Words – Clare
Photos – Mitch

A cool change from the Southern Ocean finally broke the uncomfortable heatwave that had recently been holding Melbourne hostage and with it came Wardruna from the northwest, who were unfortunately promised a typical hot Aussie Summers day when they arrived for their first ever time in Melbourne, but instead what welcomed them was a typical Norwegian Spring day. Nevertheless, the gratitude they expressed for being able to perform for us was overwhelming. 

Last year I was introduced to neofolk music of the Scandinavian region by the theatrical performance of Heilung, I knew however to expect something different from the Norwegian band Wardruna. As composer Einar Kvitrafn Selvik explained, they’re not interested in time travel and they are not trying to be Vikings as they believe things in the past should stay in the past. The exquisite sounds they create however are born from the ancient things that speak to them ‘Nature is what creates culture’.

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The seven members of Wardruna placed themselves on stage as the expectant crowd cheered their arrival to our country. They stood with stoic faces and statuesque poses before launching into a powerful and whimsical performance that portrayed the element of nature through sound recordings of bird warblings and howling wolves which were accompanied by clever lighting effects such as the solar eclipse that slowly formed and continued to burn on the perforated curtained backdrop.

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Einar received much praise during his string and vocal solos and the entire ensemble received a standing ovation in response to the fantastical ancient-style horns and vocal harmonies. The show then closed out with the eerily beautiful death song Helvegen, ‘Death being the only real thing in life’ but not before Einar expressed his deepest gratitude on behalf of the band, to be halfway across the other side of the planet and receive much love, they would not it for granted. He spoke many simple yet eloquent sentiments that seemed to really resonate with the crowd, many nodding their heads in agreement, but there was one thought in particular that stood out to me. He said that singing was basically medicine and we should ‘Go home and fucking sing’.

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This was followed by a memorable second encore of Snake Pit Poetry. The track was loosely based on the Krákumál poem supposedly written by the ever-famous Viking King Ragnar Loðbrók as he lay dying in a pit of snakes. Einar describes the poetry as beautiful yet far more brutal than that of black metal lyrics.

The band’s devotees had come on the night with open ears and love in their hearts as the wonderful humans of Wardruna gave an extremely genuine and exceptional performance.

Thank you to the Palias Theatre Crew for having us and a special thanks to Maric Media for providing media access.

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