Review by Callum Doig
Celtic metal ensemble Eluveitie have been the icon of Switzerland’s metal scene for thirteen years. Being one of the biggest European acts in their region, they’ve also managed to maintain a loyal and devoted Australian fan base. Having been to Australia only once in their career, Eluveitie announced that they’re on their way back next year.
I spoke to frontman and founder of the band Chrigel Glanzmann for a short moment about their touring life so far. “It’s been amazing and much more than what we ever expected. When Origins came out, it charted amazingly well all over the world. To be placed in charts is something you never expect. And on tour, the songs seem to be doing really well and the crowds are really happy about it.”
Though short in words as he only just walked off stage the minute I called him, Chrigel and everyone else in Eluveitie say they’re excited about returning to Australia. “Yeah, we’re really excited to be back soon. We just played in Norway. It’s the last three weeks of the tour but it went on for the last year and a half. It seems busy, but it’s been an amazing tour.”
For the past year and a half according to Chrigel, Eluveitie hasn’t really shown much interest in what the best countries have been to perform in, other than one country they recently visited. All that really matters to them is the chance to just play in front of all of their fans no matter whereabouts they are.
“Honestly, one of the most outstanding experiences we ever did was India because of the cultural background. Other than that, to be honest, I don’t really care. I think we can speak for all of us, because we’re passionate about performing music in general. It’s life to us. As long as we can hold our instruments in our hands and play our songs, that’s all that matters. In that sense, it doesn’t matter much, because we really enjoy every show we do.”
As it turns out, Eluveitie have the same impression on the size of the venues they perform in. There’s no doubt that they’re more enthusiastic just by playing in front of the fans, than how many of them there are. “It’s pretty much the same thing. It’s not that big of a down for me when we play. I don’t even care if we have a thousand people or less there, it’s really just awesome to see them. I mean personally, I prefer to play on bigger stages because there’s plenty of space and you can move around onstage. It’s just awesome to play and have a good time. So, it’s basically the same thing for me, really.”
While they’ve staged countless appearances at festivals, Eluveitie haven’t been all that fussy about the significance between festival gigs and their own headlining shows.
“Hard to say. I love to play festivals. It’s always a really nice experience, but nonetheless, our own shows are very nice and you can basically do what you want. On this tour, we’ve been able to do whatever and as long as we want. You can’t compare the two, but it’s nice to do your own shows, really.”
Eluveitie will be bringing their Celtic roots and folk music back to Australia in May next year. Be sure to catch them and pick up their latest record Origins, and be prepared for one hell of an immaculate performance ahead of you!
Eluveitie 2016 Tour Dates
17 May – The Capitol, Perth
19 May – The Zoo, Brisbane
20 May – Manning Bar, Sydney
21 May – Max Watts, Melbourne
22 May – The Gov, Adelaide
