Episode #16
16: Episode Fifteen; Sondre Lerche
For the latest In the Spotlight podcast Bill Cummings is joined by Norwegian singer-songwriter Sondre Lerche who releases his new album Acrobats , out 21st August via PLZ / Virgin. They talk about Acrobats, Lerche's first full-length collection of entirely new music in over four years, which is an ambitious and open-hearted reflection on the tension between falling in love and living through a period of global unrest and unfathomable human suffering. They chat about the 'Love Is All' single and how songs on the album wrestle with the question: how do you write love songs in an increasingly dystopian world? How he thinks "falling in love feels more and more like an act of defiance.” They talk about how the album was inspired by Lerche witnessing Mahler ’s Symphony No. 2 at the Oslo Opera House. Also working with Sean O’Hagan of The High Llamas, the Stockholm Studio Orchestra, Norwegian Radio Orchestra and a cast of Norwegian jazz and classical musicians on the new record. Bill tells Lerche how he discovered his work in the early 2000s through his song 'Sleep on Needles' from a compilation CD made for him by one of his friends. Plus his 2001 debut album Faces Down, how he doesn't feel like he fitted in with the music scene of the 2000s. They touch on his acting, scoring films like Dan in Real Life , or starring as the love-lorn Christian in the Norwegian stage production of Moulin Rouge! The Musical. Plus they discuss his influences growing up including The Beatles, Burt Bacharach, XTC, Elvis Costello and Prefab Sprout , plus his love of ambient, disco music and the Pet Shop Boys . They also talk about his collaborations with both AURORA and Mary Lattimore on his 2022 double album, Avatars of Love . He notes how he finds new AI tools for generating music sickening and how he hopes his music is a rejection of the whole AI machinery. 'Acrobats' physical pre-order is available as a webstore exclusive 2xLP gatefold 'Splendor' edition including recent EP 'Turning Up The Heat Again', a standard 1xLP edition on transparent red vinyl, and CD. Sondre Lerche will embark on an extensive headline tour in support of the new album, which will take him across the UK, Europe and the US. For more information or to purchase tickets, visit his website HERE . September 10 - Boston, MA @ Arts at The Armory 12 - Washington, DC @ Miracle Theatre 13 - New York, NY @ Bowery Ballroom 15 - Chicago, IL @ Lincoln Hall 16 - Minneapolis, MN @ The Cedar 19 - Los Angeles, CA @ Sid The Cat Auditorium 20 - Ojai, CA @ Ojai Women’s Club 21 - San Francisco, CA @ The Independent 24 - Portland, OR @ Mission Theater 25 - Seattle, WA @ Triple Door October 01 - Bryne, NO @ Hvelvet Scene 02 - Stavanger, NO @Tou 03 - Skien, NO @ Parkbiografen 07 - Tromsø, NO @ Bryggeriet Scene 08 - Hammerfest, NO @Arktisk Kultursenter 09 - Alta, NO @ Rabagast 10 - Bodø, NO @ Beddingen Kulturhus 14 - Copenhagen, DK @ Rust 15 - Oslo, NO @ Parkteatret Scene 16 - Oslo, NO @ Parkteatret Scene 17 - Oslo, NO @ Parkteatret Scene 22 - Oslo, NO @ Parkteatret Scene 23 - Oslo, NO @ Parkteatret Scene 24 - Oslo, NO @ Parkteatret Scene 29 - Kongsberg, NO @ Energimølla 30 - Trondheim, NO @ Byscenen 31 - Sogndal, NO @ Sogndal Kulturhus November 02 - Arhus, DK @ Train 03 - Stockholm, SE @ Hus7 04 - Gothenburg, SE @ Skeppet 12 - Lisbon, PT @ Univerdsidade Nova 13 - Aveiro, PT @ Teatro Aveirense 14 - Arcos de Valdevez, PT @ Casa das Artes 16 - Barcelona, ES @ Sala Upload 17 - Madrid, ES @ Sala B 20 - Vienna, AT @ Blue Bird Festival 21 - Torino, IT @ Spazio211 22 - Bologna, IT @ Baumhaus 23 - Milano, IT @ Arci Bellezza 27 - London, UK @ The Lower Third 29 - Utrecht, NL @ Vredenburg 30 - Breda, NL @ Mezz December 02 - Groningen, NL @ Simplon https://www.sondrelerche.com https://www.instagram.com/sondrelerche/?hl=en
