in Reviews

Crazy brilliance lives on!

by Fiona Talkington

"In some ways Frost on Fiddles is a test of Frigg’s musical strength and spirit and it questions whether a band can survive changes in personnel and the pressures of the brilliant up-and-coming younger generation of Finnish musicians."

It was a great joy to be at the first Etnogala awards in Helsinki in November 2017 where Frigg’s outstanding contribution to the Finnish music scene was recognised in the presentation of the Border Breaking Act of the Year. In the course of 15 years they have explored Finnish traditions and used them as a springboard to create a unique sound where influences such as bluegrass and Balkan whirl in a ballroom of harmonic liberties and ride the rapids of rhythmical risk.

In some ways Frost on Fiddles is a test of Frigg’s musical strength and spirit and it questions whether a band can survive changes in personnel and the pressures of the brilliant up-and-coming younger generation of Finnish musicians.  Could Frigg retain the frivolity of their youth amongst their own acquired wisdom? Do they still have that irrepressible desire to travel in the fast lane?

The answer is a resounding yes!  Their latest release shows exquisite playing throughout with wicked humour, infecting the audience with a compulsion to dance, and still weeping a gentle tear of deep Nordic melancholy.  Frigg’s crazy brilliance lives on! A well-earned award for a band who have truly broken borders, physically and musically.


Frigg: Frost on Fiddles
Frigg FRIGG00011 2017


Frigg is touring in the UK on 6 to 11 November, 2018. The tour starts at Cambridge Junction. More gigs here.