Tim Hughes speaks to Blues Caravan’s Christina Skjolberg ahead of a Jericho gig

Things used to be so much simpler in music. Take the blues. Everyone knew that to play ‘the devil’s music’ you had to be old, black and American — preferably with a rocking chair on the stoop, a battered guitar, a bag of sob stories and an education at the school of hard knocks. A series of broken marriages, deceased dog, and a name referencing a physical impairment only strengthened one’s credentials as a jobbing bluesman.

So what on earth is an attractive, highly-educated blonde woman from one of the world’s richest countries doing playing the blues? Surely Robert Johnson, ‘Blind’ Lemon Jefferson and Lead Belly must be turning in their graves? Well no, because Christina Skjolberg is the real deal.

For too long known as Norway’s best-kept secret, this Nordic singer-songwriter is a charismatic performer, who rips up the stage in a riot of blonde hair, gutsy vocals and killer ’70s-style blues-rock riffs.

On Monday, she heads to Oxford as part of the Blues Caravan — a three- act touring circus of music which also features fellow up-and-coming artists New Yorker Albert Castiglia and Britain’s Laurence Jones. They play the Jericho Tavern, Walton Street, as part of Oxford blues promoter ‘Silver’ Philip Guy Davis’s Famous Monday Blues series of weekly shows.

“I love the blues,” she says. “It’s all about feeling: you can feel the music and it touches something inside.” Christina speaks fluent English with a lilting Nordic accent, punctuated by laughter. She may hail from the far north, but she’s no ice maiden. “All of us have hard times,” she goes on. “Even if you’re from Norway — which can be very cold and dark. We like sad blues and glad blues!”

She honed her craft at her family home on the small island of Smøla, where winter temperatures fall to –20C. “I’ve been playing guitar since I was a little girl,” she says.

“Blues and rock ‘n’ roll have always ruled my world. “It was a small place, not much to do. I had to find something to do with my time, so I picked up the guitar.”

To figure out the inspiration behind Christina’s scorching guitar style, one only needs to look on her shoulder. “I have a tattoo of Jimi Hendrix,” she says. “It’s on my left arm because, like him, I am left-handed. I first heard his music when I was 12 and knew then I wanted to play guitar. My parents were into the blues and ’70s rock — like Deep Purple — and I started listening to it.

“My parents bought me a guitar for Christmas and I started playing on one string. I got better, but it felt wrong and I had to change the strings the other way.

“I started playing gigs when I was 15 but was really too young to get into any bars, so I had a break and didn’t start again until I was 20.”

In the meantime she qualified as a skin and body therapist and masseur. “That still comes in handy,” she laughs. “Though the guys do keep asking for a massage!”

Her break came when German impresario Thomas Ruf came to Norway to see her. “He’d heard about me from a guy in Bergen,” she recalls. “So he came to check me out.”

A star in Norway, Christina’s fame will only spread with the release, this year, of her debut Come And Get It. The record is released on Ruf Records — the imprint owned by the promoter — who put together the Blues Caravan. “It’s a great tour,” says Christina, speaking before a show in Switzerland. “Thomas chooses three artists every year to tour in Europe and the States. We play together and separately and generally show ourselves.

“The three of us play for a total of two-and-a-half hours, so you get a lot for your money. We are all different, though, and write our own songs.

“We didn’t know each other before,” she goes on. “It’s been exciting meeting the guys and playing alongside them — they are both great guitar players.”

The next date on the tour is the closest thing to a hometown gig: Oslo. Then it’s Austria, Germany, Luxembourg and Oxford — the first of just three UK dates. It’s then back to Austria, then home, but there are dates later in the year.

“I’m looking forward to my first time in the UK,” she says. “And I’ve heard all about the Famous Monday Blues — which sounds good.

“It’s exciting to play such an iconic venue. I hope people come, listen and even dance. You don’t have to scream and jump and shout, though. The most important thing is you like it.”

How is it being the only girl on the tour? “I am alone as a girl, but it’s not a problem. The guys are nice, the venues are friendly, and I can handle it.

“The blues is still a man thing but there are more girl “I’m just fortunate to have this fantastic opportunity to spread my music around the world.”

Blues Caravan
Jericho Tavern, Oxford
Monday
Tickets £12 from wegottickets.com