As Jarle Bernhoft took to the stage of Shepherd’s Bush Empire for the first of two UK shows, he silenced the huge, and previously booming crowd instantly – that is after an over excitable reception.
Most of us have flirted only slightly with the loop pedal via the chart busting guitar pop of Ed Sheeran and The Ting Tings. But as Bernhoft launches straight into ‘Wind It Up’, we are about to be entirely re-educated. As he loops bass, onto guitar, onto clapping and whistling and even harmonises with his own vocal, we watch as this soloist builds an entire band before our very eyes.
Bernhoft’s ability to construct music with this illusion of spontaneity may be his USP, but I quickly realise that it’s not the only thing he as going for him. An almost diva-esque vocal captivates the crowd for ‘Don’t Let Me Go’ and the flawless tone of his voice takes me by surprise. He creates pop tunes that could easily slot into the contemporary, yet has this authentic soulful vocal that could have strutted right out of Stevie Wonder‘s songbook. As my new friend and neighbour in the crowd, Dickie, announces to his pal…’Chris, I’m in love’, he pretty much sums up the awe with which most faces in the room are staring up at the one man band on the stage.
‘So Many Faces’, with its bluesy bass and twangy, guitar nods to the soul-pop of Prince, and as he declares he’s ‘got the big city blues’, Bernhoft’s perfectly timed chorus allows his clearly adoring fan base to fill in the blanks of ‘I know, she knows’.
Having performed it on Ellen, and racking up over 7 million views on YouTube, ‘C’mon Talk’ is perhaps the song the Norweigan soulster is best known for. As he layers sound upon sound, the track sounds heavier and broader live than it does recorded. He has a little giggle mid song, genuinely happy with the love the crowd are giving and he leaves his set up for the front of the stage as the loops play out, much to the amusement of everyone in the room.
Beatboxing and nineties, synthy keyboard take us into a cover of ‘Shout’ by ‘Tears for Fears’. With his soprano vocal, Bernhoft’s take on the track, and indeed his whole style, is reminiscent of Pharrell and his current solo efforts, ‘Gust of Wind’ in particular. Except Bernhoft’s been doing this since 2008. Just saying.
Lead single from latest album, ‘Islander’, really could have been and should have been a summer anthem. A wave of recognition washes across the room and the watery backdrop gives a nod to the video and the long summer nights that we’re all missing so desperately. If Jamiroquai sang ‘OMC’s’ ‘How Bizarre’ it would sound something like this, and that combo appears to go down an absolute treat.
Swiftly revamped into an old jazz club, with velvet curtains projected onto the stage, the Empire is ‘ssshhssshhhed’ into silence. With just himself and a keyboard, Bernhoft proved anyone who might accuse his show construction of being gimmicky to be entirely wrong with ‘Stay With Me’. He is a multi-instrumentalist and vocalist, who is equally impressive in this stripped back state as he is when armed with his loop pedal and the Stevie comparisons are impossible to avoid as he serenades us with his velvet vocal.
Returning to the stage to a roar of appreciation, Bernhoft keeps the crowd clapping for the entirety of his encore – a testament to his crowd pleasing credentials and an honest reflection of the entire show.