GiggingNI.com

Leona Naess

With Kristofer Astrom;

I didn't really know what to expect from this gig at first - to be honest, I never heard of either of them before. However, that is where research comes in. After dwelling deep into their careers I found out a few facts which surprised me but at the same time, inspired me. They would probably inspire anyone. Leona Naess, a modest reserved woman, was born in the big apple itself, New York City, however was raised in London, despite her parents coming from Scandinavia. Although she has a degree in Anthropology, she did not see her life preying deep into the study of human beings, but found her love for music when she started listening to Dylan. However after releasing three albums respectively in 'Comatised', 'I Tried to Rock You But You Only Roll' and 'Leona Naess', Naess found herself in the deep mourning and pain when her father tragically passed away in 2004 after a climbing accident. Naess' didn't release a record for a while, which seen her dropped from her label and ditched by her manager, but she continued writing - not because she had to because that's the way she dealt with things. Collaborating with Samuel Dixon, music producer, Leona Naess put her four years worth of writing into good use which will see the release of her latest album, 'Thirteens', on May 11th 2009.

Kristofer Astrom came onto stage, whilst the crowd continued to talk amongst themselves at the back of the room enjoying a drink or two, to the sound of scattered applause. The man himself grabbed his electric guitar, unfazed by the distractions, and started to play. Rhyming out songs, about people he disliked, such as "Blind Motherfucker" and "Big Lie, Idiot Die", people started getting more interested in what he was playing. Although people were already interested, the Swede decided to make it a little more interesting for himself when he started playing the harmonica whilst strumming chords on his guitar. I must say, I was impressed by his songs and the talent is there for all to see. I have a feeling, it isn't the last you've seen, or will hear, from him.

Although, I must admit, I did this in reverse order and we did miss out on A Camp who were the main act of the night but however I still witnessed some great acts and in my opinion, Leona Naess was the highlight of the night. Despite some sound difficulties are the start of her set, this did not affect the sound that both Leona and her partner created through the set. Flowing out melodies to tunes like 'Swing Gently' and 'Shiny on the Inside', it was evident that talent was on show. In my opinion, the best song of her set was 'Leave Your Boyfriends Behind' with Leona's flawless vocals, which puts her up there with the best, and the delivery of the lyrics, this is a song that gets even the most coolest people trapping their feet and singing along. The only thing that's holding Leona Naess back is her modesty and nerves on stage, as it's certain that she has the talent to hit the charts and be as good as the best.