Taya Llewellyn
April 1, 2025| Harry Shiels |LIVE REVIEW
Live Review: Wardruna and Jo Quail | Symphony Hall, Birmingham | 18/03/2025
After the release of their newest opus Birna, Nordic folk traditionalists Wardruna return for to the Birmingham Symphony Hall for a night of spell-binding folk from another time, with composer/cellist Jo Quail in tow.
Jo Quail
Wardruna fans are probably familiar with London based Cellist Jo Quail seeing as she opened for the neo-fol collective on their last UK run in 2022. The electric cello sounds magnificent in the Symphony Hall, the manipulated percussive loops forming the backbones of the warm subtitles of the classical instrument through the expansive and emotional compositions. Her warm and joyful presence shines through her crowd interactions, seeming just as happy to play the beautiful concert hall as the audience are to see her there. It’s a bite-sized thirty-minute set for Quail this evening, consisting of two fan favourites, ‘Rex Infractus’ and ‘Adder Stone’, book ending a new composition introduced as ‘Embrace’ from an upcoming full orchestral and solo cello double album. With simple stage lighting and a projection of her logo adorning the floor to ceiling backdrop, it feels a very classy affair, with Quail phenomenal as always starting tonight off on great footing.
Photo Credit: Taya Llewellyn
Jo Quail
Wardruna
Having made their first stop in Birmingham on their last UK excursion in 2022, Wardruna were back for an extended trek across various concert halls and esteemed venues to perform their one of a kind compositions. Despite Wardruna only recently releasing the phenomenal Birna, the album only sporadically pops up as additions to the band’s fleshed out discography diving live experience, plenty of love for the prior Kvitravn and Runaljod – Yggdrasil, with cherry-picked choices from their other releases. The new tracks fit in like a glove, the likes of ‘Hertan’ and ‘Himinndotter’ fitting snug besides fan favourites like ‘Kvitravn’, ‘Tyr’ and ‘Solringen’. The band have long since sunk into their live niche, performing as a seven piece with their traditional Nordic instruments and vocal harmonies.
Every instrument on stage is acoustic and traditionally constructed; whether the imposing Lurs and large traditional horned instruments, the simple and skin and bone drums alongside other percussive instruments (literal bones used as claves). Or the more complex stringed instruments such as the Taglharpa or Kravik-lyre. Both Einar Selvik and Liny-Fay Hella’s live vocals are divine with their respective solo performances throughout the night, delivering the same level of soulfulness as their recorded body of work. Suffice to say everything sounds unbelievable, when the various percussive bursts hit with ancient horns and poignant melodies, powerful harmonies of six vocalists at the same time hitting indescribable crescendos and climaxes. When this is juxtaposed in the middle of the set with Einar delivering a solo rendition of ‘Voluspá’, you can hear the delicate details of both his voice and his unique instrumentation.
There are few acts performing folk similarly to Wardruna, the experience of hearing these instruments played by professionals is a unique enough experience itself, but the band’s compositions and attention to performative detail seal the deal. The stage is adorned with various fauna and grasses, lending their presentation to the band’s traditional philosophies; but much as the instruments are mic’d, the band use interesting modern touches in their visual presentation as well. Using large white netting as a backdrop for subtle and overt projections (having the capsulation projected visual of a ring of sunlight slowly forming for ‘Solringen’) with the gorgeous lighting displays, at regular points casting gargantuan shadows of the performers at the back of the stage. At one point the stage is awash in haze that slowly rolls off and into the aisles where the patrons are sat lost in wonderment at the spectacle.
Truly, they are an experience like no other, master crafting a long form journey through their discography across their hour and forty minute set. Only moments of occasional quiet whilst switching instruments break up the flow between tracks, as otherwise the band are stoically committed to their performance. It is only as the main set comes to a close that band leader Einar Selvik addresses the crowd. It’s almost a shame he didn’t spend more time conversing as his knowledgeable charm and passion shine bright as he espouses the band’s philosophies: “The music is not about time travel or escapism… some things belong to stay in the past, others should not be forgotten, you learn from history and grow from it”.
That is Wardruna in a nutshell, it is about reconnecting with nature and human tradition, not letting human experience through song and signing die, and thanks the Birmingham audience for their adoration after a standing ovation. After a rousing full band performance of ‘Helvegen’ from Yggdrasil, a torch is brought out to light the chalices that have sat cold at the front of the stage all night. Einar delivers a little speech about musical tradition, discussing lullaby’s being some of the oldest human music and how many were about bears. A final goodbye in lullaby form, closing the night with a solo performance of the moving ‘Hibjørnen’ from Birna, as. It makes for a comforting ending after the profound nature of Wardruna’s main set, hammering home just how important the band’s work is in preservation.
Photo Credit: Taya Llewellyn
