Orion’s Belte took the stage in Highland Park’s Lodge Room on Friday. The Norwegian group blends psychedelic blues with rock to create an eclectic instrumental sound. The trio is made up of Øyvind Blomstrøm on guitar, Chris Holm on bass, and Kim Åge Furuhaug on drums.
The band draws inspiration for its music from unique sources, including films, postcards, and daily experiences from their global travels. This inspiration has led the group to their eclectic instrumental sound. They fuse psychedelic blues with rock in their music, creating a style of music that is not easily categorized into one genre.
The show started with a performance of their latest release “The Carneddau.” The song has a bouncy feel to it, combining the three instrumentals in a way that emphasizes Blomstrøm’s guitar solos backed by strong rhythm from Furuhaug on drums and Holm on bass.
The next song, “I Will Always Miss You,” shifted the energy of the set to a slower pace. The song is a 2023 release made in collaboration with Norwegian composer Øyvind Torvund. With limited lyrical components, listeners can focus on the complex string instrumentals layered with guitar melodies.
Orion’s Belte performed their rhythmic song “Le Mans” next, continuing with slower paced songs. Following this was “Cherchez La Ghost,” which lifted the tempo of the set. The song is experimental in nature and includes several unconventional sounding instrumentals in the background of the band’s typical guitar, bass, and drums combination.
The band then moved into “Silhouettes” and “Lucid Dreaming” off their 2023 album Women. They continued to dive back in their discography by performing their 2020 release “Orbit.” The song has a raw and earthy feel to it, incorporating sharp guitar instrumentals layered with scratchy maraca sounds. The blend of steady drums over the unpredictable guitar notes provide the song with a spontaneous feel.
The next songs continued to jump between the band’s records: The group performed “Lotus” off their 2021 album Villa Amorini, “Atlantic Surfing” and “New Years Eve #2” off their 2018 release Mint, and “Casablanca” off their 2023 record Women.
The next performance was “Tudo Que Você Podia Ser,” which opens in a slow and melodic guitar solo and builds in speed as drums and bass incorporate about thirty seconds into the song. The final two songs performed before the group’s encore were fan favorites “Bean” and “Joe Frazier,” both of which are amongst the band’s most streamed songs and shift towards a more laid-back and hypnotic sound. These songs shifted the set towards a more mellow ending as they prepared to exit the stage.
Orion’s Belte’s encore consisted of two songs: “2009” and “Speakeasy.” These songs ended the set on a relaxed and optimistic note. Lodge Room’s older Hollywood feel matched the group’s energy, the band both providing eclectic sounds and the venue offering eccentric details.
photos by Oli McCormack
