“This is a new song… well they’re all new, says you,” deadpans Kittser to 300 or so cross-legged Brusselaars, as he breaks into ‘It’s Up To Me’, a stomping four power-chord tour de force. Given five songs to acquaint the crowd with his oeuvre, this is the pick of the bunch, with a backing track fit for a Balearic after-party.
As the beats die down, the crowd rise to their feet. ‘Magnolia’, from The Black And Red Notebook covers-album has feet tapping, while ‘Into the Breeze’ from The Big Romance breakthrough has heads nodding in accompaniment. Given more time, DK would certainly have fully moved the hall, but the short set offers no more than an intriguing glimpse into a catalogue that could have happily carried the evening alone. Apologising for drinking Guinness in the home of one hundred beers, he exits, stage left.
Where Kittser is occasional enigmatic quips, Emiliana Torrini is a verbal onslaught. It must be her Italian background, as it cannot be the typical behaviour of an Icelander; she loses threads more regularly than a feckless embroider. More characteristic is the subject matter she deals in. ‘Snow’, a compelling combination of euphoria and melancholy, is a topic she is presumably well-acquainted with, while ‘Today Has Been Okay’ firmly establishes those quirky arctic credentials.
The Bjork comparisons are inevitable, but Torrini does not use verbal contortion to the extent of her compatriot. If comparisons are required, The Cardigans are probably closer to the mark: the female bandleader with three immaculately coiffured IT nerds behind her is hugely reminiscent of Nina Persson and co., and ‘Unemployed In The Summer’ is typical of the Swedes output circa Life.
I’m not a convert – but the clamour for encores suggests that many present tonight most definitely are.