Heilung / Bridgewater Hall / Manchester

Jan 23

Jan 23 Heilung / Bridgewater Hall / Manchester

So tonight we headed out on a 220 mile round trip journey to Manchester, and the impressive Bridgewater Hall to see Heilung. Home to the world famous Hallé orchestra and choir, tonight’s performance is a little different. I have to admit to a certain bias here, having their albums Lifa (2018) and Ofnir (2018). This was a trip well worth making ! The incredible acoustics of the venue should hopefully add to the experience.

First up on stage was Rome-based singer/musician Lili Refrain. Performing alone, she strikes an imposing figure on stage in long flowing black with black and red face paint. Playing drums and guitar Lili uses a Looper effect pedal to record and repeat a drum line, allowing her to then add additional drum parts on top, or play guitar/synth. Nothing is pre-recorded, it’s looped and created live. This allows the creation of a far deeper sound. The sound is full and compliments her vocals and chants. It doesn’t fit well in any specific genre, working beyond and round usual boundaries to create something mystical and enjoyable. Lili sets the scene beautifully for what’s to come later.

After a short break we are joined by Faroese singer Eivør. Most notably, in 2018, Eivør collaborated with John Lunn on the soundtrack to The Last Kingdom, and in 2020, she released her latest album “Segl”. I’ve been enjoying the album for some time, with it’s narrative about feelings of homesickness and returning to your roots. (Available on Spotify I thoroughly recommend it as a great, relaxing listen).

Eivør’s set is perhaps the least pagan/ritualistic of the three on offer tonight, as she delivers a wonderful set of folk fused with elements of pop and rock. Rising above it all is her incredible voice. The track best known to the audience “The Last Kingdom” is of course included and received a warm welcome. Eivør’s voice is exceptional, and as her short set ends, the majority of the audience rise to their feet to give her a richly deserved ovation.

A longer break in proceedings as the set is prepared for the main act. Talking to some of the front of house / security staff, they are really excited to see what this is like…. It’s very different to the usual performances in the Hall ! I thought I must remember to check in afterwards to see what they thought.

So what are Heilung ? Well, they were formed in 2014 by Kai Faust (German) and Christopher Juul (Danish) and shortly afterwards were joined by Maria Franz (Norwegian). Faust explains that the name Heilung means "healing" in German, and that the the listener “is supposed to be left at ease and in a relaxed state after a magical musical journey that is at times turbulent".

Often over-simplified as being about Viking music, Heilung actually cover a broad range of ancient cultures and sounds, focusing on iron and bronze age, as well as viking and other northern cultures. The lyrics are sung in German, Gothic, Latin and Old Norse. Although modern equipment is used to amplify the sound, they favour ancient instruments such as bells, bones, rattles and Nordic throat singing.

Their music has become popular with heavy metal fans as well which has helped build their chart success. As a result their CV includes work on TV series such as ‘Game of Thrones’ and ‘Vikings’ as well as cinema epic ‘The Northman’.

The three core members are joined by touring musicians and a group of actors & dancers (the Heilung Warriors). All are dressed in tribal attire with horns, antlers, furs and painted faces. Many dressed as worriers, topless with war paint, shields and spears.

The stage is impressive, with a large runic rug and trees creating a feel of a pagan ritual site. A shaman enters the stage, and carries out a ritual, wafting smoke across the performance area and towards the audience. The ensemble join him on stage forming a circle, and he continues the ritual, anointing them each in turn with the smoke. With incantations, the ritual immediately takes the audience away from the ‘concert’ mentality/situation, deep into the forest as part of this pagan event. It’s mesmerising and the crowd are gripped in silence as they watch.

The musicians and dances take their places and with cries and drumbeats, the main performance starts. It’s not so much a musical concert….. more a fully immersive piece of performance art, mixing songs with dance and ritual.

Early in the set we get the excellent Alfadhirhaiti, one of my favourite pieces. The introduction is eerie as the singers vocalise the sound of two wolves howling. Kai calls out the names Geri, then Freki, the wolves that accompanied the god Odin. The wolf calls almost sound conversational as they communicate across the forest. Then there is a wonderful moment. As the drums join adding a rhythmic beat, the two wolf calls become organised. Merging into one tone. At that moment it magically becomes music, which in it’s simplest form is ‘structured sounds’. It’s also an excellent example of their use of throat singing, utilising sub-harmonics to deliver a loud repetitive chant, which is then taken up and echoed by the wall of painted warriors. Just breathe taking !

As the set continues other great sections are added such as “Krigsgaldr”, “Hakkerskaldyr” and “Elddansurin”. Although almost no one can sing along, the audience are mesmerised by the vocals and the viusual spectacle in front of them.

I have to say as well, the incredible acoustics of the Bridgewater Hall did not disappoint. The drums and spears hitting shields feel enormous and pound out at the audience, beating your chest with every note, and yet, the soft delicate female vocals are crisp and sit over the musical soundscape so clearly. As the songs and chants come at us thick and fast, the actors and dances perform a varied performance. Sometimes fierce warriors ready for battle, at other times, soft and gentle as they pay homage to the womenfolk. The range is impressive, covering themes such as life, death, religion, war and love.

As the set comes to an end we enjoy an extended version of “Hamrer Hyppier” in which the whole group are going wild, the audience are on their feet shouting and cheering along, before a calming closing ritual ceremony to end the night.

It’s hard to pigeon-hole Heilung into any musical category. It is so so much more than that. As said earlier, it is performance art, hitting all your senses at once. Clearly Kai, Christopher and Maria has a deep seated passion for their craft and for preserving ancient ways.

I’ve come away from many concerts feeling amped up, pumped full of adrenaline and ready to take on the world. Or sometimes smiling from ear to ear, full of joy and excited. But Heilung is something very very different. The name Heilung means “healing” and I can say with all honesty, it’s the most spiritual thing I have ever experienced.

On my way out, I spotted one of the security staff I had spoken to earlier. Going up to him to say thank you for his kindness and help earlier I asked, ‘so what did you think?’ The reply came back simply….. “wow… mind blown”. I think that says it best of all !

Set List

Opening Ceremony

In Maidjan

Alfadhirhaiti

Asja

Krigsgaldr

Hakkerskaldyr

Svanrand

Norupo

Othan

Traust

Anoana