09/11/2025
Fantastic review of V&BT's debut album "Diamonds at the Rainbow's End" from Italian magazine ilpopolodelblues.com.
"... From Norway, V&BT a great rock/blues band... “
Here translated from Italian to Emglish.
Formed in 2016, Norwegian band V&BT (Vigdis & Blå Tråd) boast multiple collaborations with leading bands and artists from their homeland. To date, as a group, they have been intensely active live, and it is perhaps for this reason that their recent debut album, Diamonds at the Rainbows End (Live in Norway), sees them starring in what is their most congenial environment. The current core of the band consists of Tom Pettersen (guitar, backing vocals, songwriter, and producer), Vigdis Haugen (lead vocals), Bjørn Løkling (bass), and Christer Persson (drums and backing vocals). Some tracks feature former band members, specifically Borre Hansen Bratass (drums on Confession), Espen Hauge (bass and backing vocals on Caves Of My Mind and Voodoo Doll), Anders Viken (drums on Caves Of My Mind and Voodoo Doll) and Olaf Hjellum (bass on House Of The Rising Sun). Diamonds at the Rainbows End contains eleven tracks, all original except for the closing House Of The Rising Sun, a traditional song with a thousand interpretations, made timeless by Eric Burdon's version with The Animals. V&BT offer a pleasant rock/blues sound, with influences ranging from 80s rock to pop/rock. The opening tracks Stormy Weather, Voodoo Doll, and Me And Louise are prime examples of these influences. These songs could serve as potential singles aimed at a more general audience, not just rock/blues fans. Here Comes That Man Again, Confession, Schizophrenic Soul, and Heart Of Stone allow us to understand that the passion that animates all the elements of the band is blues and its various facets, rock/blues in particular. V&BT have no weak points. The powerful, tight, and precise rhythm section is the perfect musical accompaniment for the talented and versatile guitarist Tom Pettersen, who excels in both rhythm and solos, never “over the top” but full of soul and, above all, always appropriate in terms of sound to the context of the songs in which they are inserted. A band this good could only have a top-notch singer. Vigdis Haugen is a real surprise, her voice is impressive, thanks to her extreme attention to dynamics, capable of being explosive and incisive and, at the same time, where necessary, softer and more emotional. V&BT are definitely a band to watch out for, and we hope that they will soon be heard again with a new album, recorded this time in the studio.
Stefano Tognoni
https://open.spotify.com/album/1z5UJ3fEI4QyA6cEAEA4YU...
Fantastic review of V&BT's debut album "Diamonds at the Rainbow's End" from Italian magazine ilpopolodelblues.com.
"... From Norway, V&BT a great rock/blues band... “
Here translated from Italian to Emglish.
Formed in 2016, Norwegian band V&BT (Vigdis & Blå Tråd) boast multiple collaborations with leading bands and artists from their homeland. To date, as a group, they have been intensely active live, and it is perhaps for this reason that their recent debut album, Diamonds at the Rainbows End (Live in Norway), sees them starring in what is their most congenial environment. The current core of the band consists of Tom Pettersen (guitar, backing vocals, songwriter, and producer), Vigdis Haugen (lead vocals), Bjørn Løkling (bass), and Christer Persson (drums and backing vocals). Some tracks feature former band members, specifically Borre Hansen Bratass (drums on Confession), Espen Hauge (bass and backing vocals on Caves Of My Mind and Voodoo Doll), Anders Viken (drums on Caves Of My Mind and Voodoo Doll) and Olaf Hjellum (bass on House Of The Rising Sun). Diamonds at the Rainbows End contains eleven tracks, all original except for the closing House Of The Rising Sun, a traditional song with a thousand interpretations, made timeless by Eric Burdon's version with The Animals. V&BT offer a pleasant rock/blues sound, with influences ranging from 80s rock to pop/rock. The opening tracks Stormy Weather, Voodoo Doll, and Me And Louise are prime examples of these influences. These songs could serve as potential singles aimed at a more general audience, not just rock/blues fans. Here Comes That Man Again, Confession, Schizophrenic Soul, and Heart Of Stone allow us to understand that the passion that animates all the elements of the band is blues and its various facets, rock/blues in particular. V&BT have no weak points. The powerful, tight, and precise rhythm section is the perfect musical accompaniment for the talented and versatile guitarist Tom Pettersen, who excels in both rhythm and solos, never “over the top” but full of soul and, above all, always appropriate in terms of sound to the context of the songs in which they are inserted. A band this good could only have a top-notch singer. Vigdis Haugen is a real surprise, her voice is impressive, thanks to her extreme attention to dynamics, capable of being explosive and incisive and, at the same time, where necessary, softer and more emotional. V&BT are definitely a band to watch out for, and we hope that they will soon be heard again with a new album, recorded this time in the studio.
Stefano Tognoni
https://open.spotify.com/album/1z5UJ3fEI4QyA6cEAEA4YU?si=coK0oVazQPqnXChdPfm9nQ
