Show Review: Ólafur Arnalds

“The classical scene is kind of closed to people who haven’t been studying music all their lives. I would like to bring my classical influence to the people who don’t usually listen to this kind of music…open people’s minds.”

I don’t claim to be good at this whole music blog thing – if you know me I’ve probably told you I don’t really know what I’m doing - but that’s fine by me and I can live with it. Since day one, my only goal here has been to just share my musical interests, in hopes that you’ll discover some bands, check them out and spread the good word about them. Music means a lot of different things to a lot of different people, whether it be a connection you feel or an energy felt during a live performance. Ultimately though, I like to think that people are just in search of something that moves them in any possible way. Such was the case for me this past Thursday night.

Icelandic musician, Ólafur Arnalds, stopped by Newport’s Historic Southgate House, amidst a nationwide tour that takes him to rock clubs, ballrooms, and even museums and libraries nearly every day of the tour. Arnalds is a twenty-four year old composer from Mosfellsbær, and former drummer in metal bands such as Fighting Shit and Celestine. He has since gone the complete opposite direction of the former genres he dabbled in, by creating classical pieces of music on piano along with a four-piece string quartet and an “electronics” guy who uses synth samples and beats. I feel really bad because when Arnalds introduced the members of his band towards the end of the night I didn’t catch any of their names, and being from Iceland, I most likely would’ve mispelled them anyways.

What I can tell you is this. I walked into the crowded ballroom balcony just after 9 pm to find the room quieter and darker than I had ever seen. About two-hundred chairs took up the entire ballroom floor, nearly filled to capacity. Only the sound of whispers and beers being opened could be heard. Around 9:15, the band emerged from the green room in the back of the venue, and took their places onstage without any applause. The soft-spoken Arnalds said hello to the audience, noted the silence filling the room and asked if we could hear the sound of their bus running outside. Over the course of the evening, Arnalds interacted with the audience much more than I expected, mentioning that they just discovered the subwoofers on their bus and had the techno blasting all night long, and that they ate dinner beforehand at the best burger and pizza joint in town. He also forgot what town they were in, while an audience member replied by saying that Kentucky is forgettable.

I’d love to tell you how many songs were played and the names of them, unfortunately I was able to obtain a setlist after the show, and again, I’m sure I would’ve mispelled them anyways. For the most part, the music seemed to have a melancholic feel. All of the songs were instrumental pieces, ranging from a few minutes in length to what seemed like fifteen minutes each. Arnalds led the way by playing soft notes on the piano, while the quartet of three violins and one cello captured much of the emotion I felt. “Electronics guy”, as I’ll refer to him, stood still in the back for the entire 75 minute show, mostly adding depth with atmospheric synth sounds and occasional beats.

The light show was simply spectacular though very minimal, synched up with the beats and the rises and falls of the strings. It wasn’t your typical light show with flashy, bright colors; it was tube lights spread across the floor behind the band, but it was brilliant the way it went along with the music. There was also a string of normal looking bulbs that lay onstage in front of the band that faded in and out as the music did so.

This also wasn’t the typical kind of show that I’m used to, so I wasn’t quite sure exactly what to expect, even after hearing a bit of Arnalds music. All I can say is that it pretty much left me speechless, which actually doesn’t happen all too often at a show for me. It was beautiful and relaxing, and provided the sounds every person should unwind with. Arnalds was right in the quote listed up top; I don’t normally listen to this type of music but it’s opened my mind to something different, and I think I’ve found the band I want to lay in bed listening to every night.

A special thanks to Amy Hartman for providing photos of the show