Ever since discovering Pom Poko’s 2019 debut album Birthday, I’ve had a healthily expanding hunger to see the four Norwegian prodigies in real life – to see if they really can recreate such musical complexity in a live setting. Like many others have been over the years, I was pleasantly surprised and welcomed into the Pom Poko world with open arms and the widest of grins.
To begin at the beginning. I’m sure frequent Cardiff gig-goers are no stranger to strolling down the fairy light-clad, brick haven that is Womanby Street (home of the renowned Clwb Ifor Bach). The entrance to ‘Clwb’ is discreet but inviting and with the immediate choice of three different floors, each boasting a varied range of gigs, club nights, and events daily, you know when walking up those metal stairs that this is a venue tailored for everyone.
Safely up on the third floor and with a reasonably priced pint in hand, I joined the ever-increasing audience just as 7:50 pm brought us the surreal post-punk power trio Alien Chicks. What followed was half an hour of overly enthusiastic, but nevertheless extremely precise angular math and Latin-inspired rock. From the pogoing leaps of bass player Stefan Parker-Steele to the unpredictable shrieks of Josef Lindsay, alongside explosive drumming from Martha Daniels, the Brixton-based triad were certainly there to fascinate. Dripping with Black Midi intricacy, the band oozed and trickled in and out of tight sonic spaces, leaving the audience gasping for air as we waited in fizzing anticipation for the headliners.
As it was Pom Poko’s first UK show of their extensive spring 2025 tour, the audience was immediately greeted with hearty warmth from the beaming frontwoman Ragnhild Fangel, as she divulged “Thank you for coming – we’ll do our very best”. I’ve never seen someone have so much fun on stage, as she danced and grinned through some seriously impressive vocals, on songs like ‘Growing Story’ and ‘My Blood’.
What I love about Pom Poko is their nondescript aesthetic, which is equally as (if not more) cool than any highly styled band in the indie scene right now. Their down-to-earth normalcy allows their stimulating music to speak for itself – which it does with utmost urgency. Martin Miguel Tonne’s vitalising finger work, and general guitar splendour, thrived from all ends of the fretboard. By encouraging the crowd to join him in singing the harmony part of ‘Danger Baby’, he bashfully captivated the whole room and responded politely to a bizarre audience question which didn’t quite pass through the language barrier.
The pulsating richness of the rhythm section, delightfully served up by drummer Ola Djupvik and the headband-sporting bassist Jonas Krøvel, was never let up. The title track of their most recent 2024 album Champion was dedicated to Djupvik, as the audience became privy to the fact that he was suffering with the flu. Although under the weather, he played with a relentless accuracy which was fortified by Krøvel, who charmed with an intense case of dramatic bass face.
The highlights of the set for me were the fan favourites ‘Follow The Lights’ and ‘Crazy Energy Night’, as I believe everything can be steadily enhanced by the inclusion of a cowbell. Fangel animatedly whacked the iron cuboid whilst laughing along with the front row, inviting us into their wildly energetic and aurally rewarding soundscape. Closing with the pocket-sized bundle of fun ‘My Family’, their hour set came to a close in a joyous flash, as the four-piece joined together for a final bow.
If you get the chance and are lucky enough to have them visit a venue near you, don’t walk, but run to get your hands on those tickets. Pom Poko are currently touring the UK, before completing their first North American headline tour this spring.
Tickets for all shows can be found here.
Pom Poko: Website / Facebook / Instagram / Bandcamp
Review and photography by Avalon Vowles
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