A week ago I've already seen Chained To The Bottom Of The Ocean, who will be part of Roadburn Festival next weekend, live. But that was rather coincidence, since they were supporting Sumac on the MS Stubnitz in Hamburg.
Yesterday however I entered full Roadburn clash avoidance mode by attending the Hafenklang. It was a wise decision, since not only is there one less scheduling conflict in my festival running order to worry about - I can see Primitive Man on Sunday without a bad conscience now -, but I also simply had a wonderful, magical evening, which would have been a shame to have missed, no matter what happens next weekend.
Yesterday however I entered full Roadburn clash avoidance mode by attending the Hafenklang. It was a wise decision, since not only is there one less scheduling conflict in my festival running order to worry about - I can see Primitive Man on Sunday without a bad conscience now -, but I also simply had a wonderful, magical evening, which would have been a shame to have missed, no matter what happens next weekend.
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| HANNAH LOUVE BENEDUM |
After my arrival at the venue of the night I often take an I'm ready stage picture for social media, but with just a mic stand, an effect board and two tiny amps it just didn't look like much this time, so I didn't bother. Luckily the music of singer/songwriter Hannah Louve Benedum didn't fall under the not much category, but was rather beautiful and captivating.
If you say the name loud, there's already a phonetic similarity to Emma Ruth Rundle - and she's the one unmistakable influence you cannot deny in Hannah's songs. From the vocal emphasis and intonation to the guitar drenched in dreamy reverb and the overall emotional intensity these pieces ha Emma written of all them - but mot exclusively. Other natural comparisons which came to my mind where Midwife and Vyva Melinkolya, but also a certain dark vibe that reminded me of Sophia Djebel Rose.
The Hafenklang crowd listened in respectful attentive silence. This was much better than my admittedly very rushed and surficial YouTube homework had suggested - a a great way to set the mood for the rest of the night.
If you say the name loud, there's already a phonetic similarity to Emma Ruth Rundle - and she's the one unmistakable influence you cannot deny in Hannah's songs. From the vocal emphasis and intonation to the guitar drenched in dreamy reverb and the overall emotional intensity these pieces ha Emma written of all them - but mot exclusively. Other natural comparisons which came to my mind where Midwife and Vyva Melinkolya, but also a certain dark vibe that reminded me of Sophia Djebel Rose.
The Hafenklang crowd listened in respectful attentive silence. This was much better than my admittedly very rushed and surficial YouTube homework had suggested - a a great way to set the mood for the rest of the night.
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| LILI REFRAIN |
Just one floor higher the last show I had attended in this venue had been cellist and loop artist Jo Quail. And here we were again with yet another musician, who uses up to five separate loop effects for drums, percussions, synths, guitars and her voice to create stunning walls of music, which sometimes feels as if a whole orchestra would be performing.
Lili Refrain's technical introduction about what she was doing there was hilarious and included her looping the explanation itself and speaking and playing over it.
But as pleasant and humorous as the Italian artist's presence was, the dominant vibe of her show wasn't comedy, yet a much more mystical and profoundly elevating feeling. Just like Hannah Louve Benedum's music seems impossible without the inspiration of Emma Ruth Rundle, I cannot imagine Lili Refrain being who she is without the existence of "The Host Of Seraphim" by Dead Can Dance. This otherworldy but also deeply earthbound spirituality was present in all of her songs. From the slow opening with "Ichor" and "Sangoma" from her 2022 album "Mana", which sounds very close to this reference, to the parts of her repertoire which include more Electronic, Tribal or Metal sounds.
Carried by her incredibly powerful and versatile voice, which effortlessly united the forces of Anna von Hausswolff, Lisa Gerrard, Opera and mythic cosmic insight, she always kept radiating this transcend energy. Stepping outside of a yurt in the tundra and witnessing the most spectacular sunrise of your life. Double rainbow in the sky. Or just being extremely moved by seemingly mundane situations as you discover their inherent beauty. This music could be the soundtrack to so many things. An all-seeing flight around the globe, watching all of nature, life, humanity - and somehow it's all good, even where it includes failure, tragedy and death. Ultimately, Lili Refrain just has the gift to lift you up into a state of primal bliss. This show just made me happy in a good close to tears way. As I had expected from my previous experience at Roadburn 2022. It still surprised me how intense this wonderful music worked.
And if she hadn't mentioned it, some people in the room might have even missed that in an unfortunate move while pulling the microphe from its mound, she hit herself in the face, painfully chipping a bit of her teeth in the process. No sign of that incident in the performance, she just powered through it with the same joy as before. The adrenaline of performing probably helped there, but maybe this already worked purely through fundamental positivity.
Hard to say how long this amazing show, which included older and more recent songs, among those the whole new release "Nagalite", even lasted. I completely lost any track of time.
Lili Refrain's technical introduction about what she was doing there was hilarious and included her looping the explanation itself and speaking and playing over it.
But as pleasant and humorous as the Italian artist's presence was, the dominant vibe of her show wasn't comedy, yet a much more mystical and profoundly elevating feeling. Just like Hannah Louve Benedum's music seems impossible without the inspiration of Emma Ruth Rundle, I cannot imagine Lili Refrain being who she is without the existence of "The Host Of Seraphim" by Dead Can Dance. This otherworldy but also deeply earthbound spirituality was present in all of her songs. From the slow opening with "Ichor" and "Sangoma" from her 2022 album "Mana", which sounds very close to this reference, to the parts of her repertoire which include more Electronic, Tribal or Metal sounds.
Carried by her incredibly powerful and versatile voice, which effortlessly united the forces of Anna von Hausswolff, Lisa Gerrard, Opera and mythic cosmic insight, she always kept radiating this transcend energy. Stepping outside of a yurt in the tundra and witnessing the most spectacular sunrise of your life. Double rainbow in the sky. Or just being extremely moved by seemingly mundane situations as you discover their inherent beauty. This music could be the soundtrack to so many things. An all-seeing flight around the globe, watching all of nature, life, humanity - and somehow it's all good, even where it includes failure, tragedy and death. Ultimately, Lili Refrain just has the gift to lift you up into a state of primal bliss. This show just made me happy in a good close to tears way. As I had expected from my previous experience at Roadburn 2022. It still surprised me how intense this wonderful music worked.
And if she hadn't mentioned it, some people in the room might have even missed that in an unfortunate move while pulling the microphe from its mound, she hit herself in the face, painfully chipping a bit of her teeth in the process. No sign of that incident in the performance, she just powered through it with the same joy as before. The adrenaline of performing probably helped there, but maybe this already worked purely through fundamental positivity.
Hard to say how long this amazing show, which included older and more recent songs, among those the whole new release "Nagalite", even lasted. I completely lost any track of time.
Alongside her 2013 album "Kawax" I naturally grabbed the recent mini album from the merch stand:
LILI REFRAIN - Nagalite (CD) (2026)
EP? Album? Mini album? Lili herself called this suite in four movements an album, but let's be real: In truth there will never be a clearly binding definition for a thing like this with a playing time of thirty minutes. But who cares? Just shut up and enjoy it!
As always you would probably miss the whole shtick of everything being based on loops in the studio versions of the tracks, because you cannot see her doing it - and I think some of the build-ups, especially when she's constructing the rhythmic foundations, take a little bint longer on stage. But in both versions these tracks are memorable, atmospheric and positively charging songs in a unique signature sound which combines Ambient, mystical Psychedelic Folk, Drone and other influences without any needlessly cautious reservations. Not to forget the new electronic focus in "Coil".
And Lili's voice alone... do I need to say it again? Goosebumps!
"Nagalite" may not be long, but even though it doesn't feature much of Lili Refrain's Rock/Metal side it's still a perfect distillation of she has created with this project during the last seventeen years. Nothing not to love on here.
As always you would probably miss the whole shtick of everything being based on loops in the studio versions of the tracks, because you cannot see her doing it - and I think some of the build-ups, especially when she's constructing the rhythmic foundations, take a little bint longer on stage. But in both versions these tracks are memorable, atmospheric and positively charging songs in a unique signature sound which combines Ambient, mystical Psychedelic Folk, Drone and other influences without any needlessly cautious reservations. Not to forget the new electronic focus in "Coil".
And Lili's voice alone... do I need to say it again? Goosebumps!
"Nagalite" may not be long, but even though it doesn't feature much of Lili Refrain's Rock/Metal side it's still a perfect distillation of she has created with this project during the last seventeen years. Nothing not to love on here.
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