Ja Ja Ja returns to The Lexington after our summer break…September’s roll call features the dramatic electronic pop of Sandra Kolstad (Norway), the atmospheric post-R&B of The xx’s new favourite band Phantom (Finland), and the gentle alt-folk of The White Album (Denmark).

Tickets £5 advance, £6 door.

7.30 doors
8.20 The White Album (30)
9.15 Phantom (30)
10.10 Sandra Kolstad (30)
10.45 Project Fresh Socks DJs

Sandra Kolstad makes electronic pop music that’s danceable, explosive and extravagant. She’s playlist and national newspaper material on her home turf, nominated at Oslo’s by:Larm festival for a new internationally-breaking artist award, and early responses to her forthcoming album'(Nothing Lasts) Forever’ – out 28th September on Trust Me Records – suggest this was as much a premonition than prediction. Known for her ambitious, highly visual performances, Kolstad is a classically trained pianist, swathed in kaleidoscopic projected lights, accompanied by noise musician Marck Fuck and long-standing collaborator Francis Petter Eldh, a Swedish jazz musician and improvisor.

In Helsinki January 2012, two musicians and startup entrepreneurs (Tommi Koskinen from Kitkaliitto and AudioDraft with Hanna Toivonen from Mukava Music) combined forces to become the beguiling electronic duo Phantom. They launched their first EP ‘Scars’ and music video at SXSW 2012 in Austin, Texas and since then they have drawn attention from around the world including a blog post from The xx and a positive Pitchfork review. They have also played several gigs abroad provoking rapturous responses, with the show incorporating stunning realtime Kinect visuals and an original handmade instrument (midi theremin) affectionately called UFO.

The White Album are from Copenhagen and consist of three very good friends – Claus Arvad, Frederik Vedersø, Jakob Eilsø- with big beards and very big hearts. Rooted in folk and indie they make music that transcends structural boundaries of both a practical and musical nature. Everybody is a frontman in this band, each distinct voice and composition finds it’s place in a soulful conglomerate of well-seasoned musical spirits. Just as the original ‘White Album’, there’s no right or wrong. Just ideas. Mostly wonderful ones.

Ja Ja Ja returns to The Lexington for the last time before our summer break, but don’t worry; we’re back in September.

Opening proceedings is Sansa. This Finnish songwriter – awarded Live Debutant of The Year by the Helsinki Festival in 2010 – has supported everyone from Martha Wainwright to Robert Plant in her homeland. Schooled at the capital’s Pop & Jazz Conservatory and courted by major labels around Europe, she’s steadfastly stuck to her creative calling, exploring a love of sound and film at Helsinki University. Her debut album Savior showcases a voice of delicacy and purity, while her music toys with folk, pop, electronica and the occasional ode to disco.

Next up are the Oslo-based quartet Maribel, whose critically-acclaimed, shoegazing debut album Aesthetics in 2009 blended established their ability to “soundtrack the most hallucinogenic dream or hellish nightmare at the flick of a switch” (Drowned in Sound). Their follow-up on Splendour took inspiration from classic film scores by Barry, Mancini and Morricone, revealing dark, slow-burning, atmospheric dream-pop.

Closing the evening are Denmark’s Reptile Youth, who’re gaining quite the reputation for party-bringing, crowd-surfing, partial-nudity and the like. This trio’s super-infectious post/synth-pop/rock has had all manner of media outlets righteously salivating.

London’s finest Nordic music showcase returns to The Lexington at the end of March.

If you’ve been addictively lapping up the return of Mark Lanegan, than you may have come across Manna guesting on ‘Wishing Well’ – or seen her debut album ‘Songs of Hope and Desire’ praised across the UK music press. Manna’s music marries psychedelic bluesy rock and dreamy folk to beautiful pop melodies

Denmark’s Freja Loeb‘s debut album ‘Odyssey’ is a catchy beast, but tinged with new-wave atmospherics and influences from The Cure and David Bowie.

Iceland’s Útidúr (pronounced ooh! detour) are a twelve-piece comprising players on double bass, drums, trumpet, violins, a second guitar and an accordion. They play joyous and ambitious chamber-pop with a dramatic streak – think Angelo Badalamenti, Beirut, Calexico and Ennio Morricone. The Line of Best Fit declared them “just incredible. Music to fall in love and get your heart broken to.”

Tickets £5 here

London’s most successful Nordic music showcase returns to The Lexington with Mirel Wagner of Finland (stripped down blues of great fragility and beauty), Philco Fiction of Norway (bold instrumentation and songwriting skills) and Giana Factory of Denmark (stylish pop-noir), and not forgetting the Project Fresh Socks DJs

Doors 7.30, tickets £5 advance here.

You’d think that, being project-coordinator for JaJaJa, we’d get our act together and announce the show when everyone else did last week. But no. We’re just doing it now, and pretending it’s because we wanted to stagger the news over a few days.

So 24th November is JJJ’s second anniversary and we’re pleased to unveil French Films (FIN), Marit Larsen (NOR) and Sóley (ICE) at The Lexington, with doors at 7.30 as usual.

Tickets here.

Karin Park of Norway-via-Sweden, Johnossi of Sweden and Denmark’s Battlekat are the aggressors.

Tickets here.

More here.