I don’t think you can avoid some sort of existential crisis after a bit of a vacation…3 weeks in Europe, and I to return to the age old questions: who am I, where do I want to make a life, what the heck am I doing with my career, etc.  Efterklang didn’t necessarily solve any of those questions for this old gal, but I did have the extreme pleasure of finding these strange fellows saddled up to my bar tonight, and after a bit of joking and chatter I discovered they were from Copenhagen (which, by  chance, was on my travel itinerary but I cut it out to go to Poland instead) and, gasp, in a band.

Rasmus was gracious enough to invite us to the show…and what else do you do after weeks of partying abroad but continue the adventure once you return home? Foot wasn’t halfway in through the door before me and my workmates knew we had stepped into something wonderful.

The gushing could probably stop here but I’ll take a paragraph to elaborate on why I want to spread this musical wealth. Mono has been my all time favourite live show since I saw them while I was tending bar in Victoria during my university days.  The Japanese trio came off stage after having blown an audience of just 15 people or so to shreds, guitarist lights up a cigarette inside the venue and I begrudgingly ask my manager what to do.  He glances over, looks back at me, and says, he’s way too fucking cool, he can smoke inside.  So now, something like 8 years later and all the shows I’ve seen since that momentous blip on my live music spectrum, Efterklang has nearly taken the cake, wedging up nicely to Mono in my favourite band dessert pile, despite their differences in genre.

The Efterklang show had inspired energy, audience involvement, a small and obscure venue not at all on par with the band’s talent, lots of clapping (anyone who knows me will understand my appreciation – I clap and tap on every surface available), and the band members are so mind-bogglingly talented that they can simply dance around a tiny stage, swap instruments, and continue on with their joyous and melodic music ceremony. It nearly got so brilliant and amazing that I had to remind myself to stop staring, creep.

Anyhow, I thank Efterklang because not only did they put on a great show tonight, but I’m reminded to be curious about every stranger that I meet. We who may be quiet and reserved in one instance are animated and robust in another.

Buy their album!  Though if you have the opportunity to see them live, do that too. I would cross borders, personally.