When Mari and Tor Egil Kreken started Darling West back in 2013, the project was intended as a way to give the married couple an opportunity to spend more time together. Tor Egil was one of Norway’s most critically acclaimed studio/live musicians, and he frequently toured the world with some of Norway’s biggest artists. Mari was hardly idle at home, and although she didn’t play any instruments at the time, her beautiful voice landed her gigs as a backup singer for artists such as Marit Larsen, Stein Torleif Bjella and Maria Solheim. After a few years of practicing the guitar, harmonica and other instruments behind closed doors, Mari was ready to enter the stage as the frontwoman of Darling West. In creating Darling West, Mari and Tor Egil combined their fascination for American songwriting traditions and their ability to write catchy and memorable melodies.
Support act: S. Lois
S. Lois is a folk singer laying down no-nonsense vocals on a layer of up-tempo guitar flatpicking, influenced by the boom-chicka sound from Americana legends Maybelle Carter, Johnny Cash and Jimmy Martin. In more contemporary terms, S. Lois’ inspiration comes from artists like Gillian Welch & David Rawlings, Willie Watson and Kris Drever. Recently, his single ‘I Stopped Worrying (A Long Time Ago)’ was added to the popular Monthly Playlist on the Spotify channel of GemsOnVHS from Nashville, the internationally acclaimed collective for folk videos.