The incredible Swedish electronic duo The Knife is celebrating their 20th anniversary this year. As part of the celebration, they are releasing a special broadcast of a 2006 performance from their hometown of Gothenburg. It premieres on Youtube on Friday, May 14, at 2 pm EDT.
In 2006, The Knife toured behind their masterpiece, Silent Shout, one of the best albums of the 21st century. The setlist for this show spans eight tracks from Silent Shout, including their best-known songs, “We Share Our Mother’s Health,” “Marble House,” and the title track, “Silent Shout.” They also perform three songs from previous album, Deep Cuts, including The Knife’s biggest hit, “Heartbeats.”
I’ve watched fan-shot footage of this tour on Youtube, and it’s an amazing performance of masks, lasers, synthesizers, and insane percussion. I can’t wait to watch a professionally shot and edited version.
If you’re not familiar with The Knife, they are Swedish siblings Karin and Olof Dreijer. The duo started making music in 1999 and released their self-titled debut album in 2001. Karin performs The Knife’s vocals, though they use a variety of vocals effects to subvert expectations about gender.
In 2014, The Knife disbanded following an unconventional and divisive world tour supporting their final album, Shaking the Habitual. During the shows, a a dance troupe took center stage in place of live music. Light Asylum’s Shannon Funchess joined The Knife on that tour, performing vocals on a handful of songs.
Karin Dreijer has a solo project called Fever Ray that might be even better than The Knife. As Fever Ray, Karin has released two albums that featured wildly divergent themes and tones. I am hopeful that Fever Ray eventually announces a third album.
The Knife has further plans to commemorate the release of their first single, “Afraid of You,” 20 years ago. In August, they will distribute a limited double-LP edition of Silent Shout—but don’t get excited, it’s already sold out. They’ve also released their full catalog to digital services, including Bandcamp.
