The Volta tour

The Volta Tour was the sixth concert tour by Icelandic artist Björk. It supported her sixth studio album, Volta. Preceded by an appearance in a benefit concert in Iceland, the 18-month tour began on April 9, 2007 at the Laugardalshöll in Reykjavík and concluded in the same city with a special acoustic showcase at the Langholtskirkja on August 26, 2008. Overall, 48 songs were performed on the tour, focusing on tracks from Debut through to Medúlla, which did not receive its own tour. The tour was Björk's first in four years and saw her play countries that she had not played in over ten years. As part of a collaboration with UNICEF, part of the proceeds of the ticket sales was donated to the agency's "Born Free from HIV" campaign.
The tour band consisted of drummer Chris Corsano, musician Mark Bell, who previously accompanied Björk on the Homogenic tour, pianist Jónas Sen, who played celeste on the tracks "Gratitude" and "Cetacea" on the Drawing Restraint 9 soundtrack, musician Damian Taylor, and a 10 piece female Icelandic brass section called the Wonderbrass. The tour instrumentation included the ReacTable, an electro-acoustic music instrument with a tabletop Tangible User Interface, and the Tenori-on.
The tour generated controversy due to several performances of the third single from Volta, "Declare Independence", during which Björk declared political support for various causes, such as Kosovo declaration of independence, the Faroese independence movement and Tibetan independence movement. This latter endorsement prompted the Chinese Ministry of Culture to announce a ban for all entertainers who have ever attended activities that "threaten national sovereignty".
A number of concerts were recorded and broadcast. Voltaïc, a box set consisting in a live album recorded at the Olympic Studios in London, a concert film including performances from Olympia in Paris and the Langholtskirkja, a remixes compilation and music videos, was released on June 23, 2009.

Background

After some rumours started circulating during 2006, in January 2007, through Björk's official website, it was announced that a new album, the follow-up to her 2004 record Medúlla was being ultimated. Collaborators on the latest output included Timbaland, with whom Björk had collaborated on three songs, Antony and the Johnsons lead singer Anohni, drummers Chris Corsano and Brian Chippendale, African musicians Toumani Diabaté and Konono N°1, Chinese pipa player Min Xiaofen, Mark Bell, who had collaborated with Björk on Homogenic and played with her during the Homogenic tour and Icelandic poet and long-time collaborator Sjón, who had penned a song for the album. Along with the album, a new tour was confirmed to take place in the following months. On January 22, 2007, the first show was confirmed to take place at Coachella Valley [Music and Arts Festival|Coachella Festival], which she already headlined in 2002. Three days later, Björk's performance at Glastonbury Festival was announced. However, it was specified by Glastonbury chief Michael Eavis that she would not be headlining. Between January and February, performances at Roskilde Festival, Open'er Festival, Paléo Festival, Rock Werchter and Sasquatch! Music Festival were confirmed. The first North American leg was announced on March 19, with shows at Radio City Music Hall, Red Rocks Amphitheatre and Shoreline Amphitheatre.
At the start of the tour, Björk performed three songs at a benefit concert at Club Nasa in Reykjavík on April 1 for Forma, an Icelandic organisation which deals with people who have eating disorders. Tour rehearsals began shortly before this performance in Iceland. The tour band consisted of Mark Bell on beats, Chris Corsano on drums, Canadian producer Damian Taylor on electronics, Icelandic-Chinese classical pianist Jónas Sen on keyboards and a 10-piece, all-female brass band from Reykjavík called the Wonderbrass. The tour started on April 9, 2007, with a concert at Laugardalshöll in Reykjavík.
Further dates were announced in the Netherlands, Spain, France, Italy, Ireland and Scotland. The second North American leg, which was announced in July, featured a performance at Madison Square Garden, while the South American dates were confirmed in October. It was since 1997 that Björk didn't perform in South America. During October, 2007, the first dates for 2008 were confirmed, with Björk playing seven shows in Australia and New Zealand for the Big Day Out and Sydney Festival. It was the first time since 1996 that Björk had played in Oceania. Björk had to cancel an appearance in Sydney due to "swelling of the vocal chords ". Further dates were announced in Japan, China, Hong Kong, South Korea, Indonesia and United Kingdom. A show in Sheffield was rescheduled due to health issues. Later appearances included shows at Melt! Festival, Festival Sudoeste, Riga, Ola Festival in Spain, Helsinki, Vilnius, Paris, Verona, Rome, Athens and Istanbul. It was rumoured that the singer would perform in Israel for the first time since 1996, but no such event happened. Moreover, Björk had to cancel appearances in Helsinki and Sheffield because of problems with her throat and vocal chords. An appearance at Wild in [the Country (festival)|Wild in the Country], which was promoted as an exclusive UK festival appearance, was cancelled after Björk had called the event "volatile" and cited problems with staging and lighting. The whole event was cancelled thereafter. On June 18, 2008, it was announced that Björk and Sigur Rós would join and organise a free concert called "Náttúra" in Reykjavík along with Icelandic author Andri Snær Magnason, to raise awareness about the impact of Aluminium smelting activity on Iceland's landscape. The last show of the tour was an acoustic showcase that took place at Langholtskirkja in Reykjavík, in which different songs, not usually performed during the tour were performed, alongside new arrangements of old songs, including "It's Oh So Quiet".

Controversies

Björk has used live performances of "Declare Independence" to declare political support for various causes, often to some controversy. At two concerts in Tokyo, Japan she showed her support for Kosovo's declaration of independence. When her upcoming performance at the 2008 Serbian EXIT Festival was cancelled, Björk suggested that "Maybe a Serb attended my concert and called home, and therefore the concert in Novi Sad was cancelled." The organizer behind the EXIT Festival denied that Björk's cancellation from the festival was because of her song dedication to Kosovo; that it was actually their inability to guarantee the safety of her fans. Björk's management maintained that the cancellation was because of the dedication, claiming that they had received an email from EXIT Festival saying that they would only allow the concert to go ahead if Björk's management "denied that Björk has ever ". On March 7, 2008 EXIT festival organiser Bojan Boscovic changed his position and told NME that Björk has an "open invitation" to play at the festival. Björk's dedicating of "Declare Independence" to the Faroe Islands caused some minor controversy in the country.
At a concert in Shanghai, China on March 2, 2008 Björk shouted "Tibet, Tibet!" three times followed by "Raise your flag!" four times during the finale performance of "Declare Independence". Immediately there was an 'uneasy atmosphere' and fans left the venue quickly, and internet forums such as Tianya fielded many negative comments on her statement. Ministry of Culture of the [People's Republic of China|China's Ministry of Culture] issued a statement denouncing Björk's outburst, and warned that she would be banned from future appearances in China if she repeated such behavior. In an interview, Björk said that she did not " a trip to China with the purpose of... propaganda" and that Chinese officials "sensationalized" her performance. On July 17, 2008 the Chinese Ministry of Culture announced that artistic groups who "threaten national unity" or "whip up ethnic hatred" among other things during live events would be banned from performing. Fans of Oasis and Bob Dylan, who had previously performed in Tibetan Freedom Concerts, blamed the new regulations for their subsequent denials of permission to perform in Chinese venues.
Many of the live performances from the tour were shot by the audience and uploaded on YouTube, causing Björk to voice her dislike of fans recording video or taking pictures at her concerts using their mobile phones, stating that it affects her ability to perform. On 13 January 2008, Björk attacked a photographer who had photographed her arrival at Auckland International Airport in New Zealand for her scheduled performance at the Big Day Out festival. Björk allegedly tore the photographer's shirt down the back, and in the process she fell to the ground. Neither the photographer nor his employer, The New Zealand Herald, lodged a formal complaint, and Auckland police did not investigate further.

Broadcasts and recordings

Several performances from the tour were streamed online. Björk's performance at Coachella was streamed on AT&T Webcasts the day of the show. NPR and WNYC offered a webcast of the show at United Palace Theater. The singer's show at Glastonbury Festival was broadcast on BBC Four. A partial footage from Roskilde Festival was broadcast by MTV. Björk and Sigur Rós headlined free concert "Náttúra" was live streamed by Nat Geo Music.
On June 25, 2007, it was announced on pianist Jonas Sen tour blog, that a recording session at Olympic Studios in London took place with the band earlier that day. The recording was officially confirmed by Björk's team three months later, on September 7, 2007. It was stated that the recording was intended for a "live session album". When Björk's concert at Olympia in Paris was announced, it was specified that it would be recorded. The acoustic showcase at Langholtskirkja in Reykjavík was also filmed. On January 31, 2009, it was announced that a box set called Voltaïc, which would contain the London live session and both the Paris and Reykjavik shows, along with music videos and remixes, was to be released during the year. The collection, originally bound to a March, 2008, release, saw many delays due to a manufacturing error which led to 20,000 copies of the box-set having to be destroyed, and with a remanufacture necessary, Björk decided to make changes to the track listing resulting in four songs being cut from the live DVD. Towards the end of April 2009 Universal Europe accidentally shipped their Deluxe Edition copies of Voltaïc early. A statement released by One Little Indian confirmed that the projected release date was meant to be June 2009 as they wanted all three versions of Voltaïc to be available upon official release. However, UK-based music retailer CD Wow was found to be for a brief period selling un-cut copies of the box set, before its official release. These copies, which had allegedly been destroyed, were manufactured in Malaysia - and as such contained more tracks than the other released editions. Voltaïc eventually enjoyed its full official release on 23 June 2009. A preview of the DVD was released on YouTube on June 16, 2009, while footage from "Declare Independence" from Paris and "Sonnets/Unrealities XI" from Reykjavík were premiered by Pitchfork and Rolling Stone, respectively. Voltaïc was screened at fifteen theatres throughout the USA to coincide with the North American release, and throughout July 2009 the concert was also shown twice weekly at the Háskólabíó theatre in Reykjavík. Björk herself was present at the first screening.

Set list

2007

This set list is from the June 22, 2007 concert in Pilton, England. It is not intended to represent all concerts for the year.

;Encore

"Declare Independence"

2008

This set list is from the June 25, 2008 concert in Paris, France. It is not intended to represent all concerts for the year.

"Brennið Þið Vitar"
"Earth Intruders"
"Hunter"
"Immature"
"Jóga"
"I See Who You Are"
"Pleasure Is All Mine"
"Pagan Poetry"
"Vertebræ by Vertebræ"
"Where Is the Line"
"Who Is It"
"Oceania"
"Desired Constellation"
"Army of Me"
"Innocence"
"Triumph of a Heart"
"Bachelorette"
"Vökuró"
"Wanderlust"
"Hyperballad"
"Pluto"

;Encore

"Declare Independence"

Langholtskirkja showcase

This set list is from the August 26, 2008 concert in Reykjavík, Iceland.

"Overture"
"Pneumonia"
"The Anchor Song"
"Cover Me"
"My Juvenile"
"Immature"
"The Dull Flame of Desire"
"Vökuró"
"Sonnets/Unrealities XI"
"Mouth's Cradle"
"Oceania"
"Who Is It"

;Encore

"It's Oh So Quiet"

Other songs performed

Björk rehearsed 48 songs from her discography for the tour and changed set list order for every show. These songs are not included in the set lists reported above.

"Unravel"
"Aurora"
"Unison"
"It's Not Up To You"
"Aeroplane"
"Mother Heroic"
"Síðasta Ég"
"Hidden Place"
"Human Behaviour"
"Come to Me"
"Cocoon"
"Undo"

'''Appearances'''

Awards and nominations

Meteor Ireland Music Awards

!Ref.

Personnel

All credits adapted from Voltaïc.

Björk – vocals
Damian Taylor – musical director
Mark Bell – computers and keyboards
Jónas Sen – keyboards
Chris Corsano – drums and percussion
Wonderbrass – horns
* Erla Axelsdóttir – french horn
* Brynja Guðmundsdóttir – tuba
* Sylvía Hlynsdóttir – trumpet
* Harpa Jóhannsdóttir – trombone
* Sigrún Jónsdóttir – trombone
* Sigrún Kristbjörg Jónsdóttir – trombone
* Björk Níelsdóttir – trumpet
* Særún Ósk Pálmadóttir – french horn
* Bergrún Snæbjörnsdóttir – french horn
* Valdís Þorkelsdóttir – trumpet
Choir
* Brynja Guðmundsdóttir – soprano
* Hugrún R. Hólmgeirsdóttir – soprano
* Inga Harðardóttir – soprano
* Heiða Árnadóttir – soprano
* Margret Sigurðardóttir – soprano
* Jónína Guðrún Kristinsdóttir – soprano
* Guðrún Edda Gunnarsdóttir – alto
* Guðrún Finnbjarnardóttir – alto
* Sólveig Samúelsdóttir – alto
* Hildigunnur Einarsdóttir – alto
* Aðalheiður Þorsteinsdóttir – alto
* Guðmundur Vignir Karlsson – tenor
* Björn Thorarensen – tenor
* Magnús Ragnarsson – tenor
* Þorbjörn Sigurðsson – tenor
* Benedikt Ingólfsson – bass
* Hugi Jónsson – bass
* Þorvaldur Þorvaldsson – bass

Stage, audio and technical

Shaun Martin – tour manager
Jennifer George – Björk PA
Andrea Helgadottir – Björk make up
Rosemary Llagostera – Björk wardrobe
Thelma Björk Johannesdottir – Björk nanny
Peter van der Velde – production manager
Kevin Pruce – FOH sound engineer
Bob Lopez – monitor sound engineer
Paul Normandale – lighting designer
Jez Webb – backline technician
Alan Pollard – backline technician
Chris Taplin – stage manager
Tracy Fraser – production assistant
Richard Brisson – laser and pyro assistant
Ken Schmitt – laser technician
Andy Squibb – sound technician
Rob Priddle – sound technician
Richard Cook – sound technician
Dave Jolly – lighting technician
Graham Feast – lighting technician
Stevie Marr – lighting technician
Andrew Wooderson – harpsichord tuner
Edmund Handy – harpsichord tuner
Graham Butler – truck driver
Robert “Ratty” Quinn – truck driver
Roy Ladds – truck driver
Ragga Gestsdottir – Björk PA
Helga Fridriksdottir – Björk nanny
Numi Thomasson – Björk chef
Anthony Cairns – on tour video director
Mark Dawson – Björk security
Richard Gibson – sound technician
Emmanuelle George – Björk wardrobe
Nick Mooney – sound technician
Nick Davis – sound technician
Chris Hill – wigwam audio
Geoff Muir – wigwam audio
Jon Greaves – lite alt lighting
David and Sue Steinberg – stardes trucking
Des Fallon – XL video
Valdis Dauksts – XL video
Rebecca and Abby Yunke – strickly FX
Ted Maccabee – strickly FX
Mark Greka – strickly FX
Alan Durant – rockit cargo
Bill Good – rockit cargo
Maureen Scott – vocal coach
Sergi Jorda – reactable
Marco Alonso – reactable
Gunter Geiger – reactable
David Cushion – accountant
Patrick Templeman – US accountant
Tom Arko – eight day sound
Jordan Zur – eight day sound
John Bahnink – upstaging lighting
Chanon DiCarlo – upstaging lighting
Mark and Paula Turner – MTFX
David Levy – William Morris Agency
Karey Fisher – William Morris Agency
Sam Kirby – William Morris Agency
Doug Singer – William Morris Agency
Vicky Leviten – Music Travel Agency
Sarah Howden – Music Travel Agency
Jennifer Chiara – Linden Travel
Paul Hattin – Phoenix Busing
Mark Larson – Hemphill Brothers