I first saw Danish group Eflerklang when they were touring their album Parades in autumn 2007. They were playing at the Hare and Hounds and had decorated the venue with peacock feathers. After a support set by Peter Broderick that was so delicate the photographers were embarrassed by the relative loudness of their camera shutters clicking away, Efterklang took to the stage looking like characters from a foreign film made in a country that didn’t exist from a decade that never happened.
Their music was both familiar and odd, a rousing chorus of voices accompanied by layers of instruments, some analogue, some digital and all looped and building to crescendos. It was mesmerising and intoxicating. But above all it was fun. The band were enjoying themselves but also, through the charisma of lead bloke Casper Clausen, infected the audience. I often feel uplifted or cleansed after a good gig – this is why I go to some many gigs I guess, but Efterklang simply made everyone feel good and not in a superficial way. It was a special moment.
I saw them again at Supersonic festival where they held their own amongst a varied and much heavier bill and caught the end of another set at the Hare and Hounds and while both were great and showed they wasn’t a one-off, that first gig has stuck with me over the last couple of years.
One of the amazing things about Efterklang is how wide their appeal is. I loved them for their complexity and bought the Parades CD for my sister who is somewhat musically talented. She reported that the kids, then 3 and 4 years old, loved it. They called it “penguin music” and would dance around the house like penguins. And pretty much everyone I’ve played them to has liked them to some degree.
They’re playing at The Asylum in Hockley, Birmingham, on October 29th as part of a UK tour. Unlike the Hare and Hounds this is a converted warehouse with lots more space so it’ll be interesting to see them stretch out (a nine piece band on the H&H stage always seems a little cramped!) I need my fix of Danish musical joy so I’ll be there. I highly recommend you be there too.
Tickets are a tenner and can be bought here or on the door (if they haven’t sold out). I don’t normally plug gigs before hand like this but I can pretty much guarantee this’ll be a good one.
To check them out beforehand, here’s their MySpace and Last.FM pages. Or watch this video:
Disclaimer: I’m on the steering group of Capsule who are promoting this night, but I’m on their steering group because they put on gigs like this.
Hooray!
I am also an enthusiastic Efterkladvocate.