We’re very excited to have Sweedish duo First Aid Kit coming to the Albert Hall. The two sisters have enjoyed a whirlwind of success over the past six years for their rootsy, folk influenced songwriting, akin to the likes of Joanna Newsom and Fleet Foxes.
The Söderberg sisters had been earning a stellar reputation recording and performing as a teenaged duo in Sweden when their 2008 cover of Fleet Foxes’ ‘Tiger Mountain Peasant Song’ started turning heads around the world, racking up millions of views on YouTube and earning them big-name fans in far off lands. In 2010, they released their debut LP, ‘The Big Black & The Blue,’ which prompted critical raves and dates with everyone from Patti Smith and Jack White to Lykke Li and Bright Eyes.
In 2011 the sisters headed to Bright Eyes/Monsters Of Folk member/producer’s studio to record their breakthrough LP, ‘The Lion’s Roar’, which debuted at #1 in Sweden and earned a swarm of critical praise around the world. MOJO called it “astonishing,” Paste hailed it as “spectacular,” and the BBC described it as “brilliant.” Rolling Stone named ‘Emmylou’, the sisters’ love song dressed in classic country references, one of the Ten Best Singles of 2012, and raved that “you may not hear a more beautifully sung record this year”. They performed at the iconic Newport Folk Festival, as well as Lollapalooza and Glastonbury, and opened for Rodriguez at Radio City Music Hall. ‘Emmylou’ also earned them bookings on Conan and Letterman.
2014 album ‘Stay Gold’ is set to be their most mature and ambitious album yet, despite being in their early twenties. The lyrics are far more intimate than previous First Aid Kit releases. “On our other records, we wrote a lot about nature and fairytale-ish stuff,” Johanna says, referencing their early music, which blended aspects of American folk music and Swedish folklore and storytelling. “But if you listen to the lyrics on this one, you can tell it’s much more about us, more personal.”
For two sisters from the suburbs of Stockholm who now share a label with idols like Bob Dylan and Leonard Cohen life probably seems like a bit of a fantasy at the moment. Come and see them live the dream at the Albert Hall