Siv Jakobsen and Einar Stray, 4 April 2016, at the Half Moon in Bishop's Stortford
I've been a fan of Einar Stray's music for a few years now and recently got to see Siv (with Einar on keys) perform twice at the by:larm festival in Oslo (I think I first heard of her via Einar's Instagram? Musicians' Instagrams, and their comments on their own photos, are the greatest things, BTW).
So when I saw that they were playing a gig together near me, I was psyched, and glad that going from North London to Bishop's Stortford isn't difficult.
The Half Moon is a cozy pub on what seems to be the high street in Bishop's Stortford, full of slightly twee cafes and shops (I didn't realize there's a lot of tourism! I'd only heard the name because the Stansted Express stops there en route to the airport...). A sweet older dog was snuffling around, to my delight, when I arrived.
The Long Room at the Half Moon feels like a combo cave/TV sitcom family basement/school cafeteria (it was the little rows of chairs at the back). I liked that feeling; I knew we would get performances that were way too big and beautiful to be contained in that room, where maybe 30 or 40 people could fit. I paid the door charge and, instead of getting a stamp on my hand, got offered a smiley face sticker. I was told I could put it on my shirt or simply show it when needed; I opted for the latter, but was charmed to see several people proudly wearing them.
The opener was a local, a young man with an acoustic guitar. His stuff wasn't really my thing, but later I heard that he grew up as a musician through some regular performance nights that the pub has -- super cool. (And also, obviously, people can do good music that isn't my thing!)
Next up was Einar Stray. I'd never seen him solo before; I was curious how the rich, layered songs heās recorded with a full band -- first under his own name, then officially as Einar Stray Orchestra -- would work if it was just him, without the heart-twisting harmonies that the full band brought on stage both times Iāve seen them.
Einar Stray Orchestraās music is the kind of thing where you're always hearing new nuances or paying attention to a phrase (instrumental or vocal) that you hadn't quite picked up before. They take you from quietly jubilant to quietly heartbroken to louder versions of those emotions in the space of measures.
Letās take āChiaroscuro,ā the title track off their first CD (full stream put up by the band here). The wordless refrain towards the end of the song has always struck me as a bit apocalyptic; you might hear it in a movie when terrible things start happening. The vocal harmonies and the instrumentation crescendo, everything rolling in like a storm, the most gorgeous, scariest, oh-shit moment. And maybe it's the prettiest thing you ever heard, but you still disturbed the Balrog and you're still a bit fucked.
So yeah, given stuff like that, I was naturally wondering what Einar's music would sound like when it was stripped down and just him. I needn't have worried: it was different, of course, but that just meant it was fantastic and impressively moving in a different way.
The last time I saw the full band, right after Politricks was released in the UK, they started off by coming down off the stage to stand in front of us and do "For the Country," a cappella. Itās a stark, simple song about throwing away human lives in the name of suspicious patriotism; it starts out with the line "bullets in the bellies of our babies." It's not something you can half-ass. I remember shivering as I heard it.
Halfway through his set at the Half Moon, Einar noted that the gig was pretty intimate, so "let's get intimate, right?" He stepped off the stage, stood mere feet in front of us, and did "For the Country," a cappella, by himself, with enough urgency and gravity as if all our lives depended on it. Singing this baldly about the lies we are told to justify mass violence, without being able to hide behind instrumentation, and then to do that standing an arm's length from the audience, alone: there are lots of performers who couldn't manage it.
There are lots of audiences that couldn't bear the weight. At small gigs, what you do (or don't) as an audience member feels much more apparent; I know I feel much more awkward and visible sometimes! Someone could've cackled nervously, someone could've heckled because the song was breaking them open a little. Nobody did; the moment held, and I know I'm not the only person who was grateful for it. The audience (including the somewhat unruly people at the back) was mesmerized, and silent, and very enthusiastic in their applause at the end. I think we all had chills.
That might not have even been the highlight of his set! He also did "Caressed," which I think Einar has said is about growing up in a Norwegian church community. The joyfulness of the music maybe belies the presumably complex nature of that experience a bit, but regardless, his performance at the Half Moon was so unself-consciously radiant, so intensely open and generous -- I donāt often see that on stage! (And it prompted a lot of thoughts about why at one point I winced, because joy is scary, so I had to write about it.)
Since I know Einar Stray Orchestra has been working on their third album, I was kind of hoping we'd get a sneak peek of a new track, but I suppose it makes sense to keep it under wraps for a solo set, since they probably want to premiere the new stuff as a full band. I shall wait with baited breath for the album release (and for another London gig, natch!).
After a short break, Siv Jakobsen took the stage, with Einar joining as well to play keyboard. Sivās voice is stunning, adding layers of poignancy to her music, which can be downright haunting. When I listen to her songs (especially now that I have seen her live three times), I'm sometimes misled into thinking that they'll go in one direction, do something perhaps a bit simple, and then there's a shift and they go off and do something surprising and moving that takes me off guard. She doesnāt take the easy option. You'd be mistaken writing her off as simply another woman with an acoustic guitar wielding cliches in the name of love songs.
For example, you might think that doing an acoustic cover of Britney Spears' "Toxic" would just be a gimmick. But she makes it work; she makes it complicated and darkly sultry and intriguing. Because she takes it seriously. I really appreciate when musicians don't scorn pop music just for the sake of scorning it -- I think sheās said something before about thinking every set needs a Britney cover? I was skeptical, but was won over, so give it a try!
Siv was apologetic during her set for needing time to re-tune, but it just gave us more of a chance to appreciate her friendly and funny stage chat -- about her family dogs and her guitar, among other things. She was also deft at engaging with, and managing, the ever rowdier people at the back. While introducing every song, she finished with, "I hope you like it," which would strike me as a nervous tic except she didn't seem nervous at all. Maybe that was the only sign! Or maybe that was her own performerās generosity coming to the fore.
Her set, like Einarās, felt too short. Afterwards, both of them encouraged the audience to come up for selfies. How delightful! I was a bit hesitant -- maybe Iāve been living in England too long -- but was happy to do so, even if my phone was utter crap and nearly ruined them all.
I was also lucky enough to sit at a table with Einar and Siv before their sets -- thanks for having me! They were both so kind and warm and gracious; it made me feel even luckier to be at that gig than I already did.
Anyway -- both artists have played in considerably bigger venues, so it was a real treat to witness their magic at a teeny show and to get to hang out a bit! The Half Moon is a neat venue, and for others coming from London, let me confirm that itās very easy to get to from the station, though depending on set times you might have to hustle to get the last reasonable train back (I left before the headliners for that reason!). Iāll be keeping an eye on their events calendar.
