Out now on the Provogue/Arton label, Live At Hotel Cecil is the new live album from the award-winning Danish roots rocking octet Thorbjørn Risager & The Black Tornado.
Situated at the heart of Copenhagen, Hotel Cecil has been home to a jazzhouse and a playhouse, and originally served as a meeting place and lecture hall for the women’s emancipation movement in Denmark when it was built in 1936. Set against an art deco backdrop, it perfectly suits the smooth, smoky blues of Denmark’s hardest working band. The show was recorded at their sold out performance on 29th November 2025, one of the band’s final nights on their House of Sticks winter tour.
The eight piece have also been dropping singles from the album, with ‘Hold My Lover Tight (Live)’, ‘Said I Was Hurt (Live)’, ‘I Used to Love You (Live)’, ‘Come On In (Live)’, ‘Already Gone’, ‘Never Givin’ In’ and ‘Insomnia Boogie’ the most recent.
“Hotel Cecil has a certain intimacy,” said Risager. “It’s big enough to have power, but still close enough that you can really feel the faces in front of you. That kind of room invites you to dig deeper, both musically and emotionally. There’s a history in places like that. You can feel that many stories have unfolded there.”
Reflecting on the night, he recalled, “I remember a great sense of anticipation backstage. That quiet buzz before you walk on stage. The room felt warm, very present. The audience was listening, really listening, and then when the groove hit, they were right there with us. That exchange of energy is everything.”
It’s easy to assume these road worn veterans, exuding effortless cool, treat this as just another day at the office, but that is not the case. “I still get that little spark before walking on stage,” he smiles. “And I hope I always will. If you stop caring, maybe you should stop playing. But it’s not fear anymore. It’s a focus. A readiness.
“We always approach a live show with respect, for the music, for each other, and for the audience. It’s never just about playing the songs as they are on the record. It’s about creating a moment that only exists that night.”
Risager and his band are a conduit for their storied songs and the places they perform them, providing a connection for the audience in that specific moment. “I want people to feel lifted. Maybe they came in with a heavy day on their shoulders. I hope they leave lighter. Blues music can be soulful and deep, but it’s also about joy and release. If people walk away feeling connected, energised, maybe even a little transformed, then we’ve done our job,” he commented.
Thorbjørn Risager (vocals, electric guitar), Emil Balsgaard (organ, keyboards), Joachim Svensmark (electric guitar), Kasper Wagner (baritone saxophone), Hans Nybo (tenor saxophone), Peter W Kehl (trumpet), Søren Bøjgaard (bass) and Martin Seidelin (drums, percussion) have won four Danish Music Awards from seven nominations, the Best Band prize at the European Blues Awards, and the prestigious Preis der Deutschen Schallplattenkritik Jahrespreis, the German Record Critics’ Award.
They have sold over 100,000 physical albums and surpassed 32 million streams, all while blazing a trail worldwide across more than 1,500 shows. They have opened for Bonnie Raitt and the Tedeschi Trucks Band, jammed with the legendary Buddy Guy, and even picked up a fan in Elwood Blues himself, Dan Aykroyd, who hailed their “hot rhythm and blues”.
A sold out show still sends a tingling sensation through a band, Risager reflected, and Live At Hotel Cecil proved to be a special moment. “It’s humbling. Truly. We’ve built this step by step over many years, often far from home. To see sold out means people have chosen to spend their evening with us. That’s not something I take lightly.”
You can trace the band’s road to this release over at RAMzine, from the swampy groove of earlier single ‘Long Time Ago’ to the House of Sticks title track that heralded the album.
Regarding ‘Said I Was Hurt (Live)’, Risager noted that there is always a certain anticipation when a new song is played live for the first time. “You can feel it in the room,” he explained. “There’s a certain silence when people are really listening, and then a reaction that’s genuine. Sometimes you see people mouthing the chorus by the second time around. That’s when you know something has landed. A special song doesn’t just entertain, it resonates.”
On the song itself: “‘Said I Was Hurt’ is written by our guitarist Joachim Svensmark. This live version was recorded at the wonderful venue Hotel Cecil in Copenhagen in November 2025. It’s always special to perform in your own home town in front of long time friends and fans. The place was packed and the crowd was just wonderful. A very special night where everything just came together perfectly.”
Originally released on 2025’s House of Sticks, ‘Already Gone’ immediately became a live favourite. “‘Already Gone’ is a classic Thorbjørn Risager & The Black Tornado blues rock track with some pretty solid guitar work from Joachim Svensmark,” Risager said. “Since we started the release tour it has been the opening song of all our shows. The energy and the groove of the song is just a perfect way to get the band and the crowd in the right mood.”
The setlist is sprinkled with songs from throughout the band’s bulging back catalogue. ‘Hold My Lover Tight (Live)’ is one of four taken from 2017’s Change My Game and sees the band in full flight entertainer mode.
The video for a hauntingly atmospheric live version of ‘Never Givin’ In’ stretches to nearly 11 minutes long. A sinister intro gives way to a post apocalyptic Sons of Anarchy soundtrack fed through an Ennio Morricone filter, tantalising as it drags the crowd along.
With the new album, Thorbjørn Risager & The Black Tornado are bringing a little piece of themselves to their fans around the world. “Copenhagen means something special to us. It’s home. You know the streets, you know the energy of the city. And yes, there are often friends and family in the crowd. That adds another layer. You feel proud, but maybe also a little more vulnerable. But in the end, once the music starts, we’re all just part of the same experience.”
Thorbjørn Risager & The Black Tornado are road warriors in the truest sense. Not a month passes without them being on tour; it is the environment they live for, so the new album is a perfect opportunity to hear what you may have been missing.
