Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * *

Ingrid Frøsland was in unique company as she stood on the stage at Studio 2 on Parr Street. Not only did she meet head on the hopes and expectations of the abundant crowd who had come to see her perform but she slotted herself perfectly into a night of female led revolution as part of March’s Strings and Things. She carried the Norwegian flag high alongside Mari Hajem and Nora Konstanse, an image which would not look out of place if the Norwegians had been allowed to lead the storming of the Bastille.

Even in March, darkness seems to fall pretty quickly; the shadows of the afternoon lengthen and rapidly disappear like an election promise to the young of the country. Unlike an election promise, Ingrid Frøsland and her backing band, Andreas Skuggen, Erlend Bredal Olsen and Andreas Voie Juliebø, gave such an account of herself, especially when considering who was on the bill with her, that every note rang true and clear; the flag of Norway flew convincingly above the Studio 2 turrets and many souls were freed from staid thinking.

What Liverpool offers, arguably with a unique sense of belonging that might seem alien to other large towns and cities in the U.K. is a place in which it truly doesn’t matter where you are from as long as you embrace the culture. It may be something that some in the city, those with a seeming grasp of power are happy to dismiss but for those that attend L.I.P.A., the youthful exuberance that carries them far from their homelands, Liverpool offers so much and it is to be applauded.

That certainly is the case for Ingrid Frøsland, a writer of good music, of some very stirring lyrics that, should you actually listen with open heart and attentive non-wandering thoughts, dig deep into a social fabric, of realism and escape but with one part of the heart filled with a love for home, wherever that may be.

Tracks such as We’ll Never Know, Grow Apart, Walking Backwards, the deepness of Oh, Oslo, the freshness of Come Back and the rare but bountiful truth of Dare To Believe made the hairs on the back of the neck bristle with excitement and briskly check the pulse in case the heart had stopped as breathing became a secondary requirement.

In an evening full of female fronted revolution, Ingrid  Frøsland captivated the audience and framed Strings and Things night perfectly.

Ian D. Hall