Performing Parades

Yesterday I had the fantastic pleasure of seeing the Danish postrock band Efterklang live in Musikhuset in Aarhus. The show was part of the band's so-called DOX:TOUR - meaning that the night consisted of a movie screening and a gig. The movie being shown was the concert film 'Performing Parades' which documents the concert Efterklang played last year accompanied by the Danish National Chamber Orchestra. It was a both musical and visual treat - in the movie the band's latest album 'Parades' is played in its entirety from beginning to end. It is filmed intensely and beautifully - and the entire band and orchestra play with a passion and musicality it is a delight to witness even though it might only be on a screen. Visually the viewer is also treated to the genius of Danish design duo Hvass&Hannibal. The musicans are presented as part of a mountain landscape on the stage as everyone wears pointy little hats and the core of the band colourful garments all created specially for the occasion. 'Performing Parades' is the kind of concert movie that makes you go 'dammit, why wasn't I there?!' - but the visual documentation is definitely much, much better than nothing. For me the movie was almost good enough to let the night already be considered memorable.
But then there was a short break and the real Efterklang entered the little stage (the smallest one, I think, in Musikhuset) and blew me even more away. I was almost expecting to be disappointed as they now didn't have an orchestra and didn't wear fancy clothes. But I was proven wrong - Efterklang are, luckily, the kind of band who play with a musicality and joy that makes it an absolute pleasure watching them go. Represented was the core of the band (including before-on-this-blog-mentioned Peter Broderick). The band's set consisted of new songs and older material from before the Parades album. It was the kind of gig that made me remember just how much I love music - and especially live music. Efterklang make some of the most beautiful music I know and play it uniquely well. The crowd clapped along but remained mostly silent and observing - but by the end the band's frontman, Casper Clausen, nicely asked the sitting crowd to come closer - and so my friend and I ran down and were part of the new little crowd on the floor right in front of the band. Afterwards I bought a beautiful double-vinyl package with a DVD of the 'Performing Parades' film and I cannot wait to have it playing in the background - or in the foreground - when I read or study or do nothing else in these coming winter months.