Music

It's easy to see why singer-guitarist Jökull Júlíusson chose the name KALEO to conquer the world!

As far back as the mid-80s, Björk's Sugarcubes - aka Björk's first outlet - showed that the small volcanic island in northern Europe could produce a handful of unclassifiable musical nuggets. Since then, a lot of lava has flowed down the flanks of Eyjafjallajökull, the famous volcano that paralyzed European skies in 2010. With the exception of the electro trolls of Sigur Ros, Iceland tends to export artists who could (almost) be labeled “Americana”.

Kaleo's eponymous debut album was released in 2013, but it took another four years and a partial exile in Uncle Sam's country for his second effort, “A/B”, to propel him onto the international scene. Like Daniel Norgren (who is Swedish but sails in the same waters), Kaleo hardly needs any new songs to embark on a further world tour. “Surface Sounds”, which featured ‘Hey Gringo’ as its driving force, dates back to 2021, just before the Rolling Stones chose him to open a few European dates (including Belgium), but the Icelandic artist can make do with a few postcards sent over the networks to keep the flame alive. This year, for no particular reason other than a certain nostalgia and personal pleasure, he launched a cover of a lullaby from his childhood, “Sofðu Unga Ástin Mín”, which he even performs on certain evenings.

If, from the outset, “USA Today” (his latest single) paints a less than optimistic panorama of the United States, gangrened in particular by an uncontrollable tidal wave of firearms, this tour entitled “The Payback” (announced by the James Brown song before the artist took possession of the stage) has a little trouble getting into place. The choice of songs and Jökull's lack of contact with the audience didn't help matters. It's when he swaps his electric Gibson for an acoustic guitar to perform “All The Pretty Girls” that the Icelander finally breaks the ice. Despite the presence of “Automobile”, “Way Down We Go” and the aptly named “Rock'n Roller” at the end of the encore, which was certainly pleasant but hardly transcendent, Kaleo's visit to Belgium will not go down in the annals of history.

Tour dates

November 12: Zenith - Lille (France)

November 14: OVO Arena - London (England)

November 15: O2 Apollo - Manchester (England)

November 17: Civic Hall - Wolverhampton (England)

November 18: O2 Academy - Glasgow (Scotland)

November 20: Adidas Arena - Paris (France)

November 22: Komplex 457 - Zürich (Switzerland)

And all other dates here: https://www.officialkaleo.com/tour

(MH with AK - Photo: © Music Belgium Photos)

Photo: Jökull “JJ” Júlíusson with Kaleo on stage at Ancienne Belgique, Brussels (Belgium) November 11, 2024