A Nordic Night in Leeds
A venue new to me in Leeds is Seven, up on the Harrogate Road in Chapel Allerton – quite a nice space, set out this time in a mixture of raked seats and cafe style tables at the front. The attraction was the Christian Wallumrod Ensemble in acoustic mode – him on piano , Nils Okland on Hardanger fiddle and viola d’amore, Arve Henrikson on Trumpet, and Per Oddvar Johansen on percussion. (The last, by the way, is a blond giant of a man – one can imagine him storming up the beach at Lindisfarne waving a broadsword, terrifying monks – apologies for stereotyping). A lot of what they do is quite delicate and was just right for a small venue. They make some lovely sounds – sometimes quite hypnotic, building up a piece slowly and carefully. I like the Norse expansiveness of it all. 3 long pieces in each set, and a short encore. A real delight.