Photo: Press
Just as the Vikings once invaded centuries ago, they're coming back to storm London with an epic celebration of Norwegian metal and culture. Gigwise are proud partners of Skuggsja - and to welcome Enslaved and Wardruna.
Next March, London By Norse will be a three-day spectacular in the capital to celebrate 200 years of the Norwegian constitution with a range of awesome workshops, gigs and much more with the legendary Enslaved and the Nordic folk project, Wardruna - whose music featured in the hit TV show 'Vikings'.
During the events, Nordic metal icons Enslaved will celebrate their 25 years together as a band with three huge shows across the city - one at The Dome and another at The Forge before culminating at Shepherds Bush Empire with Skuggsja.
Skuggsja will be held on Saturday 19 March - a 'white knuckle' multimedia, art and music experience of historical and cultural exploration, with songs composed by Wardruna’s Einar Selvik and Enslaved’s Ivar Bjørnson, that will coincide with an album release via Season Of Mist Records.
For tickets and more information on the Shepherds Bush show, visit here.
Visit the London By Norse website for information and tickets regarding the individual events and passes to the whole weekend.
"Skuggsjá translates into ‘mirror’ or ‘reflection’ in the Norse language, and the commissioned piece not only contextualizes harder music’s role in the democracy in Norway in 2014, but also joins threads from the country’s ancient musical history and solidifies harder music’s position as Norway`s most important cultural export," reads a statement from the organisers.
"By highlighting ideas, traditions and instruments of their Norse past, Skuggsjá will tell the history of Norway and reflect relevant aspects from the past into the present day. In light of this they will reflect on themselves as a people and nation."
They added: "In a magnificent tapestry of metal instrumentation, a wide variety of Norway and Scandinavia’s oldest instruments, and poetry in Proto-Scandinavian, Norse and Norwegian, Skuggsjá will be a fusion between past and present, both lyrically and musically."
Ivar from Enslaved says: “That London By Norse is taking place is just epic! It is truly a wishlist of an event, encompassing all the elements I could hope for during the course of a London weekend: playing with my own band(s) and performing with my friend and brother-in-arms Einar Selvik and his Wardruna warriors. This will be one for the history books, I simply cannot wait!”
“The last time we performed in London was a fantastic experience,” says Einar of Wardruna, “and so when finally returning to the British Isles we really wanted to do more than just play a single concert. So in the spirit of old Norse tradition on western travel and trade we hope to make more of a cultural imprint with the London by Norse event and can only hope that this time the tales of our visit will not only be recorded by Christian monks with a political agenda.
"I really look forward to celebrating the spring equinox in London and present a broad cultural event together with some of my favourite people!”
