Die Heiterkeit came to
my attention while I attended my
last SXSW before I moved to Germany. I thoroughly enjoyed the
brief set I saw. Since then, bandleader Stella Sommer put out an
English-language solo album, 13 Kinds of Happiness,
and just about a
month ago, Die Heiterkeit released Was passiert ist.
The new album is
more condensed than their
prior masterpiece, Pop
& Tod I + II (2016),
and may
be even better.
Artist: Die Heiterkeit
Venue: Lido
Location: Berlin,
Germany
Date: 30 March 2019
Opening Act: Hans
Unstern
Hans Unstern
appeared alone with a harp. His voice was high and thin but
well-paired to his intricate instrumental prowess. He occasionally
strummed the harp to reveal its traditional beauty, but mostly relied
on a plucking style that was a match for any piano or classical
guitar arrangement. The counterpoint of the repetitive higher parts
against
a more dynamic bass part was an inversion of typical popular music
norms, but this clearly wasn't standard-issue pop music. I was
mesmerized by the fingerwork, even if the songs themselves weren't
especially captivating.
Naturally, I also appreciated his unconventional fashion and
appearance.
[Hans Unstern.]
Die Heiterkeit
again performed as a four-piece, but from what I could tell, the
entire band besides vocalist/guitarist/keyboardist Stella Sommer has
changed since the last time I saw them in 2017. Their sound and
aesthetic were so similar that I didn't even notice at first. The
other three members again filled the roles of keyboardist/vocalist,
bassist, and drummer.
The band played songs
from all four of their albums, unsurprisingly focusing on their
latest. The new songs were almost across the board a delight, and the
band seemed more engaged playing them. The bassist played a slightly
more active role, filling much of the melodic space and even taking a
solo in one song. Sommer mostly strummed a capoed guitar with clean
and subdued tones, but also switched off with a keyboard, where she
was able to show off a bit more dexterity.
The cold but grandiose
tones of their albums came somewhat more alive on stage, but other
than a couple small hiccups, they played with an impressive tightness
and accuracy. Sommer's deep and stately voice remained the highlight
of the show. Her style struck me as something uniquely well-suited
for singing in German, in that what would otherwise seem like an
exaggerated enunciation is instead an expression of emotional depth
and proof of mastery of the voice.
[Die Heiterkeit.]
After closing the main
set, the band almost immediately returned for a lengthy encore of
four more songs. For the latter two, Hans Unstern joined the band on
the side of the stage to provide some additional harmony vocals.
These last two were somber numbers that seemed like a fitting end,
but the crowd continued cheering for another encore. The house music
had come on and I was fairly certain it was over, but to my surprise,
after a few minutes they filtered back out. First, Sommer played a
song on guitar accompanied only by the bassist, and then she played a
brief lullaby in English. It was perhaps an even more appropriate
conclusion than the first encore.
[Encore with Hans Unstern.]
Die Heiterkeit risk
sounding depressive and restrained, but something in their dramatic
energy has the opposite effect. They were still fairly rigid on
stage, but their concentrated focus resulted in a solid performance,
and they came across more human than on their studio recordings. At
times, one is left wishing for a flourish or some greater cause for
excitement. But if you can do without that, it is easy to get
entranced by their darkly beautiful tones.
Scores:
Hans Unstern: B-
Die Heiterkeit: B+
[Edit 2019.04.17:] Die Heiterkeit have published a video of the second encore. The two songs were "Kapitän" and the English folk tune "Lavender's Blue".
[Edit 2019.04.17:] Die Heiterkeit have published a video of the second encore. The two songs were "Kapitän" and the English folk tune "Lavender's Blue".
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