Swedish trio Fire!, consisting of Mats Gustafsson, Johan Berthling and Andreas Werliin have carved out a special place for themselves in the music world. Fire! was put together by maverick organizer Conny Lindström for a performance at a bar in Stockholm where he did the program. Mats, Johan and Andreas being three of his favorite musicians he had the idea that they together could make magic happen. The bar crew had to hold the glasses in their racks afraid they would break of the sheer volume produced by the newborn trio.
The group decided to continue and released their first album ”You liked me five minutes ago” the same year on Norwegian label Rune Grammofon, who’s done all their releases including their recent album ”Testament” as well as everything by their offshoot, the big band Fire! Orchestra.
Heavy, dark and intensely burning music whether one decide on calling it jazz or rock, their music have taken them on tours around Europe, US, Canada, Brazil and Japan. They’ve collaborated with heavyweights such as Jim O ́Rourke, Oren Ambarchi, Stephen O ́Malley and David Sandström to name a few.
Their new album Testament takes them back to the fundamentals; only trio with sax, bass and drums. Paired with a bare-bones, raw and powerful recording by the master himself; Steve in Albini this record Is one of their most critically acclaimed.
Fire! - Testament released Feb 2024
”..this is where jazz and clattering post-rock meet on the apocalyptic edge.
Marvelous”
- Shindig
”it’s a beautiful display of the band’s telepathic interaction and Albini’s engineering
skills: Werliin’s drums sound huge, and Gustafsson’s sax rises to an unhinged
roar.”
- Stereogum
”Thankfully, Steve Albini has done his usual hands-off act and the clarity of the trio
shines through. Where they go from here, who knows; but on the strength of this
Testament, it will certainly be unmissable. Long may they reign.”
- FREQ
”Testament truly is a wonderfully gusty and honest record. It’s alive with shambling
in-your-guts groove, felt to moody instrumental impact, and a general feeling of
worn & wavering flare”
- Musique Machine
”It’s only February, but are we talking about an album of the year?
Hell yeah. 100%.”
- freejazzblog.org
”Since 2009, Fire! has been matching the expressionist energy of out-there jazz
with house-rocking grooves and the spell remains potent.”
- allaboutjazz.com
Out of the seemingly inexhaustible treasure chest that is the Scandinavian experimental scene comes this latest Swedish supergroup
Fire! is a trio from Sweden with members from The Thing, Tape and Wildbirds and Peacedrums. They create a mix of slowed down – speeded up, distorted versions of contemporary experimental music.
With inspiration drawn from mining, large lorry engines, electro acoustic music from Sweden and a large variety of creative garage rock and free jazz, Fire! is building up a new language and new models for how improvised music can be approached.
The idea for Fire! came from enigmatic concert promoter Conny Lindström, who booked the trio for the small bar of restaurant Riche in Stockholm. The sheer volume made the bar personnel hold on to the glasses for fear they would crack from the sound pressure. Everybody had a good time, so later on time was booked at Tape’s small studio in the industrial parts of Stockholm.
The sound that came out of those sessions was a mixture of the backgrounds of all three members, who didn’t shy away from overdubs and other methods.
The first album, "You liked me five minutes ago", was recorded in Stockholm and released on Norwegian label Rune Grammofon in 2009. In the summer of 2011 Unreleased? came out, recorded in Japan with Jim O´Rourke on electric guitar.
In October 2011 Fire! toured and recorded with Australian drone master Oren Ambarchi from Sunn O))) (guitar/electronics). in the mouth - a hand was released early 2012. In August of that year they got together again for another European tour.
The Fire! Orchestra is another project the trio initiated. In January 2012 the 30-piece orchestra performed in Stockholm, conducted by Gustafsson. A smaller version of the Orchestra played at Les Rendez-vous de l'Erdre in Nantes, together with Oren Ambarchi.
Line up:
Mats Gustafsson – saxophones, Fender Rhodes, electronics
Johan Berthling – bass
Andreas Werliin - drums and percussion
