Väsen

Mention of Scandinavia tends to bring to mind Nordic Noir and crime, but there was nothing remotely dark or depressing about Swedish band Väsen’s gig at the Ropetackle. The cheery folk trio – consisting of Mikael Marin on five-string viola, Roger Tallroth on 12-string guitar and Olov Johansson on nyckelharpa – played a series of traditional Swedish polskas and other tunes dedicated to daughters, dogs and the Swedish botanist Carl Linnaeus with impeccable timing and lighthearted banter. They even tried to persuade the audience to fly to Sweden in October for their twenty-fifth anniversary concert and, such is their popularity, it wouldn’t surprise me if some people went home and started looking for flights.

Ropetackle Arts Centre, Shoreham, 28 August 2014

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