Fjorden Baby!, Enslaved @ Hove Festival.
Tromøya, Norway 24nd June 2009
Whilst bands and beers are plentiful, the weather is impeccable and the vibe is perfect, this reporter has managed to keep his shades on for just a little to long, and has spent most of the day trying to get rid of a facial tanline from hell. Hanging around in the sun most of the day, we’ve been treated to both Enslaved rocking out the metal crowds of Hove, and other, slightly less metallic, stuff from abroad, like Esser and The Gaslight Anthem. Hove ‘09 has this far been an enormous success, weather-wise, band-wise and most of all, feeling-wise. And we still have a lot to look forward to. It’s summertime and everybody’s happy/friends!
Unexpected – Fjorden Baby! as expected
Getting up at around one o’clock, the first thing on my schedule was another one of this year’s Bergen exports, Fjorden Baby! A raucous band of miscreants from the wrong side of the tracks (Loddefjord represent), this is what you get when hip-hopers, reggae-freaks and metal-heads filter their music through a dub-rock filter. Melodic disharmonies and onstage attitude that rivals the greats of punk and rap with the charm and chilled-out vibe of a Jamaican beach party creates a show that is enjoyable in both sunlight and barlight.
However, getting back to story of a hung-over reporter making his way to a concert that was supposed to start at 15.15, a twist is due. The band had (of course) lost something or someone at the airport (right…), and the show had been postponed till 16.30. Now, this turned out to be a blessing in disguise. Cause when they opened Amfi-scenen, about 80 minutes overdue, the crowd was bigger and drunker, the sky bluer and the sun brighter, and the band in top form from song 1.
Highlights included “Karoline” and “Anorektisk Utopi” (Anorectic Utopia), as well as a song they had written earlier the same day. The crowd stretched from the mellowest hippies sitting in the back to rockabillies, punks and indiekids that were jumping around in the pit. All in all a perfect start to a bright and sunny afternoon.
Enslaved
Photos: Fredrik Klingenberg
Words: Vandad Darakhshanfar
Related posts:
