Lukas Graham at the Crocodile
Many of us are catching on to the music of international sensation Lukas Graham, and if not obsessed already soon you will be. The Danish star caught the attention of Warner Bros. after his debut success and signed him in 2013. Now they are on an upward climb with their latest hit “7 Years” from sophomore album Lukas Graham (Blue Album).
I know that seeing them at the Crocodile for their first show in Seattle will be a great choice in a few months since the act will be much bigger and much larger venues will follow. As I walked into the Croc I noticed the packed audience with a couple of people holding a Danish flag with them. After opening the night with a couple of songs he asked how many people in the crowd were from Denmark and a lot shouted back at him as he spoke some Danish back to them.
His songs are packed with emotion especially the ones that were written after his father’s passing which he so openly shares with his fans. “Don’t You Worry ‘Bout Me”, he tells us is about all of the people that kept asking him how he was after he lost him. In another one about him a sad one that is not his favorite to perform because he remembers so much, but his favorite on the album is “You’re Not There”.
He went on to play “Criminal Mind”, and “Take the World by Storm” and then shared another story of a song. This time he mentioned a conversation he had with a friend he knew since 1st grade that asked him how come he hasn’t written any songs about his mother. He was more focused on his dad because of his passing and never thought about it that way. So he went on to write “Mama Said” in response to his friend’s question.
It was nice to see all the chemistry between him and his band on stage which clearly is due to all of them being such good friends. The bassist Magnus Larsson not only played but sang every single lyric passionately in the background. They messed around with each other even pulled together a Danish song for their audience, and their last song before the encore was “Funeral”.
Lukas Graham came out first from behind the curtain and encouraged everyone to say each members name so they can come out again, and we all did just that. Keyboardist Kasper Daugaard, drummer Mark Falgren (love stick), and of course for the bassist Magnus (Magnum).
The night ended with their chart topping hit “7 Years” and “Happy Home”, and we were all levitated with his soulful voice. The most amazing thing I noticed watching the show was that Lukas portrayed the confidence of an artist with many years and experience under his belt completely owning the stage. He is a star that is shining bright, can’t wait to see where he goes from here.