It’s the night before the royal wedding, London is awash with bunting and the subjects of our little island are hurtling themselves into four day weekend reverie. I decide I need a little respite from the patriotism and head to the Ja Ja Ja night for some Icelandic indie pop instead, in the shape of Feldberg.
The Reykjavik natives are comprised of multi-instrumentalist Einar Tönsberg (aka Eberg) and vocalist Rósa Birgitta Ísfeld, tonight their crisp pop sound is bolstered by a very smiley drummer and they’re the middle band at the monthly Nordic music night.
Their sound is catchy, sweet but not too saccharine and delivered with wit and charm. Einar plays acoustic guitar, programmes beats and sings while Rosa sings and dances coquettishly. The band are touring to promote their debut album Don’t be a stranger which was originally released in 2009 in Iceland but is only just being unleashed on British ears.
Rósa’s vocals are at times girly and sweet and part sultry and infused with Nordic inflections: similar to fellow Icelander Emiliana Torrini and comparable to Julia Stone of Angus & Julia Stone (so I’m informed by my compañero for the evening, and yes I can hear that too.)
Most of their songs feel like conversations set to music, and as with many girl/boy duos they have a ‘his and hers’ point- of -view particularly on ‘Dreamin’. ‘You and Me’ is a twinkly, 60s pop-esque ditty with an upbeat melody but tinged with a little melancholy. ‘Farewell’ is a reluctant ode to breaking up and one of their slower songs.
Their melodies are pretty infectious, and so is their enthusiasm. Rósa tells silly stories about pre-gig wardrobe malfunctions and asks us to buy their album because “it will make the bus ride to the airport easier”. Stage productions are limited to a mask of the Queen and some hand-held ticker tape dispensers – it’s like an impromptu carnival in a fancy dress shop, and I love it.
Don’t be a stranger is out now, check them out, they should definitely make enough for a few flamboyant return visits.