It may just be me, but it’s just impossible not to like Scandinavians. It might be their accents, the way they are so very polite, or maybe purely their general cheery demeanour. In Ida Maria’s case it is doubly true because, coupled with the common Scandinavian charisma, she likes to rock. Like Alphabeat’s grittier older sister, the Norwegian singer burst onto the Komedia stage with guitar in hand and bra absent.

Preceding Ida, the instantly charismatic VV Brown came to warm up the crowd. Always impressing with her sublime voice, she easily manages the modernisation of the rock ‘n roll/doo wop sound. Following a blistering performance on Jools Holland and having just released the superb single “Crying Blood”, she is destined for bigger and better things. Expect a headline tour coming around before you know you it.

With some impressive live stories to live up to (apparently headbutting a guitar and not realising she was bleeding all over herself), there was always going to be high expectations for Ida Maria’s arrival. Noticeably without bra (which she did draw attention to, after realising that playing the guitar generates a lot of movement in the upper torso), she is a constantly entertaining and witty musician. With one of the most intriguing and captivating voices I have heard in the last decade, she pushed herself to the limit at all times as she tore through her set, Calming it down for slower number “Keep Me Warm”, she showed a more introspective, brooding side to her character, and yet lost nothing of her intensity.

Finally swapping her water for a bottle of red, she ended her set storming through singles “Oh My God” and recent hit “I Like You So Much Better When You’re Naked”. Ida Maria does make you wonder why there aren’t more female artists around like her. Who needs the retro-soul of the Winehouses, Duffys and Adeles of the world when you can jump around like a five year old singing about how you like naked people? I know I’ll never wear a bra again. 

Words by Dave Drummond

Photography by Ian Greenland