Recensie Hogni

Högni Egilsson’s name asks no questions in his homeland - he’s been an important figure of the Icelandic music stage for years. Having composed music for theatre, films and television in Iceland, he is better known in Europe as a former member of the electronic music band GusGus and as a frontman of the indie rock band Hjaltalín.

On October 20, 2017 he released his solo debut album Two Trains under the label Erased Tapes. The album has been a work of many years, put on hold by extensive touring with two other bands and by personal reasons. Thus Two Trains is a reflection of a tough period in Högni’s life and his relationship with the world.

The album was initially inspired by the story of two locomotives Minør and Pionér that were used to build Reykjavík harbour in 1913-1917 and remain the only trains ever used in Iceland. Exhibited now, they serve only as a memory of a beginning of a new era in Iceland’s history and as a symbol of the past meeting the progressive.

For the only stop in the Baltics during the tour, the concert took place in the concert hall ‘C?”sis’ in Latvia. There, in an intimate performance as a part of the concert session ‘Ambient Stage’, all the personal stories of the travel of Högni‘s inner emotional train through time from past to future were embodied.

Songs from the album both in Icelandic and English were played. Industrial sounds, electric beats, guitar, peaceful piano and the magic singing of Högni merged in an emotional experience filling the space, overwhelming the emotions of a listener and creating a true and warm atmosphere.

Don’t miss it on February 11th in Belgium at Cactus Club, Bruges, and check other tour dates to experience all this on your own.

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