Ólöf Arnalds - Oslo Hackney, 29/09/2014

30 September 2014, 10:30 | Written by Amelia Maher

(Live)

There's something wonderfully honest and almost childlike and innocent about Ólöf Arnalds. When she's onstage, her face is incredibly expressive - every movement in her features is exaggerated. She can wear a deadpan expression, but it's suddenly lit up by a smile, or she'll burst into a fit of giggles as she laughs at the stumbling sound man or makes jokes with the crowd.

"You know that feeling you have when you are a teenager? When you're sitting on a bench...Waiting... Hoping that the person you sort of like will come up and ask you to dance?... Yeah, well I feel like that every single day!" She playfully exclaims before launching back into her joyful abandonment. There is no denying that she seems to feel effortlessly at home on the stage as she skips along, and plays with what is expected of her, surprising the audience not only with the strength of her voice, but her often eccentric sense of humour.

Her set is bare, and she is only accompanied by her guitarist while she wistfully plays away at her own guitar. It is perhaps this sparseness - where every mistake or wrong-picking of the strings can be heard - that makes her come across as so honest and innocent. There's nowhere for her to hide, and she presents herself exactly as she is.

The sold-out night at the Oslo is in celebration of beautiful new album Palme, the fourth to be released by the Icelandic singer/songwriter, and she opens the night with its first track "Turtledove", before playing the lovingly honest "Defining Gender". It feels as though she is telling us the secrets of her love life as she whispers in her uniquely fascinating voice "Just this once/I will touch you/Just the way/You touched me that first time." It's an incredibly sensual, yet tender moment, heightened by the intimacy of the venue.

One of the strangest, yet really lovely elements of the evening is the fact that half of the audience is sat on the floor, giving it an almost indoor-festival feel as they gaze upwards toward Arnalds, like small children at school. It's as though everyone has gathered in Arnalds front room for a truly special occasion, and fortunately enough, she repeatedly blinds us with her talent.

Working through the rest of her album, with "Hypnose" and "Patience" played out in stunningly laid back and effortless fashion, Arnalds encourages the crowd off of their backsides and gets them to dance before playing title track "Palme". She swans across the stage, imitating a kind of square dance or traditional slow dance. Lovers hold one another (whilst single people stare on, and try to sway a bit) and it's all terribly romantic.

Once she returns for the encore, Arnalds makes the audience laugh for the final time, as she imitates pressing different pedals with her feet, stamping the stage and ultimately makes fun of what she calls "all those indie boys who pump effects through the amps." It's a non-arrogant way of her pointing out that she doesn't need all those fuzzed-up effects to sound good. Neither does she need a blanket of noise to hide behind. She doesn't need any artificial additives, as her music is wholly organic. Like a breath of fresh air, Arnalds sticks to her guns, embraces the unique quality of her voice and reminds us all how good organic produce is for the soul.