Review: WARDRUNA - Live in Brisbane
Australia And New Zealand Tour @ The Fortitude Music Hall
Monday 27th January 2025
Written by: Rashid AlKamraikhi
Photos by: Tom Wilson
While it may not be the Acropolis, or the site of a 1000 year old burial mound, The Fortitude Music Hall isn’t too shabby, and will serve as a more than fitting venue for the music we will be absorbing from WARDRUNA tonight.
I say absorbing because WARDRUNA’s music isn’t something you just listen to, it’s something primordial that resonates throughout your entire body. It permeates your skin, travels through your bloodstream, pulses with the beat of your heart, and rests within the marrow of your bones. A true full-body experience.
In attendance at the show are members of the Nordic Wolf Clan, a social group dedicated to the sharing of Norse culture and beliefs, who I have asked to give their perspectives and to provide us with deeper insight into the ritualistic nature of the music that we will all be experiencing tonight.
It is an hour between doors and when the show is set to start, which gives us plenty of time to talk about WARDRUNA and delve into Norse culture. Nordic Wolf Clan member Jake explains that the symbol that WARDRUNA uses is called a bind rune, an amalgamation of runic characters that are a form of magic designed to instil or protect the virtues desired by its creator. The true meaning of any bind rune is known only by the ones who use it, and sharing that true meaning weakens its strength, but by picking out some of the elements it can give you a general idea of its intent. He points out markings that relate to things such as ancestry, community, and travel, which makes perfect sense for Wardruna’s mission to share their values and culture with the world.
We are getting so into the discussion that it almost feels like we are being interrupted when the lights go down and the backdrop that had so far been displaying the bind rune on a red background with flickering embers changes into a projection of white ravens and the band takes the stage.
The sound of the Moraharpa fills the auditorium as a spotlight projects the silhouette of its player, John Stenersen, onto the backdrop, and we, along with the rest of the crowd, are instantly enthralled. It is soon joined by Einar Selvik’s deep and resonant vocals as the music continues to build with the addition of percussion and backing vocals of Lindy-Fay Hella and other members of the band. The stirring music creates a swirling vortex that pulls everyone in, and when Eilif Gundersen blows the Lur we are all transported to an ethereal dimension.
Nordic Wolf Clan founder, Bárdi, has brought his youngest son, Dominik, along with him to experience this as his first ever concert. It is a deeply spiritual experience, as the music holds incredible meaning for them in every verse. Bàrdi remarks that he can feel its power through their voices, their instruments, and even their motions.
Jake likens it to an experience he had recently seeing HEILUNG, but whereas HEILUNG were perhaps more of a visual spectacle, WARDRUNA conveys thematic musicianship and innovation. “True Bard or Skald - like qualities”. that make him feel invigorated with a sense of wonder, like he is embarking on a quest in an epic saga. These feelings don’t let up as the night progresses, and we all fall deeper into the trance.
Toward the end Eniar pauses to talk to the audience about Wardruna’s intent to share Norse culture without it becoming a “pissing contest” of who’s culture is ‘best’. To instead celebrate our shared nature as human beings and our similarities that are “born from the ground we all walk on.” He implores us all to sing about our lives, and to use it as a way to connect and bring together our friends, family, and community. Jokingly he suggests even singing songs about barbequing prawns, but in all seriousness to just “Go home and fucking sing!”
A huge thank you to Jake and Bárdi from the Nordic Wolf Clan for sharing their thoughts and knowledge with me on this breathtaking performance.
Photos by: Tom Wilson
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