A spine-tingling, all-consuming set that builds from haunting beauty to earth-shaking intensity, proving the Nordic Giants are operating on a whole other level right now…

Words & photos by James Crisp (@james_taking_pictures) | April 14, 2026

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This is a band that I have had the privilege of seeing several times over the last decade or so, and each time, it really hits so much harder than the last.

Taking the stage without a word to be said, a sure theme of the night, but hey words are not needed for a band like this. Backlit in soft shifting, sharp light, their silhouettes cut through thick fog as the first notes drone on. It’s instantly a cinematic experience, not in a forced or overblown way, but in how naturally everything locks in together. Lights, projections, and of course sound, all feel like parts of the same living thing.

This tour sees the duo consisting of Loki and Roka perform their 2026 album Under Celestial Alignments in full, and it really suits this setting absolutely perfectly. Rather than breaking things into separate songs, the record unfolds as one continuous piece each movement flowing into the next. Live, that flow becomes even more pronounced. There are no pauses, other than for the Bristol crowd to dry their eyes, pick their chin off the floor and applaud. No resets, just a steady immersion that pulls the room deeper with every passing moment.

The opening passages are restrained, lots of beautiful delicate piano, distant sampled voices, visuals projected between the duo. Then the shift comes. The sound grows, drums crash in, and suddenly we have lift off and the whole room feels so much bigger than it is. The Fleece doesn’t just get louder it feels like it transforms and full immersion begins.

Visually, it’s just something to behold and really needs to be seen and felt in person, truly stunning. The constant colour changing backlighting keeps the duo in full silhouette, turning them into figures rather than personalities and if you know of the band then you will know that they go all out with their wardrobe/stage attire, so the silhouettes were indeed very interesting to watch move around on stage. Behind them, projections of incredibly well-made animations and superbly produced short films are shown, always in sync with the music and matching each other perfectly.

What makes the performance land is its patience. The band take their time, letting sections fully breathe in before taking it further and further. When the crescendos do arrive, they are epic, emotional and genuinely affecting. It’s not just sensationally loud for the sake of it there is a meaning and reason behind every peak.

By the time the album Under Celestial Alignments hits its last note, there is an audible pause from the crowd before the final applause breaks out. If this were a seated show then a standing ovation would have been imminent and necessary.