Wardruna in Chemnitz @ Filmnächte

16.08.2025, Chemnitz, Germany

You can find the gallery with all the photos **HERE**

The sun was shining, the mood was good, and after entering, you found yourself surrounded by culture—in front of you was the stage with its transparent roof, and on one side was a beautiful church, while on the other side you could have visited an exhibition on Munch in the museum. But on this Friday, it was probably other Norwegians who were the reason for everyone milling around in front of the entrance and the stage.

While the sun was really shining, the die-hard fans who had arrived early were able to stock up on food, drinks, and, of course, merchandise—or have a chat with one of the friendly security staff members. The atmosphere was relaxed and you could feel the anticipation, even though the theater square was filling up slowly and quite a few people were still streaming in shortly before the concert started.

And then it started – it was unusually bright, so unfortunately we couldn’t admire the fascinating shadow play at the beginning of “Kvitravn” as the opener, and the sun hadn’t finished its shift for the next two songs either. Did it detract from the atmosphere? A little, yes – at least you could see it in some of the fans who were probably familiar with club shows or shows in the dark and had been looking forward to the effects. Did that make the mood worse? Definitely not – because in the end, it’s the music that counts, and Wardruna always scores points there: the songs sound great live, are played to perfection, and you can see the passion in every movement, hear it in every note sung and played, and can’t help but be captivated.

Relatively early on – right at number two – Chemnitz got its first taste of the upcoming winter tour, as “Hertan” from the current album “Birna” was performed. The song has been in the set list for a while, but you could see from the shining eyes that at least only few people had already had the chance to experience it live. Together with “Hibjørnen”, “Himinndotter,” and “Birna” (the title track of the album), they marked the new cycle, while the rest of the set list reflected a well-done and largely familiar mix from the older albums. There was one exception, however: “Vindavlarljod” had only been played live since the UK tour – and that’s exactly what the audience liked a lot – a tiny but effective change.

But even the older songs mentioned above have never lost their magic – songs like “Skugge,” “Solringen” or “Fehu” have been celebrated for years as if they had never been played live before – and rightly so, because when music is presented with such passion and love, it deserves to be celebrated – and it is celebrated: no matter which song was played, the applause was loud and hardly anyone could explain why time flew by as quickly as it did.

But it’s not just joy and the desire to dance that fans experience during a Wardruna show (and also a part of the band, if you look at singer Lindy-Fay Hella and her dances). — deep emotions are also in abundance, as “Lyfjaberg” proves againand again, and if you look closely, you’ll see a disproportionate number of tissues and teary eyes. The quiet sounds are in the minority, but they never fail to make an impact – “Voluspá” is not only a song you can’t get enough of, but also was the audible favorite of the Chemnitz audience.

The concert, which was over far too quickly, ended on a truly calm, thoughtful, and contemplative note: after singer Einar Selvik addressed the audience with the only real speech of the evening and explained that the next song was about having to say goodbye to loved ones due to death, having to let go, and that the tradition (like many others) used to be accompanying it by singing and that it was now fading, “Helvegen” began. Dark red light, lit torches—an atmosphere that conveys what the song is about even without knowing the lyrics. And it touches the heart.

After that, most of the band “parted ways,” and only Einar Selvik and his Kravik lyre remained on stage—because what would a late evening be without being lulled to sleep as a farewell with a lullaby like “Hibjørnen”? He humorously remarked that he didn’t hope we wouldn´t actually fall asleep, but the song managed to soften the heaviness of “Helvegen” and sent us out of the concert in an eerily calm and peaceful mood. But of course only after there had been one last round of thunderous applause.

What can one say? It was once again a Wardruna show to remember—full of magic, passion, raw emotion, and an atmosphere in which one simply felt at ease and was able to let go.