Efterklangs Sommertræf

June 21st to 27th 2021
Saftstationen, Møn, Denmark

Photos by Søren Lynggaard Andersen.

June 21st 2021 we (Mads, Casper & Rasmus) traveled to Saftstationen in Damme on the Danish island of Møn for a week long residency and the very first edition of Efterklangs Sommertræf.

We were joined by our beloved live band members Øyunn (drums, vocal), Christian Balvig (piano, synth), Bert Cools (guitar) & Indrė Jurgelevičiūtė (kankles, vocal).

We had also invited Agnes Obel (+family) to be our special guest for the week.

We set up all our instruments and for 5 days we hung out and played music together in the concert hall of Saftstationen. On day 6 we opened the doors to 70 guests (more about this further below).

When we weren’t playing music we went swimming, dined together, went on trips and had a really lovely time. We got very lucky with the Danish summer weather. The whole week was beautiful.

We also had fun filming a music video for an upcoming Efterklang single.

On day 6 of the residency we opened the doors to 70 guests for a lovely summer gathering with communal dinner, concerts, a walk and friendly socialising.

When everyone had arrived we all walked together to Fanefjord Kirke where Indrė Jurgelevičiūtė & Bert Cools performed a surprise set of Merope songs.

Afterwards we walked back to Saftstationen and watched the European Football Championship game between Denmark & Wales (4:0).

Then we had a wonderful dinner cooked up by chef Lea Beuchert.

Then it was time for the announced concerts. First Agnes Obel performed a stunning solo set with guest appearances by Siv, Indre and Casper.

This was followed by Efterklang’s concert which mainly focused on new songs from our upcoming 6th album Windflowers. 5 songs from the album had their live premiere at the Sommertræf.

The concerts concluded the day which turned out to be more than wonderful. We feel so grateful towards everyone who helped make this happen and all the guests. We especially want to thank Charlotte Hauch and Peter Bysted who run Saftstationen. They are the most accommodating and warmest hosts you can imagine.

This isn’t the end though. On day 7 we filmed a live session (directed by Søren Lynggard Andersen) for later release and we hope to be able to do this again next year.

Efterklang’s Sommertræf is inspired by our participation in the People Festival in Berlin 2018 and our 8 writing residencies with Liima between 2014 and 2016. The residency is supported by The Danish Arts Foundation, Knud Højgaards Foundation, Arne V. Schlechs Foundation and William Demant Foundation.

Why do we do this?

We do it to experiment and further develop the sound and collaboration of our live-band and to collaborate with the invited special guest. Furthermore we do it to share new music, thoughts and ideas in an open-minded setting with members of our wonderful audience. Our ambition is for everyone (ourselves included) to leave the Sommertræf inspired and with new ideas and friends.

Saftstationen in Damme on Møn

The venue for Efterklang’s Sommertræf 2021 is an old industrial building dating back to the 19th century which has been tastefully renovated and changed into an intimate concert hall and apartments by its new owners. It used to be one of the hubs for the sugar production on Møn and since that stopped in 1929 it has had quite a turbulent life until recently. You can read more about Saftstationen here.