By Jase Walker
It’s the last month of 2022 and I’m off to Huddersfield to welcome it in by catching one of my favourite live acts, Nordic Giants, at The Parish. I’ve been over here a number of times this year for an assortment of bands this year, but I’ve had this particular date standing out to me for a while now and to say I’m excited is a bit of an understatement. Along for the ride is Alex Hedley, who I don’t think I’ve listened to before but I know he’s on a couple of Nordic Giants songs and is going to be doing live vocals for them!
In the middle of a quick chinwag with some friends I’ve seen downstairs, I hear Alex has just started so I’ve rushed back upstairs to catch him. Definitely one of the more stripped down shows I’ve seen this year as I don’t really tend to go for a lot of solo acoustic shows. His voice is fantastic though, it’s a little rough but just enough to give it some character while he belts the words out. His guitar sounds beautiful too, a really nice warm bassy sound while the high strings add a nice sparkle to it, just how you’d want an acoustic guitar to sound.
Alex has got a lovely playing style too, his style of hammering on/off mid stroke adds a tasteful flow to his playing. Another thing I’ve noticed as well is how the crowd are staying silent during his set as well which is a great show of respect as I’ve noted hasn’t always been the case in the few other acoustic shows I’ve been to this year.
On the whole a nice, pleasant acoustic set that was great to listen to: great songs, a respectful crowd. Just what you’d want from a set like this.
Nordic Giants have picked… Kenny Loggins’ ‘Danger Zone’ as their intro track? Odd but amusing nonetheless. The fur and feather clad pair silently take the stage while their actual intro track shakes the floor with its bass, here we go!
With the exception of their screens showing their accompanying videos and some small lighting, the pair are shrouded in darkness. But once the main melodies kick in, the lighting intensifies and strobes, driving the intensity of the music. The videos that support the show accentuate the musical themes from the melancholic to the downright nihilistic. Using poignant voice overs such as Charlie Chaplin’s Hitler speech to drive home messages of hope and unity are common parts of their style also. It’s quite tough to get across the uniqueness of Nordic Giants’ live show, the videos are wondrous when supplemented by the soundtrack that they create, whether it’s the journey of a lone ant experiencing an apocalypse or an arduous yet darkly comical journey of a father and son funeral directors delivering a coffin to its final resting place.
‘Evolve Or Perish’ is still one of my favourite songs they’ve done so far, a beautiful yet sad melody set against a dystopian near future video of people dealing with the brutal consequences of an authoritarian military regime. Not just that but one of them jumps off the drums to play a guitar with a bow, brilliant. Some videos prove to be very emotionally provoking, one even dealing with the often brutal life of street and gang culture, meanwhile the elite class separate themselves from the war that happens in darkened streets out of sight, out of mind.
There’s so many different occasions throughout this show that I’m continually in awe of a performance like this. I’ve seen these maybe about six times now and every single time I’m stunned by it and this is no different, it’s genuinely beautiful. ‘Together’ gives me shivers every time, not only because of its wonderful melody but its video which is essentially a love letter to animation. Yep, it’s made me actually cry again, Christ.
Alex Hedley is finally up to do live vocals for their lead single from ‘Symbiosis’. TRhis isn’t something I’ll get to see again in a hurry so I’m taking in as much as I can. With a grand finish of a strange humanoid being destroying a cube-like structure in the sky before what appears to be reforming it, Nordic Giants once again proves to be one of the most unique and emotive live experiences I’ve ever seen. Magnificent.
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