The ever popular Finnish fiddle band Frigg are set to embark on their eagerly awaited first tour of the UK in January 2013. Named after the Norse goddess of love and fertility, this freewheeling, feelgood septet have created their own captivating style of music – Nordgrass, fusing Nordic folk and American bluegrass.
Now, with five successful albums, a folk music “Album of the Year” nomination and ‘Top of the World’ features in Songlines magazine, Frigg have firmly established themselves as the leading act on the Nordic scene.
Fast, furious and fun, the innovative young combo features the virtuosic talents of three members of the famed Jarvela family from the central Finland village of the same name in the municipality of Kaustinen – siblings Alina and Esjo Jarvela and their cousin Antti, the band’s frontman.
The three are from the family’s fourth generation of famous fiddlers though Antii turns his hand to the double bass in this unstoppable, high-energy line-up.
Boasting several multi-instrumentalists, the four front-row fiddles and double bass are complemented by Petri Prauda’s cittern, mandolin, bagpipes and Jew’s harp and Tuomas Logren’s guitar and dobro.
Drawing first and foremost on the folk music heritage of their homeland, their fjord and forest-imbued Nordic tunes are peppered with innovative infusions of world music styles from Celtic to Balkan and Americana, making for a truly distinctive, irrepressible and life-affirming sound.
Frigg’s globetrotting has seen them complete six extensive tours of North America, together with tours of Australia, Japan, Germany, Austria, the Benelux countries, appearances in Malaysia, Spain, Portugal, France and this November, a second tour of Switzerland.
Now it’s high time for their first foray into England. Scottish audiences have already had a sneak preview back in 2009 when Frigg played the Shetland Folk Festival (video below) and then drove a wild crowd wilder when they performed in A Taste of Shetland at Glasgow’s Old Fruitmarket.
The tour will give them the opportunity to Showcase their lively new CD Polka V, they kick start the tour in Scotland, as part of the world’s biggest indoor winter music festival – the famous Celtic Connections. They will appear at Glasgow’s Mitchell Theatre (Wednesday, January 30).
“There aren’t many bands who can better a perfect album, but Frigg has done it with Polka V. Their playing is as exquisite as always and there’s a greater depth of invention, fun and beauty than ever. Frigg has done it again!” – Fiona Talkington, BBC
Promising audiences “a hair-raising, voice-losing, heart-burstingly beautiful gig full of traditional Finnish tunes with Norwegian detours” the tour will move on to Lancashire for a show at Bury Met (recently voted one of the UK’s top venues) followed by gigs in Lincoln and Malvern, Worcestershire ahead of a finale at The Sage, Gateshead.
Video
At Shetland Folk Festival
At Folk Baltica
Tour Dates
30 Jan GLASGOW Mitchell Theatre, Celtic Connections 0141 353 8000
31 Jan BURY The Met 0161 761 2216
01 Feb LINCOLN North Hykeham, Terry O’Toole Theatre 01522 883311
02 Feb MALVERN Colwall Village Hall 01684 540366
03 Feb GATESHEAD The Sage 0191 443 4661
Photo Credit:Lieve Boussauw (b-lieve.be)