VALENTOURETTES // HVELVET SCENE // 31.10

Valentourettes play Jokke.

Valentourettes were put together in 2003 with the aim of performing Joachim Nielsen’s songs at a single concert, but the reception at this one concert was so overwhelming that the guys got a taste for it and kept going together.

The members have backgrounds from both Jokke & Valentinerne and Jokke Med Tourettes and, as the band name indicates, this is a merger of the two.

With Petter Pogo on bass, Runar “Kula” Johannessen on drums and the one and only Petter Baarli on guitar, they formed a powerhouse with long experience and solid familiarity with the material. Tarjei Foshaug has been the vocalist since 2006 and delivers Joachim’s songs with genuine feeling, and has made his mark as a driving frontman.

In 2022 Valentourettes passed 600 concerts. The band has played to packed houses from Longyearbyen to Flekkefjord to roaring cheers and great joy, both for those who managed to experience Jokke when he was still with us and for the younger generations who have had to make do with the records.

When Torshovteatret was to stage the musical Verdiløse Menn by Christopher Nielsen, based on brother Joachim’s lyrics, it was natural to hire Valentourettes (minus Tarjei) as the theatre orchestra. The play was immediately a great success and, after a run at the small Torshovteatret, it was put on the main stage at the National Theatre itself, where it continued until its final performance in the autumn of 2018.

And now to the band’s most important member: the AUDIENCE.

Few other bands can boast such an active and involved audience. They sing along and bellow, dance and raise their glasses, laugh and cry, and immerse themselves so completely in the lyrics and music that they sometimes merge into one big pulsing monster that takes over the whole venue and half the stage, to the band’s great delight.

This quartet continues to win over both seasoned concertgoers and new generations of fans of Joachim Nielsen and his music, proving that rock is best experienced live.

Packed houses and thunderous applause follow them wherever they play across the country, and the fact that the beer taps run hot doesn’t seem to bother concert organizers much either.

Doors 19:30
Show starts 21:00