Folk, Dark and Intense: A journey to the first dawn of ancient Nordic roots - Heilung in London | Live Reviews

On January 14, we had the chance to cover Heilung's show in London, which was supported by Lili Refrain and Eivør. The show was held at the Eventim Apollo, considered to be one of London's leading historic venues, where artists such as David Bowie, Queen, The Who and others have performed, and was founded in 1932 as one of the most advanced cinemas of its time, later being converted to concerts and theater. And as expected, the fans filled the 5,000 capacity house.

Lili Refrain

Opening the show was the multi-talented Lili Refrain, who performed solo, relying on a loop machine, guitar and drums, and of course her voice.

We can define Lili's musical style as a mix of psychedelic elements with traditional folk, creating a familiar but also experimental atmosphere, and with the help of the loop machine, she manages to deliver a complete and immersive show. We can define the show as ethereal and emotional.

Although short, the concert of about 30 minutes was enough to excite the audience and leave everyone with the feeling of wanting more.

Eivør

Next up is the very talented artist from the Faroe Islands. She has become known for her voice and blend of traditional and contemporary elements, and also for using traditional instruments from her country. She also gained even more recognition after her participation in the soundtrack (and performance) of the series The Last Kingdom. Just like Lili's concert, her performance was relatively short, but it certainly impressed the audience, with moments of great emotion. Check out the setlist below.

Setlist Eivør Eventim Apollo 2023

Heilung

And coming close to Heilung's show, it was already possible to see that the public began to interact, with many howls and shouts until the entrance of the group, which we can say is not only a show, but a ritual.

The concert starts with an opening ritual, where all the members come together and prepare the environment for the ritual, and then start playing with the song In Maidjan.

The show in its entirety is very difficult to describe, because besides the involving songs, each moment brings a part of the ritual, from warrior presentations, punishments, disputes and sad and serene moments. This show in London was being recorded for a second full-length video, which will be available soon, but in case you are curious, 5 years ago they made available a full video of the Lifa show, which you can see here.