Reolô

Reolô @Jazz Ravne | 26 May, Ravne na Koroškem

Reolô @Kulturni dom Krško | 28 May, Krško

As you listen to the opening track on Dystopi Delete, Reolô’s second album, you could be forgiven for picturing the Vikings landing on the West African coast, making their way across the Sahara to jam with the Tuareg before returning home, via a visit to the States, to play some jazz – and do it at least as well as those most celebrated Norwegian jazzers whose talents we can never seem to get enough of.

The boundaries between folk and jazz have always been somewhat porous in Norway; if they weren’t, we wouldn’t be hearing the brilliant drummer Hans Hulbækmo in jazz projects such as Atomic, nor would he have appeared at last year’s Druga Godba with Mari Kvien Brunvoll and the Moskus trio, let alone be playing alt-folk with Reolô.

  Dystopi Delete by Reolô

(Sheep Chase Records, 2025)

Just so you’re sure: this is modern Norwegian folk by a band with a deep, research-based expertise in traditional playing and singing. At this point you’re probably asking yourself what a concert of their will sound like. Eyewitnesses, including a few from Slovenia, will tell you that there’s no better Norwegian live band at the moment. They’ll also tell you that Reolô are gaining something of a cult following, and that youngsters are skipping school after partying a little too hard to the band the night before.

It’s not all fun and games though. Reolô know how to be as dark as a Norwegian winter, with plenty to appeal to fans of The Velvet Underground and The Dirty Three. But if you do want to be at least half as cool as this lot, you’ll have to stay up a bit later on Wednesday night, then take the next day off. Just like they would in Norway.

Anders Røine (vocals, guitar, langeleik, jaw harp) / Hans Kjorstad (violin, synthesiser, vocals) / Rasmus Kjorstad (violin, baritone violin, langeleik, vocals) / Magnus Skavhaug Nergaard (bass) / Hans Hulbækmo (drums, percussion, synthesiser, jaw harp, vocals) 

Co-produced by Druga Godba & Cankarjev Dom.