ONE VIKING, A GUITAR AND PUBLIC TRANSPORT

31/08/06

Although public transport may limit what solo artist Viking Moses can bring to his up-coming gig in the city, it will not affect his impressive sound.

The Missouri-based singer, whose real name is Brendon Massei, is set to take the stage at the Adelphi later this month, as long as the trains and buses are in working order.

Luckily, he only takes an electric guitar on the road with him, which could be a bonus as he has just embarked on the British leg of his UK tour after playing to packed houses in the west coast of America.

“I like travelling around on public transport,” said Viking Moses. “You get to see a lot more of the country you are touring and you also get to meet some fantastic people. It can be a bit of a hassle and it does tend to limit what I can take on the road with me. But sometimes when I wander into a venue there are other instruments lying around so I tend pick up and play whatever is to hand.”

Whatever he may be playing the audience at the De Grey Street club can be assured it will be loud.

“I tend to get hold of the biggest amp I can find and turn up the power,” he said.

“When I play live I like the music to be a bit aggressive, I play loud and then shout over the top to give the show some energy.

“But that policy has got me into trouble before. At a recent gig in San Francisco the sound man disagreed with me and kept turning the amp down.

“After a bit of a disagreement he unplugged me and told me never to come back, but I carried on with the show anyway.”

His new album, Crosses, is a collection of minimal acoustic-folk love songs and takes influences from a varied number of sources including Dolly Parton, Leonard Cohen and Nirvana.

This will be the singer’s second visit to the city and one that he is looking forward to.

“I had a great time playing in Hull. The people were very friendly towards me and really got into the show.”

Not only does the Viking like to turn his musical style on its head for his shows, he also likes to challenge the traditional artist on the stage, audience in the seats concept.

“I always think when you’re up on stage it can start to create a barrier. When the lights are in your eyes and you can’t see the audience you don’t know if anyone is there until they start to clap.

“I like to connect with the audience and often walk off the stage to join them on the floor. It makes the show a lot more interesting for me and them.”

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