The Kings of Convenience played Osaka to a packed out Quattro. Given the size of the venue this is akin to suggesting that “the giant feasted on one entire gooseberry” but whatever, Quattro was rammed and the atmosphere electric. I’m not going to compare Erlend to Napoleon Dynamite, nor mention that Eirik strikes me as the ruling monarch of some bold new movement towards post-nerd boy bands, as this would be crass and unfunny. Instead, I will merely state that the boys put on one of the most beautiful and intimate concerts I have ever seen. They sung new and old stuff, in English and Norwegian and mixed it with a piano and some inspired slow-dancing. The absolute highlight was when they ditched the mics, asked for silence and busted out a song without amplification of any kind. It was haunting and personal, and the muffled gasps of appreciation from the female members of the crowd was testament to how beautiful it was. I think Erlend says it best in “Homesick” when he sings about “two soft voices, blended in perfection” because that’s exactly what it was: perfection.