Okay so first of all, yes, I am well aware this isn’t the sort of music we typically cover here at Overtone. But I am a big fan of Daði Freyr ‘s music so I headed down to see him on a cold winters night. And, he was so damn good, I just had to write about it!
Supporting them were the wonderful trio, BLUSHER. The ladies had travelled all the way from Australia for the tour and mentioned how it was their first time playing in the UK. And, honestly, they were fantastic. Their voices all paired together perfectly, and when they sang individually they all sounded amazing, too. And their showmanship was great, too. From synchronized dancing to switching positions depending on who took the lead, the trio were clearly professionals. Not a single part of the stage wasn’t used and there was always something going on. It was impossible to take your eyes off of!
Don’t get me wrong, it’s not exactly my sort of thing. It’s very radio-friendly pop music. However, they were a lot of fun to watch live and I’d highly recommend you give them a chance if they’re ever playing nearby!
Surprisingly enough, they were the only support. Next up was the man of the hour, Daði Freyr himself. I fell in love with him after seeing his Eurovision performance a few years back, so between that and checking out his videos, I was a tad worried how the show would be when it was just him and two others on stage. My worry was almost immediately silenced. The show was captivating, brilliant and fucking awesome. Between the percussionist, the guitarist and Daði himself, they owned the stage. And, it truly felt more like a band than a solo act, which was awesome to see. Especially since both were amazing at their craft. Whether it was the electric drums, pitch perfect backing vocals or utterly incredible guitar work, they are the perfect two to work alongside Daði Freyr.
As for the setlist, it was arranged pretty perfectly. Understandably heavy on tracks from the latest album, opening on ‘Thank You’ was perfect. From there we launched through funky numbers like ‘Skiptir ekki máli’ and ‘Sabada’, as well as slower, introspective songs like ‘Sunshine’. Heck, it even got pretty heavy with German techno track ‘Bitte’. And of course we got plenty of crowd favourites like ‘I’m Fine’, ‘Moves to Make’ and Eurovision tracks ’10 Years’ and ‘Think About Things’. Heck, he even had time to squeeze in a couple of covers for the encore. A stripped back version of McFly’s ‘Obviously’ and the hugely popular ‘Whole Again’.
Again, I just want to shout out just how good a performance the band put on. Considering they couldn’t move around a huge amount, they made use of what space they could. The huge inflatable Daði Freyr head and hands at the back of the stage were hilarious, too. It was one of the best live sets I’ve seen all year, and that’s saying something!
So, safe to say I enjoyed myself! Both bands did a fantastic job performing for a packed out Rock City, and I honestly couldn’t ask for anything more. If you get the chance to see either of the acts live any time soon, I cannot recommend it enough. I already want to see Daði Freyr again immediately. Hopefully next time he can run and even bigger venue!