Norwegian singer-songwriter Anna of the North performed at Barboza – the last stop on her Crazy Life Tour. Flanked by her band and backup singer, Anna displayed a lot of interaction with the audience during her set, which the crowd loved. The Seattle show was supposed to be the last of the tour, but it quickly sold-out and a second night was added. Anna’s set ended as she jumped off the stage and danced with the audience to Cher’s “Believe”. Fellow Norwegian RebMoe opened, followed by Montana-based MARIS.
Rocker Maggie Lindemann recently returned to Seattle – this time headlining her Suckerpunch World Tour. All of the US dates have sold out, and this was clearly the case at Barboza as the audience packed the venue. Maggie delivered an intense and energetic performance, while the crowd headbanged, sang and danced. Singer-songwriter Kailee Morgue opened.
Norwegian avant-garde pop artist Jenny Hval returned to Seattle on May 20, 2022. Her previous visit in May 2018 included a trio show at the Nordic Heritage Museum, and before that she played solo at Kremwerk in November 2016. This time she brought a 5-piece band.
Hval was witty at the mic. After the audience applauded too enthusiastically for an older tune, “Female Vampire,” she deadpanned, “Rest your hands or we’ll get full of ourselves and do a 17-minute encore—only songs from 1998 to 2004.”
During “Freedom,” the audience received instructions: “Close your eyes now. Listen. There is nothing left to see.” Hval sat on her knees and the lights dimmed. Afterward she said, “For those of you in the back, wondering if you were missing something really interesting, you were not.”
Hval did not include the usual assortment of quirky props, which she commented upon during the set: “I thought it was appropriate, after rooms being empty for so long, to have an empty room around me.” She also cited a messy onstage run-in with “goo.”
Berlin-based experimental artist Discovery Zone (AKA J.J. Weihl) opened, with a set of electronics, vocals, Theremin, and nostalgic screen-saver visuals.
After Seattle, Jenny Hval continued down the U.S. West Coast, with stops in Portland, Oakland, and Los Angeles. She plans a European tour later this summer.
