Madrugada
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from:	- Jai Stokes
re:	Madrugada live at The Barfly

Their first gig in the UK at the Barfly could not have been better received. The might of a stadium act packed into the bite sized Monarch is the perfect way to see a band of Madrugada's calibre. OK so they have already gone platinum in their native Norway and are now pulling punters in across Europe on their current tour - but as any self respecting musician will know - London is the key to cracking open the safe of seminal rock. Packed in, the crowd stood shoulder to shoulder - you could almost hear their IMPRESS US pheromones fusing from their pints. Impress us they certainly did, from the word go.

Under a sea of red lights appeared the brooding blue Madrugada. Robert , Jon, Frode and vocalist Sivert came on unassumingly and delivered a masterclass in absorbing and redefining influence. From Joy Division to Nick Cave to the Doors. That is not to say that Madrugada don't have their own sound, quite simply they do. It is just you can never really resist pigeonholing bands no matter how many times they tell us that they do not fit into a neat slot. Madragada paint their native landscapes through long and building songs which suck you in to the point that you are unconsciously exhaling smoke rings before the final chord is struck. More mesmerising than concentric circles Sivert's, alternating deep and soaring undulations took away the Wednesday nightness of the day to the best Saturday night out. Robert, Jon and Frode are about as far away from the backing band as you can get, all providing the essential ingredients that make the band - a band's band, relying totally on quality control than the folly of hype. (NB they shot to no 1 in Norway purely by touring hard and the word of mouth.)

Debut album Industrial Silence reveals slightly more organ than the live experience but most importantly captures the essence of the moodiness that epitomises Madrugada.

Madrugada are coming back to the UK later in the year. Do yourself a favour.

-- by Jai Stokes © 2000