume and Halvandet. The setting this time round is a well-known music venue, cementing the rise of electronic music into the commercial narrative locally.

 

Thundercat
Store Vega, December 7th at 8pm
Although the name sounds like it belongs to a heavy metal band, Thundercat is one of the standouts in the R&B world. Los-Angeles based Stephen “Thundercat” Bruner has worked with the likes of Erykah Badu, Kendrick Lamar, Suicidal Tendencies and his co-producer and partner in crime, Flying Lotus. This is a man whose rhythmic qualities are peerless, so prepare for some great entertainment.

OHOI! Presents Christmas Bass
Stengade, December 12th at 10pm
Bass legends, The OHOI! drum ‘n’ bass collective are back with a mammoth lineup for their annual Christmas ball. Particularly impressive on a list of names that showcases some of the best underground talent in the city is Rasmus Kjærbo, an experienced producer who lives and breathes music. Prepare for a bass invasion.

 

Dubioza Kolektiv
Loppen, December 18th at 9pm
What better way to prepare for the festive season than with a dose of Bosnian Balkan Beat? High-octane, adrenaline-pumping action is on the menu for the evening, held at Christiania’s Loppen, a befitting location for the occasion.

 

Ulige Numre, Extra Concert
Store Vega, December 28th at 8pm
The voice of the new generation of Danish rock, Ulige Numre (Odd Numbers) will be performing at a sold-out show at Vega at the start of December. For those unable to catch a piece of the action, the band will be back at Vega on the cusp on the new year to perform a show that should be rich in memories and merry-making.

Denmark’s Must-See Concerts in November

/ Alan Kortbaek / Leave a comment

Original article written for The Local, available here

All hail the return of the dark days! It’s not all doom and gloom however, with many promising concerts on the billing for November.

As we head into the dark abyss of yet another Danish winter (sigh) there is, believe it or not, a lot to look forward to. Musically, November tends to be a month where a lot of things happen, as bookers and venues fill their arenas for one last time before the always-expanding Christmas season fully takes hold.

This November’s billing has got the likes indie superstars Kurt Vile and Death Cab For Cutie, drum ‘n’ bass dons Rudimental and the exceptional Lianne La Havas for what should be an entertaining month. Here are The Local’s concert picks for the month ahead.

The Prodigy
Tap 1, November 5th at 8pm

The Prodigy are one of the greatest electronic outfits of our generation, holding the baton high alongside other greats like Faithless, Disclosure and The Chemical Brothers. Theirs is a familiar sound best played to an audience of 60,000-plus at Roskilde Festival’s Orange stage but we’ll make do with the industrial confines of Tap1 this time round.

Chelsea Wolfe
Loppen, November 6th at 9pm

After delivering one of the best concerts we witnessed at this year’s Roskilde Festival, Chelsea Wolfe will bring her hypnotic gothic folk to Christiania’s Loppen. The intimate setting should provide the perfect vehicle for Wolfe’s dark and beautiful music, which has reached a new creative peak with current album ‘Abyss’.
Hymns From Nineveh
Pumpehuset, November 7th at 8pm

The music of Danish band Hymns From Nineveh is both richly-layered and easy on the ears. One of many domestic bands who sing in English, Hymns From Nineveh are something of a household name on the national scene and command a strong following amongst fans of indie rock and folk pop.

Kurt Vile & The Violators
Amager Bio, November 7th at 9pm

American singer-songwriter Kurt Vile returns to Denmark on the strength of his recently-released ‘b’lieve i’m goin down’. Often compared to giants like Tom Petty, Neil Young and Bob Dylan, Vile will hit Amager Bio at the top of his game so it’s little wonder that the gig has sold out. It’s definitely worth pulling some strings to see if you can still land a ticket.

Death Cab For Cutie
Amager Bio, November 8th at 8pm

Death Cab For Cutie started off as a garage band and are now one of the most successful indie acts of their generation. Despite hitting the jackpot, they remain firmly grounded in their indie roots, from which their universe of gentle rock revolves. Their latest album ‘Kintsugi’ makes for very pleasant listening so you can look forward to hearing new material on the evening.

Rudimental
Store Vega, November 12th at 8pm

How has this not sold out yet ? England’s Rudimental are one of the best (and most accessible) drum ‘n’ bass bands around at the moment. Riding the crest of the wave generated by their latest album ‘We The Generation,’ Rudimental are in good form at the moment. Prepare for epic drum ‘n’ bass with vocals good enough for a Disclosure song.

Nicolas Jaar
Store Vega, November 12th at 1am

For the night owls out there (and those lucky enough to score a ticket) Nicolas Jaar will be rounding off what promises to be an epic night at Vega, following Rudimental’s aforementioned gig. Fusing jazz, minimal techno and ethereal beat complexity, Jaar is also known for his productions as part of the enigmatic band, Darkside.

Lianne La Havas
Store Vega, November 15th at 8pm

Brit Lianne La Havas joins a long list of epic female singers from an admirable production line that has turned out the likes of Adele and Emili Sande . Having stunned the masses after her appearance on Jools Holland’s show a few years ago, La Havas has grown from strength to strength, receiving praise from everyone from Prince himself to Bon Iver.

Cunninglynguists
Pumpehuset, November 18th at 8pm

In the world of lesser-know rappers (where sheer talent as opposed to how many stacks of cash defines success), Cunninglynguists stand out as consistent stalwarts with a knack for reflective texts and rich instrumental beat backdrops.

Anti-Flag
Pumpehuset, November 28th at 8pm

If you are in the mood for a riot (or a long-winded rant at the system and its injustices), your November frustrations may have found an outlet. Anti-imperialist and politically heavy, The US’s Anti-Flag would probably have been a  seminal punk band were they of another epoch. As it stands, they play fiery, fist-pumping rock that makes you think about the state of our world with every drum thud

Denmark’s ten must-see concerts in October

/ Alan Kortbaek / Leave a comment

Original article written for The Local Denmark, available here

The October concert calendar has plenty to entice you out of your house before the winter’s dark and cold fully descends upon us.

October in Denmark is often a month of Indian summers and sunshine surprises before the big chill sets in. This time around, Copenhagen music venue Pumpehuset has secured several mammoth bookings whilst Vega have acquired a curiously mainstream sensibility for the next month (bar Of Monsters and Men and The Tallest Man on Earth both of whom are, with good reason, sold out and thus not included here). Here are The Local’s picks for the best gigs in the month of October.

Youth Lagoon
Jazzhouse, October 4th at 8pm
Trippy and psychedelic, Youth Lagoon’s music is a bit of an opinion divider. Like fellow psychedelic enthusiasts Animal Collective, theirs is a universe of bright, radiant colours, strange clangs and faraway thuds from faraway places.


Gramatik
Amager Bio, October 10th at 8pm
Slovenia’s Gramatik is all about experimentation. It’s electronic music wed with the wildness of hip-hop in the church of funk. The result is something you have to see for yourself.

The Waterboys
Pumpehuset, October 13th at 7 pm
Vintage rock fans take heart! The mercurial, seminal Waterboys have been around for over 30 years, during which time songs like ‘The Whole of The Moon’ have made big waves in the ocean of quality music. Interpretations by the likes of Ellie Goulding and Prince are a testament to their quality.

The Vaccines
Pumpehuset, October 15th at 8pm
English rockers The Vaccines will wring you inside out with their feisty, high-BPM infusion of The Clash meets The Ramones. Armed with a newly dropped album that has already got the attention of many a critic, The Vaccines are on top form currently.

TopGunn
Store Vega, October 15th at 9pm
Cheff Records kingpin TogGunn has an indefatigable grip on the Danish music market, commanding millions of views on YouTube. Digital age stats aside, his ability to capture the hearts and minds of the young public he attracts is admirable.

Atmosphere
Pumpehuset, October 16th at 8pm
The godfather of Minneapolis’s underground hip-hop scene, Sean Daley, aka Slug, brings his energising stage show to Denmark yet again. With eight studio albums stretching back to 1997, Slug and his partner Ant may no longer be on the cutting edge, but there is no doubting Atmosphere’s ability as entertainers of the people.

The Orb
Pumpehuset, October 24th at 8pm
The Orb are a slice of music history in themselves, as chief purveyors of the genre of ambient-house – acid house’s younger and more pleasant little sister. Expect gorgeous snippets of Brian Eno-esque sound universes merged with sedated Chicago house influences that will keep you ticking for days to come.


Jedi Mind Tricks
Store Vega, 29 October at 8pm
Philly rap duo Jedi Mind Tricks are some of the most technically astute rappers in the game – waxing lyrical in a rapid-fire tirade backed by dramatic beat landscapes that set the stage for a heavily critical narrative. Expect to be blown away.

Uncle Acid & The Deadbeats
Amager Bio, October 30th at 9pm
This booking seems tailor-made for Halloween. Uncle Acid and the Deadbeats’ mix of classic metal riffs and psychedelia is paired with imagery that looks like it has been pulled straight out of 70s horror films. Throw in references to notorious killers like Charles Manson, and if you got the workings for what is sure to be a ghoulish time.

Above & Beyond, Store Vega Jan 2015

/ Alan Kortbaek / Leave a comment

Original article published for Mediazink, available here :

Store Vega, 22nd January 2015

5 0ut of 6 stars

Trance trio Above & Beyond brightened an otherwise dull and insipid Thursday evening with a furore of a party that attested to why they are as highly ranked an outfit as they are.

Playing to a capacity – packed Store Vega, Jono Grant, and Tony McGuinness put the loyal crowd into hysteria with wave upon wave of cathartic anthems, punctuated by epic, beat – free pauses that have come to demarcate the trance genre. And whilst the third member of the project, Paavo Siljamäki was absent from the festivities, if he was missed on stage, it certainly did not show.

Skærmbillede 2015-01-26 kl. 19.20.58

Above & Beyond: Jono Grant, Tony McGuinness and Paavo Siljamäki . Photo – Dj Mag California

Above & Beyond’s latest album, We Are Are All We Need provided some of the evening’s fodder and went down well with the jubilant crowd. This is a work that has been well marketed, in keeping with the strong marketing backing that the trio are flanked by in all that they do. And whilst there are certainly several gems on the album, such as the eponymous ‘We Are All We Need” track featuring the talented Zoe Johnston, I personally find myself more inclined to some of their older material such as Tri – state, from as far back as 2006.

The electronic music world finds itself increasingly dominated by the EDM sub-genre and the nefarious showbiz fascination that it pulls in its wake and much to many’s dismay, it is clear that no genre, trance included, can escape its clutches- as much of the material on the latest album demonstrates. This notwithstanding, the music of Above & Beyond has consistently stood out for its sentimentality and thoughtfulness; two elements that are are in abundance on We Are Are All We Need, as they were at Thursday’s show.

Amping the experience, a beautifully -strung light show and massive background imagery turned Store Vega into an amphitheater of dreams; propelled by the pulse of life and the tick of the soul. A monumental confetti burst towards the end summed up the feeling of ethereal nonchalance that the concert created; a sheer elation of being in a very, very comfortable place and a wistful longing for more of the same. . Above & Beyond exited as they’d come; playing softer material that left space for contemplation and unobscured imagination.

The Year in Review: Best Concerts of 2013, Denmark

/ Alan Kortbaek / Leave a comment

The Year in Review: The top 10 gigs of 2013 in Denmark 

1) Sigur Ros, Roskilde Festival, July 6

I didn’t see Sigur Ros, I experienced Sigur Ros. The Icelander’s music is some of the purest, soul-searching music you will find for miles around; a trance-like journey that rekindles deep-hidden fond memories with an edifying caress that no other band can muster. Sigur Ros were shamanic at their show at Roskilde.

2) Charles Bradley & his extraordinaires, Lille Vega, June 17

The Screaming Eagle of Soul rocked Denmark to its core on his encore at Lille Vega this year. For a man in his sixties who only just rocketed to fame, Bradley’s teary, nervy, sweaty, emotional soul trip is the story of a man who made it in America, after decades of bad luck and strife. James Brown would be proud.

3) Crystal Castles, Store Vega, March 2

Crystal Castles pulled off a seismic show at Store Vega towards the end of the winter, a chaotic, cathartic experience that saw lead singer Alice Glass crowd surf her way to what looked like the middle of the audience at Store Vega. I have never seen anything like it before or since

4) Modeselektor, Store Vega, Feb 14

Berlin’s Modeselektor have been making music since the wall came down a good while ago. As driven today as they were back then, the electronic duo are a symbol of the German capital and frontrunners in the world of electronic music. Props for their party-starting credentials and props to Vega for a very well organised show (which included an ‘artist chat’ session in ideal bar).

  1. Chinese Man, Roskilde Festival, July 4

French turntablists Chinese man were on cue at their show at Roskilde Festival, taking the audience on a journey through dubstep, drum & bass, hip hop and everything in between with a prowess that made it seem as if the genre of turntablism has been around since the dawn of time. Witty, daring and exceedingly cool.

BEST OF THE REST

  1. Shantel & The Bucovina Orchestra, Lille Vega, Nov 28

  2. Reptile Youth, Lille Vega, March 8,

  3. Of Monsters and Men, Roskilde Festival, July 5

  4. Tame Impala, Store Vega, Aug 9

  5. Animal Collective, Roskilde Festival, July 4

The Lumineers, Store Vega Dec 2013

/ Alan Kortbaek / Leave a comment

The Lumineers

December 9 at Store Vega

Colorado folk rockers the Lumineers gave a clinical performance at a sold-out Store Vega last night. Theirs is a gentle, windswept blend of rock that borrows from traditions of Americana and soft rock styles; a compact rendition that’s easy to sway to and easier still to sing along to.

Gracing the dark stage armed primarily with a mere album’s worth of recorded material off their 2013 eponymous masterpiece, the trio were all smiles as they exited the parapet and shared their music with the crowd.  Popular, catchy tracks off this work such as ‘Dead Sea’ and the merry ‘Flowers in Your Hair’. A warm, enduring cover of Bob Dylan’s ‘Subterranean Homesick Blues’ followed suit, hitting home with the partisan crowd, and showcasing their skills at playing and interpreting other musicians’ music.

This breezy start was short-lived however, as the momentum from the first string of popular songs reeled, though not for too long. Minimalist acoustic versions of lesser-known songs lifted things, as the cheery, swaying mood was subbed for a more quiet, composed intimacy that saw xylophones played and guitars strummed with a soft disposition, working wonders on the crowd, who were still and approving with the benevolence of kids at an ice cream parlor.

This quiet, simple approach to music is indeed one of the defining features of the trio’s music, which at its silent moments acquires a cinematic, ethereal quality that carries it gently through the air. Things did get louder towards the end though as the Lumineers upped the tempo, capping things off with the unforgettable ‘Big Parade,’ the tune that just about sums up all that is good about this band. The crowd made their presence felt on this particular number, yelling along the chorus and rallying for a raucous call for an encore, which duly followed.

The Lumineers re-appeared without too much hassle and closed the night on the same cheery note, signing off having captivated the audience in the most entertaining of fashions. They are surely a band to keep an eye on and their local popularity has been anything but harmed following last night’s neatly composed and well organised concert which did its bit to banish the grim stillness of the cold December night, if only momentarily, to a faraway corner of one’s mind.

Seasick Steve, Store Vega, October 2013

/ Alan Kortbaek / Leave a comment

Seasick Steve’s path to the success he today enjoys as a Norway-based musician has been no walk in the park. Having run away from a disturbed military father at the tender age of 14, Steve, originally from California, spent many years on the road as a hobo before eventually settling in Scandinavia.  With no musical education whatsoever and an array of self-constructed crude instruments, Steve redefines what it is to be a musician in today’s era of glam-drunk superstardom – and his live shows are, as yesterday’s concert at Vega attests; as genuine a performance as you’ll find for miles around and years to come.

Walking calmly onto the stage clad in a John Deere tractor hat and worn jeans, Steve introduced the crowd to his signature blues rock sound, strumming passionately on his guitar to the tune of ‘Self sufficient man’ off his 2013 album Hubcap Sound.  He was then joined by his drummer, Dan Magnusson, sporting a t-shirt emblazoned with a poetic ‘Go to hell stoned’ print in bold text on its front. This was followed by Steve’s wandering into the crowd and pulling a girl on stage, to whom he then sang the slow, acoustic track ‘Walking Man’, much to the envy of every lady in the house.

Having established a firm bond with the audience, Steve and drummer Magnusson got better and better as the concert rolled on, with Steve experimenting with his array of crude, homemade instruments, which amongst others included a one-string diddley bo that sounded remarkably refined, for an object fashioned of a wood plank with aluminum cans on one end. Cultivating this ad hoc approach to musicianship, Steve and Magnusson wooed the audience time and again, combining seamlessly together to produce a primitive, bellowing blues sound that had a pronounced effect on the crowd, who were extraordinarily responsive. This was particularly evident towards the end of the show, which featured drummer Magnusson improvising by sweeping a broom back and forth on the stage, giving off a whispered whistling hiss, not too unlike that made by a conventional shaker.

Buoyed by the eager crowd, Steve rounded off the show by singing what seemed to be an improvised short version of the tale of his running away as a teenager, a rendition that drove him to the depths of his emotions. A double encore and a rousing applause at the end of his show said all that needed to be said about the concert of this wandering boheme-turned-rockstar, who has repeatedly broken and redefined the nous of musicianship.

Lucy Love, Store Vega. October 2013

/ Alan Kortbaek / Leave a comment

When grime rapper Lucy Love first got her game in gear back in 2009, many heralded the arrival of a very unique performer on the local music scene. Packing a solid punch with her vicious lyrics and stern voice, the Zambian-born and Danish-bred Lucy Siame rapidly evolved into a force to reckon with. Fast forward a few years and Lucy’s third studio album, Desperate Days of Dynamite, is wreaking havoc on the streets, having dropped in September.

Saturday’s show at Store Vega was a representation of the album, in itself a dreamy reflection of Lucy’s turbulent persona and the changes she’s been through since her initial success a few years ago.

Playing the eerie, ‘No Scream No Shout’ track off her latest album, Lucy’s stage setup resembled a dystopian world with colourful characters sporting wild, flamboyant haircuts and cult-like body paint. This anthemic tune of rebellion could not have contextualised the concert setting any better: bathed in rows of brilliant blue and raging red that coated the scene in a thick pyrotechnic cumulus cloud, Lucy announced her return to the scene with a searing vengeance that echoed heavily into the night.

Clad in dark clothing that cast a Grace Jones-esque ambiance upon the scene, Lucy Love and her troupe of dancers and backing band were a sight to behold.

The popular tune ‘Prison’ was the second of the evening, featuring the more pop-inclined direction thatDesperate Days of Dynamite has taken. But the best of the ‘old’ Lucy Love was still alive, as proven by tracks such as ‘Daddy was a Deejay’ (which was played both at the beginning of the set and towards the end).

Midway through the proceedings, a dedication to one of the crowd who was enjoying his wedding night clad as a storm trooper spiced things up a bit, adding a comical twist to the evening. This was followed by the spine-tingling ‘F4E’ (‘Friends Forever’, which cast a dark shadow of contemplative, doubting moods that countered the more driven sounds of the performance, whilst epitomizing the deeply sentimental qualities of Lucy’s music.

The end of the show featured songs with rapid arrangements, some of which ventured into the territory of the drum ‘n’ bass genre, which features sporadically in numerous short bursts across different sections of her latest work.

Though some of Lucy Love’s originality has been lost to more pop-induced sounds, she remains a unique artist, one capable of putting on a captivating, creative and highly artistic live show, as Saturday’s performance proved

Imagine Dragons, Store Vega April 2013

/ Alan Kortbaek / Leave a comment

These Vegas dragons rock Vega with a vengeance

April 19, 2013 – 12:01
Imagine Dragons **** (4 stars out of 6); April 18 at Store Vega
Imagine Dragons’ energy, albeit inconsistent, wowed a sold-out Store Vega (Photo: Flickr / DerekSchwartzPhotography)

Las Vegas-based band Imagine Dragons were in top form at a sold-out Store Vega last night. The indie group made a sleek entry to the sounds of crickets and pouring rain: tentative signs of an impending storm. Even before the show began, the young partisan crowd were enthusiastic and merry, cheering and stamping passionately in anticipation. Having been part of an insipid audience at British songbird’s Ellie Goulding’s show at the same venue last week, it was quite pleasant to be in more lively company this time around.

Armed with their usual guitar ensemble and a robust bass drum positioned at the front of the stage, Imagine Dragons hit the floor running, playing confidently in a near-perfect acoustic environment that had the elusive, inclusive feel of a concert in a large stadium. But several songs in, one could clearly feel the show slowing, the initial momentum waning – as it was inevitably destined to. A solid performance of marquee track ‘Hear me’ picked things up again, however, as the boys showed why they have been compared to revered bands such as The Killers and Arcade Fire.

The tipping point of the evening was always expected to be the moment that the band dropped their signature track ‘Radioactive’. And drop it they did, with an atomic vengeance – it was a cunningly constructed extended live version that thundered with bass echoes more common at dubstep raves than at a rock gig. An epic acoustic section towards the end of this tune, followed by a blizzard-esque finale that hissed, thumped and roared in a sea of smoke and strobe sequences, gave the fans everything that they’d come to the concert for in only a few minutes of brilliance.

‘Thirty lives’ followed, quietening the din somewhat and showcasing the band’s more sentimental, acoustic-based aspect, and inspiring the cliché flood of lighters and mobile phones in the air typical of particularly tender concert moments. By this point, the band had exhausted most of their popular tracks and simply proceeded to round things off by riding out the crest of the wave they’d created at the start. They rolled towards land with the verve and wit of a rock band with promise and talent up their sleeves. And their audience, young as they were, loved every second of it, so kudos are due to them too.

Ellie Goulding, Store Vega April 2013

/ Alan Kortbaek / Leave a comment
Brit sensation Ellie Goulding had a Vega debut to forget Wednesday night after a concert that failed to hit the soprano highs that her vocal range tends to soar to. A commendable warm-up by the sharpy Charli XCX left the crowd salivating for the same, as the 19-year-old prodigy showed just why she’s good enough to open for the likes of Coldplay.

Goulding then took the stage at a packed-to-capacity Store Vega (the original concert had been moved from Lille Vega due to popular demand), backed by a trio of instrumentalists. Opening with tracks such as ‘Don’t say a word’ off her 2012 album Halcyon, the BBC Sound of 2010 winner got off to a slow, uninteresting start. Things got better though, as the popular ‘Hanging on’ track, also off the Halcyon album, shot a dose of fresh impetus into the evening. A particularly witty electric guitar solo at the end of this song is worth a mention.

As the night went on, Goulding ventured into melancholic, pensive moods, as tracks such as the ironic ‘Joy’ resonated through the still evening air.  ‘Your Song’, her hotly pursued cover of the original by Elton John, and ‘Without your love’, a riveting rendition about resurgence after failures in love, managed to add some sparkle to an otherwise average performance. As Goulding herself playfully noted at different points in her performance, the audience were very quiet or, as she put it, “polite and well-mannered”. At one point she cheekily told someone off for yawning and generally didn’t seem too enthused playing to the Danish crowd, an audience that a fellow Brit, Mike Skinner of The Streets, has described as “one of the hardest to please”.

This notwithstanding, the show did have its memorable moments, particularly towards the end, as signature tunes such as ‘Starry eyed’ saved the day. A ravenous applause ensued at the end of it all, and Goulding took her time before coming on again for an encore to a late boomer of a crowd that had mysteriously conspired to save their passion for the end of the show. That things didn’t quite peak as they should have was no fault of Goulding’s, whose stellar soprano voice chirps with a winsome sophistication rich in originality and quick wit.