Dan Berglund  - Tonbruket Live - Queen Elizabeth Hall London

+ Youn Sun Nah & Ulf Wakenius

From 15/3/2010

Though unable to boast the elaborate, foreboding gothic architecture of some venues of its calibre, London’s Queen Elizabeth Hall (part of the Southbank Centre complex) always provides a welcoming atmosphere and fantastic acoustics, making it a fitting venue for the very first performance from upright bass maestro Dan Berglund’s post E.S.T. project, Tonbruket, in the capital. Tonight’s is a much anticipated show, a cosmopolitan crowd making the trip to the riverbank in time to pick up a beer, or some of the venue’s unique ‘Minghella’ ice cream, before taking their seats in time for tonight’s opening duo Youn Sun Nah and Ulf Wakenius. Wakenius is much renowned for his boundlessly expressive guitar skills, introductory solo piece ‘Love is For Real’ a deeply moving tribute to Berglund’s sadly deceased bandmate Eisbjorn Svensson, but tonight it’s accompanying vocalist Youn Sun Nah who is the real revelation; possessing a seemingly boundless vocal range and charming demeanour, it’s difficult not to be won over by her sometimes wild eyed, always striking performance . In a set that runs from the hauntingly desolate (the self penned ‘Voyage’) to the simply irrepressible (joyous tune ‘Please, Don’t Be Sad’, featuring Sun Nah’s inimitable scatting technique), the two musicians play off one another remarkably well, neither threatening to overshadow or undermine the other’s stellar, musicianship... as the final wave of applause rolls in it is clear that this audience is unlikely to forget this particular set in a hurry.

Following that display is quite a task but if anybody can do it Dan Berglund and Tonbruket can; while the four musicians take up their places onstage the air is thick with anticipation. Thankfully the intriguingly diverse vibe of the band’s self titled release seems to translate into a powerful, electrifying live show, their multi instrumental, electronically laced soundtracks filtered through the volume, intensity and drive of heavy rock... they seem determined to introduce modern jazz fans to the concept of post-concert tinnitus. But while ‘Monstrous Colossus stomps along in a manner that could happily be described as ‘heavy,’ other compositions such as ‘Sister Sad’ and ‘Song For E’ pack comparable impact through a very different, organically ambient approach, the rich tones of Berglund’s bass forming a bedrock on which haunting strains of piano and dashes of acoustic guitar, violin, pedalsteel, percussion and more twist and intertwine, creating an altogether transfixing musical construct. There’s real passion and, yes, humour to be found here, Johan Lindstrom’s malfunctioning amplifier seeing the quartet forced to adjust a section of their performance on the go, much to their, and the crowd’s, entertainment. Tonbruket’s future should be fascinating, with the wealth of musical prowess and experience at their fingertips... hopefully there will be plenty of performances like tonight’s to come.