Faroese musician Teitur has the unusual ability of being able to connect with his listeners through poetic, captivating storytelling.
His lyrics are the winding tales about a multifaceted collection of people in all walks of life, from the desperate hipster, through to the cell-phone vendor and the merry-go-man at amusement parks. Each character is treated with equal amounts of love and humor in the Teitur universe.
Backed by two cellists and another singer / guitarist, a drummer and a chap who was introduced as “the late Philip Seymour Hoffman, on percussion,” Teitur was at his usual captivating self.
His latest album, Story Music was at the helm of his set on Saturday which also featured a bit of his older material and was almost a carbon copy of his set in Århus 'Run the carousel' and 'Louis Louis' are but two tracks that were well received.
The former brought a welcome kicking impetus to an otherwise tame concert whilst 'Louis Louis' took a cocky stab at the politics of George W Bush when he was president.
The mixed audience reacted with discreet laughter at the political touch, and this was where the politics started and ended on the night.
The rest of the evening featured Teitur's lengthy banter accompanied by soft-spoken, discreetly placed musical arrangements that echoed with the unique creativity of Faroese musicianship, a lot of which has an almost spellbinding quality to it.
His is a form of musicianship that is replete with warmth and positive energy, elements that have been in short supply locally of late and that, by such virtue, were well received.
An extended three song encore came all too soon for many, most of all Teitur who looked as if he could have played for the entire evening and into dawn. Whilst his show was indeed a credible performance and an enjoyable experience that was shared by a very mixed crowd of old and young, there are some who felt that it was too close a copy of an earlier show in Århus.
This notwithstanding, originality was still an element that was present in plenty insofar as Teitur's musicianship was concerned. There are well and truly few Scandinavian musicians that can cultivate an identity as well as he does through his anecdotal renditions.
Teitur
Store Vega
February 22
