Efterklang
Efterklang, Titanic
Efterklang @ Barbican Centre, London, UK, October 5, 2024,
Oct 10, 2024
Photography by Maisy Pratt
Web Exclusive
Efterklang return to the Barbican Centre for the fifth time, now in the wake of their seventh studio album’s release. Things We Have In Common sees the comeback of the band’s founding member Rune Mølgaard and contributions from fellow artists Beirut, Mexico City-based cello player and vocalist Mabe Fratti as well as Sønderjysk Pigekor (South Denmark Girls Choir).
Just like the title of the album suggests, there is a creative, emotional and spiritual bond manifested through music. All contributors, apart from Beirut, are present either as live performers or on the video – the one accompanying “Animated Heart” shows young members of Sønderjysk Pigekor, smiling at the camera and channelling the purity of sincere emotion. Fratti, who delivers celestial vocals on the two first tracks of the album, “Balancing Stones” and “Plant”, appears on stage on a few occasions – first with Titanic, a project, also featuring her partner Hector Tosta, and then during the set of the headliner.
With distortion-powered cello as the core, Titanic is a heavy-lift musical vehicle which might seem like a sibling of Rough Trade bands such as caroline and Black Midi. Still, despite its inventive framework, Titanic’s music has more structure and less chaos than the latter’s. Apart from Fratti and guitarist Hector Tosta, the band features i.la católica (piano and guitar), Jarrett Gilgore (saxophone) and Gibran Andrade (drums).
Following the set of Titanic, the voyage continues with Efterklang who come to the stage dressed in clothes matching the Classicist art colours of the album cover. There is a diversion from the standard album launch show as the band plays “Dreams Today” from their 2012 Piramida LP. Composed more than a decade ago, the song’s lyrics resonate with the concept of their latest record celebrating connection: “Turning around (come around) / Do what (turning around), stay (come around)”. With Fratti and Tosta reappearing on stage, Efterklang follow the setlist of the new record in the reversed order. The celebratory closer “To A New Day” sets the upbeat pace for the whole performance. Its reverberating sound and choral arrangement (the song was originally recorded with the members of Sønderjysk Pigekor) bring to mind the psychedelic passionate spirituality of The Polyphonic Spree. There is a similar sense of communion.
Currently a trio with Casper Clausen, Mads Christian Brauer and Rasmus Stolberg on board, Efterklang recorded Things We Have In Common with the band’s co-founder Rune Mølgaard. The album’s motif of departure and return seems to reflect Rune’s story who left the collective in 2007 and later joined the Mormon church. As years passed, he experienced a faith crisis and eventually fell out with the religious community. Yet, his creative spirituality returned which resulted in a few beautiful songs on the album such as “Leave It All Behind” and “Sentiment”.
As it usually happens at Efterklang shows the sense of communion extended beyond the artistic circle towards the audience. After finishing the official part of the set with “Balancing Stones”, during which singer Casper Clausen gracefully carried the Things We Have In Common flag, the musicians walk out and reach the stalls where they play an acoustic version of “Getting Reminders”, with the spontaneous choir of spectators surrounding them. This desire to reach out and communicate things through music, either consciously or not, is certainly one thing all of them (us) have in common.
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