Bringing the folk traditions of Scandinavia to their Australian Debut, vocal group Åkervinda filled St Mary’s Cathedral with gullesol, leaving audiences spellbound on the 26th of February 2026. Comprised of Iris Bergcrantz, Agnes Åhlund, Linda Bergström, and Lise Kroner, this quartet is not your average folk group but cleverly and subtly infused with the jazz traditions the singers come from. With arrangements by the ensemble themselves, each created with rich harmony, complex rhythmic development and hocketing voices, the depth of skill and artistry among the group was put firmly but unassumingly on display.
The program of folk songs was built around three spells designed to bring, ward off, and inspire. ‘Gullesol’ (golden sun) invited the sun amidst the dark Swedish winters which as one approaches Norrland will consume the sun entirely. ‘Geting’ warded off the pesky Swedish wasp, while the ensemble suggested locals could use the same spell on some of our own more pesky critters. ‘Jag står upp en morgon’ (I got up one morning) sent audiences away with the hate banished from their hearts and replaced with the joy the ensemble brough to their performance. Between these spells were several pieces of music around themes of nature, love, tradition, womanhood and time. What stood out among these performances was the group’s ability to connect to audiences with ethereal and moving exploration of the challenges of womanhood and reminders of impermanence, balanced with light-hearted humour and comedic stories.
St Mary’s Cathedral, home to the Perth Festival Sanctum Series is an expansive and dynamic venue for acapella performances such as this. With such scale and simple but effective lighting, the entire room can change from empyrean grandeur to a dark, brooding setting in which the walls begin to close in.
The venue’s sound lends itself well to the human voice, filling the whole space with swirling cacophonous harmony. It is venues like this in which the adage ‘less is more’ is particularly relevant and I wish had been seen more in this show. In moments, the group did away with microphones and allowed their voices to fill the space naturally, creating a clear and enchanting sound. In a venue with so much inherent potential, louder is not always better and the use of so much amplification did not do the space or the singers the justice it could have, leaving the sound murky and boomy. Nevertheless, audiences were enveloped by the lush sound of song carried through the beautiful cathedral.
Whether Swedish, Scandinavian, or just out to hear an evening of beautiful song, Åkervinda is a group that will deliver nostalgia and emotion as they expertly weave their jazz infused tapestry of folk music. They now travel to the Sydney Opera House before continuing around Australia with appearances in Melbourne, Port Fairy and Adelaide. Hailing from about as far from Australia as possible, they may not be back soon so given the opportunity, they are definitely worth catching!