September 11, 2021:
A loud and electrifying return to the stage for Odense, Denmark’s psych behemoths Causa Sui. After spending a year and a half locked down during a worldwide pandemic, the Danish four-piece consisting of guitarist Jonas Munk, bassist Jess Kahr, keyboard player Rasmus Rasmussen, and drummer Jakob Skøtt hit the stage of famed Copenhagen venue Loppen. Loppen, located in the famous and infamous Freetown Christiania commune, was 400 fans strong and buzzing with excitement with Covid restrictions being lifted only a week before(do yourself a favor and dig into Freetown Christiania commune and its wild history.) Causa Sui came to blow minds and blow minds they did.
Loppen 2021 is the entire show from start to finish; a set highlighting the band’s looser, more expansive songs from their catalog. Highlighting songs from nearly every studio album, Causa Sui stretch their music muscles and let the tracks breathe amongst the Loppen crowd, offering up one of their most urgent and in-the-moment live sets yet.
It was November of 2021 when I saw my first concert since the start of Covid, lockdowns, and isolation. It was an invigorating experience, once again among hordes of sweaty strangers in a music venue. Ears ringing, lights flashing, and fellow humans making noise in real time. What glorious noise it was, too. The set we hear from Causa Sui emanates with that excitement. There’s a crowd of music hungry fans wanting to be transported from the dystopian nightmare they’d been existing in for almost 2 years. Causa Sui opened the portal and let the vibes take over.
Eight songs cover the expanse of Loppen 2021 over four vinyl sides. Four of those songs come from the band’s 2013 breakthrough record Eurporie Tide. “The Juice” greets us at the door as Munk, Kahr, Rasmussen and Skøtt blow the roof off the joint in fine fashion. Ten minutes of pure psychedelic, hallucinatory bliss as buzzing guitar, ethereal keys, and the rock solid rhythm section of Kahr and Skøtt fill Loppen with some serious musical juju. The band then launches into Return To Sky major jam and moody set piece “Mondo Buzzo”, a chugging riff that starts out quiet but Causa Sui build up to a fuzz-drenched crescendo of otherworldly sonic proportions.
Loppen is officially lit.
The band lays waste to the hungry crowd, letting loose with Causa Sui classics like the Siamese Dream-adjacent “Homage” and the cosmic blues of “Mireille”, both off Euporie Tide. The band gets proper filthy on Vibraciones Doradas’ excellent “El Fuego”, a song and album that saw Causa Sui at their peak rock and roll powers. The ethereal beauty comes through perfectly on the stage as the band jump into the slinky and dreamy “Under The Spell” off Szabodelico. It seems appropriate the band ends this grand homecoming to the stage on “El Paraiso”, off Causa Sui’s debut self-titled LP. A celebration of fuzz, fire, and the almighty groove. A song that seems to meld the fire of Hendrix voodoo and Sabbath’s molten riffage in one massive, mind-blowing track.
If ever a modern rock and roll band knew the value of a proper live record it’s Causa Sui. They’ve given us Live at Freak Valley and the epic Live In Copenhagen, the latter being one of the best live recordings put to vinyl in, well, maybe forever. Loppen 2021 can be added to the list of the best, which includes Allman’s At Fillmore East, Hendrix’ Live At Woodstock, and Little Feat’s Waiting For Columbus.
A live album needs to transcend what was put to tape and show a different aspect of the band, while still staying true to the spirit of what was documented on record. Causa Sui indeed transcends when they play live, and Loppen 2021 is a prime example of that. A homecoming to the stage, to live music, and to the coalescing of body and soul in a hot, sweaty room for a couple hours. It’s a beautiful thing.
‘Loppen 2021′ is out now. Buy it here.
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