VÍÍK will perform Thursday, July 24.

Toronto Raptors, can you let a talented squad across the Atlantic borrow the “We the North” slogan?

Víík’s members come from each country in Scandinavia — Denmark, Sweden and Norway. Fronting the band is a Norwegian, Elisabeth Vik. She has the voice of someone born to sing folk music: a gracious caress, but able to slalom between gentle and powerful enough to hold its own over a whirling dervish of violin, mandolin, drum and accordion. And because she hails from a pretty rugged part of agrarian Norway, Vik will throw in the occasional cow herding call.

Formed in 2019, Víík has become an award-winning force in the Nordic folk scene and a hometown favourite at the annual Roskilde Festival. If they take the traditional maiden-

Viking-elf traditions as a leaping-off point, it’s a cannonball into uncharted seas. “I felt a strong need to rebel against the cool, minimalist aesthetic of Nordic folk, and this firework of a band has enabled me to do just that,” Víík vocalist said.

The group she’s talking about packs enough gunpowder to give a Northern Lights show a run for its money.

—Jason Markusoff