Madrugada were one of Norway’s most sought after band in the years 2005-2007, until their guitarist Robert Buraas died in 2007. The band continued playing together for a year, but then their singer Sivert Hoyem went solo, and he has so far released five solo CDs, the last one,  Endless Love, this year. He is recently on a tour to promote the CD, and yesterday night he played at Studentersamfundet in Trondheim.

Studentersamfundet is the house for the student society in Trondheim. It was opened in 1929, thus celebrating its 85 year anniversary this year. The house has many different venues, and the main one, Storsalen, is used for concerts. It has a capacity of 1000 and is perfect for concerts like last night with SIvert Hoyem.

Sivert Hoyem’s force is his voice and his songwriting. He has a deep and mellow voice that fits perfectly with his songs. They are often majestic, droning, with less tonal leaps than most pop songs, but this, coupled with his grand voice, makes his songs characteristic and personal. Although not easily accessible, Sivert Hoyem is one of the most sought after Norwegian artists, both on CD and live.

Sivert Hoyem’s band is tight and hard. His “maestro” for many years is Cato Salsa, who plays guitar and keyboards. The rest of the band is guitar, keyboard, bass, drums, while Sivert sings and plays acoustic guitar. Their sound fits Sivert’s songs perfectly, being based on riffs and long build-ups of the songs.

Storsalen was sold out, and I noticed that the audience was a bit older than I have seen there. Sivert Hoyem has dedicated fans, and they showed up last night. The set list was a mix of old and new songs and the fans were satisfied. Endless Love has already reached number one on the Norwegian charts.

The concert yesterday was the third on a tour to the main cities in Norway. In May he goes on a European tour to Sweden, Germany, Switzerland, UK, Belgium, France and the Netherlands. This summer he plays several festivals, among them Bergen Fest, Over Oslo, in Harstad, Oscarsborg Acoustic Festival, Kongsberg and Molde Jazz Festival, Parken in Bodoe and Olavsfestdagene in Trondheim.

All pictures are © Per Ole Hagen and must not be used without written permission.