LIVE FROM THE PIT: Heilung and Eivor

At first glance, the hundreds of cloaked figures waiting to enter the vibrant Usher Hall might have you wondering if there was a Renaissance faire. Instead, experimental folk collective Heilung, literally ‘healing’, accompanied by Faroese singer-songwriter Eivør, bring their atmospheric ‘ritual’ to Edinburgh. Their music voyages into the Norse myths and the rich history of Northern Europe, so it’s no wonder many in the crowd are donning silver-tipped wolf pelts and runic inscriptions carefully painted across their bodies. From their intriguing live debut at Castlefest in 2017 to the muddy fields of Download 2024, Heilung have mastered the art of crowd immersion and visual storytelling. Their current tour, ‘Albion Eiru ok Erop’, will be the last before they take a well-deserved hiatus, and so we couldn’t pass up the opportunity to witness them while we still can. 

Inside, birdsong and the sounds of rustling leaves cascaded throughout the room, and the clattering of fans still bustling in from the cold night surrounded us as Eivør Pálsdóttir crept onstage amid a moody blue lighting. She unleashed a powerful tone as she began ‘Jarðartrá’, oddly accompanied by movement that radiated a contagious joy. As she got to ‘Salt’, she unveiled her signature Sámi drum; it pulsated a hypnotising beat that kept us utterly spellbound throughout. ‘Hymn 49’ from the soundtrack of ‘The Last Kingdom’ drew us back into the Viking Age, with a carousel of spotlights over an occasional flashing red, creating a sense of alertness and perfectly preparing the room for the show to come. Before playing ‘Enn’, the title track of her latest album, she explained how it means ‘yet’ in her mother tongue, “as in having hope in very very dark times”. She joyfully ended with ‘Upp Úr Øskuni’, before thanking an entranced crowd and bounding off stage with her band. A curtain with Heilung’s mascot, the Warrior Snail, was mysteriously swung across the stage.

It was gently drawn back and we were greeted by an entirely new set - the branches of trees swaying, deer skulls camouflaging the microphone stands, and drums lined with goat or deer skins. Subtle green spotlights with leafy motifs meandered across the audience. As the members came onstage, they looked part of the set, with Maria Franz and Kai Uwe Faust, lead vocalists, adorning antler headdresses and decorated, earthly robes. Kai intoned a short rite as part of ‘Opening Ceremony’ before lighting a bundle of sage combined with local herbs. The smell crept into every crevice. The rite allowed us to be an active part in the ritual, with the audience repeating phrases such as “remember that we are all brothers” and “we are all one”. The drumming began, and so did ‘In Maidjan’, contrasting with the calmness of before. The intensity continued throughout ‘Norupo’, as Maria takes centre stage, mesmerising us with her high notes.

Wolf howls echoed across the room, the band and crowd blurring into one pack, signalling the start of ‘Alfadhirhaiti’, and the introduction of the rest of the band as our warriors. Throughout ‘Asja’, they began to embody the Norse runes through sharp movements, in ‘Svanrand’, they honed them, and by ‘Urbani’, the symbols were glowing blue across their skin. The beat intensified with real human bones slamming against the animal skin of the drum, building up to ‘Othan’, the height of a Viking raid. Looming stone columns were projected behind them, and razor-edged beams of light cut across the stage, transforming the Georgian interior of the venue into a grand palace being ravaged.

As we approach ‘Nikkal’, the pace slows down. Maria’s enchanting and eerie vocals, accompanied by omnipresent blue lighting had the crowd in a stunned silence. ‘Hamrer Hippyer’ was one final offering, a celebration of the ritual almost at completion. Some of the warriors jump down and weave through the crowd to the sound of the rhythmic drumming, making the audience a truly integral part of their victory.

Kai shushed the ravenous crowd for ‘Closing Ceremony’, with the group forming a reflective circle and the smell of burning sage enveloping the room once again. Following along, the hands of the crowd raised skyward in surrender, with the remaining foliage scattered over us like a calming rain. The triumphant display concluded respectfully and in stark contrast to the civilised chaos we had just witnessed, before descending back into the ambient sounds of the forest we were initially greeted with. With Eivør gently coaxing us in and Heilung allowing us to join them on their shamanic journey, it felt as though we walked in as audience members and left having been participants of something truly healing.

Words: Chloe Sodeau

Cover Photo: Afra Gethöffer-Grütz