Twin meets Fever Ray

Both a project and a persona, Fever Ray is the solo venture of Karin Dreijer Andersson, one half of brother-sister duo, The Knife. In taking to the stage at last month’s Bestival she concluded a world tour that lasted eighteen-months. The experience has seen Andersson forge her own distinct musical identity, with a sound that’s not entirely at odds with her established stylistic reputation.

“The songs are about the subconscious.” she explains, “A lot of it is like daydreaming – dreaming when you’re awake.” It’s an atmosphere that’s heightened through fantastical on-stage design. Lampshades switch on and off in time to her songs, visually enhancing the undulating bass rhythms of her set, providing a fitting backdrop to her theatrical stage persona. Masked, feathered and cocooned in tribal robes, Andersson layers her haunting vocals on top of pulsating beats in songs such as ‘When I Grow Up’ and ‘Triangle Walks’. Like a surrealist siren she draws in the crowds. The word on everyone’s lips as they stand captivated by her unique performance is – mesmerizing.

www.feverray.com

Words by Sarah Howell.

Tags: Bestival, Fever Ray, Karin Dreijer Andersson, the knife

Fusing dark synth, surrealist lyrics and the occult – you can’t accuse Swedish pop band The Knife of being predictable. Working out of Stockholm, the brother/sister duo, Karin Dreijer Andersson and Olof Dreijer, have been making electro hits together since 1999. Staying deliberately secluded from the mainstream, the twosome seem to want their music to stay a dark secret. The enigmatic band are touring one of their most unusual projects to date – an opera entitled, ‘Tomorrow, in a Year’.

Commissioned by experimental Danish theatre group, Hotel Pro Forma, the libretto is all about natural selection, taking inspiration from the father of evolution, Charles Darwin. We caught the show at The Barbican last month. It’s an astounding amalgamation of art and science – covering everything from evolutionary theory to Darwin’s love letters about his daughter, Anne. Innovative, enthralling and chilling – it’s opera, but not as we know it.

‘Tomorrow, in a Year’ the album is out now. The opera will be showing at the Melborne International Arts Festival from 21st – 23rd October.

theknife.net

Words by Felicity Shaw

Tags: Felicity Shaw, hotel pro forma, Karin Dreijer Andersson, Olof Dreijer, the knife