Review — Orions Belte Performed a Sensory Hijack on Fans at the Marquis Theater

With Denver’s evergrowing love of all things jam band, a visit from Orions Belte was long overdue. The charismatic trio, Øyvind Blomstrøm (guitar), Chris Holm (bass and keys) and Kim Åge Furuhaug (drums and percussion), found themselves a long way from their home country, Norway, last Saturday at the Marquis Theater amidst US Spring tour. With a little piece of the LA music scene, Alex Siegel, along for the ride, their debut Denver performance hypnotized fans with a vivid instrumental showcase overflowing with colorful energy.

Orions Belte

Tour poster courtesy of Orions Belte.

Alex Siegel and his band, along with his tight-knit live band, warmed up the crowd with their primarily soft, emotional indie sound. The group employed slow transitions into more powerful melodies that emerged from the southern California indie haze. Between songs, a fan called out “Play all night!” to which Siegel responded solemnly, “if we could.” The proud-to-be-hipster crowd was filled with beanies, flannels, and a sense of calm joy.

Photo courtesy of Alex Siegel on Facebook.

Despite the laid-back energy of Siegel’s sound, his band was working hard to hold together the comforting ethos that each song embodied. “Charlie” and “Fairweather Friends,” off of Siegel’s most recent album, Courage, filled the dark Marquis like a warm summer breeze.

 

“Wow this is awesome, the altitude feels so crazy,” Siegel commented while taking a break midset. Now three weeks into the tour, Siegle acknowledged the unusual musical lifestyle that touring creates for bands. However, he made sure to express his gratitude for Orions Belte bringing them along for the ride. Getting back to the music, Siegle dropped an octave and exclaimed “Rocky mountain high,” with a smirk as the band slid into the next melody.

Fans were sad to see Siegel leave the stage, but the anticipation for Orions Belte kept the room buzzing. After the long sunny drive up from Texas, Orions Belte was quite happy to settle into the cozy Marquis TheaterThe set kicked off with drastic volume changes, preparing the audience for the wide variety of sounds ahead.

Orions Belte

Orions Belte performing Lagniappe Sessions

“We are from the west coast of Norway,” Blomstrøm said in his thick Norweigan accent, “We are in the mile-high city! Home of the MVP!” he exclaimed over cheers from the crowd. Pale blue light surrounded the trio with light green and yellow accents shifting with each song. This color scheme held strong as the tempo ebbed and flowed. 

As a live performance, the slow-building nature of Orions Belte was embellished by longer solos for each musician.  One exciting alteration to the prerecorded version was an extended lead-in of the drum line that begins “Cherchez La Ghost.” Listeners experienced the raw building of the song, as drums were eventually followed by the iconic twangy guitar riff and dynamic bells that help Orions Belte stand apart from other instrumental groups. 

Blomstrøm introduced the group’s second most recent single, “Silliouets”, with a sassy remark. “Believe it or not we are actually going to play it.” Heavy guitar riffs brought red lights to the stage and fans quickly adjusted to the harsh yet driving sound. The band built off of the crowd’s energy, moving even darker and pushing themselves through the performance fatigue that often comes with extended, international tours.

Photo Courtesy of Orions Belte on Facebook

A clear chemistry exists between the three members — smiles exchanged on stage showed the communication happening as each member layered their own solos into the pre-existing song. Each member’s hard work as a musician has paid off and created a truly surrounding experience for listeners both recorded and live. This ambient and three-dimensional sound is something that will definitely keep fans coming back for more. Their performance of their hit single, “Bean,” was a great example.

Next, came the group’s most recent single, “Lucid Dreaming” which showcased the variety of percussion included in Furuhaug’s kit. “Glad you like it,” Blomstrøm said in response to hearty cheers. 

Instrumentals transitioned into “Dearest,” a song off their most recent full album, Villa Amorini, released in 2021. The interesting combination of airy vocals over warm, familiar guitar lines and smooth drums brought a sense of intimacy to the Marquis. Another energy shift occurred with “Joe Frazier,” a song that stands out as one of the group’s true explorations of the psychedelic rock sound.

With the crowd standing strong, Blomstrøm returned to the stage for an emotional encore — a cover of Mac Miller’s “2009.” Would it really be a show in Denver if the crowd couldn’t convince the performers to add a special encore? We don’t think so.