The Captain & Me, Julie Stokkendal, Synkron Ulyd, Get Dancy, Bygdin @ Slottsfjell Festival
Tønsberg, Norway 18th August 2009
The Captain & Me @ Kongescenen
It’s quite obvious where The Captain & Me has got the idea for the band name as the gig starts with an intro-tune fof the same name by The Doobie Brothers. The Captain & Me is a duo formed by Morten Krane and Even Vaa, but live they bring seven other musicians along. They call their music maximalistic, epic, conceptual balkan-country — a description that is actually quite honest and true. The music balances somewhere between wild balkan boogie and more laid back country vibes.
Nine people on stage at the same time is quite the bunch and they use more instruments than I can count. In addition to two guitars, the guys switch between mandolin, upright bass, banjo, pedal steel, tambourine, ukulele, two drums, saxophone, clarinet, balalaika and accordion, if I remember correctly. This caravan of musicians with their instruments create a massive sound.
From early morning on the day has been grey and rainy and people seem a bit tired on this third festival day. The music encourages dancing, but the festival feet are way too heavy to jump up and down. Or maybe the audience just haven’t got enough fuel in the form of beer yet; it is still early afternoon. The band promises to bring the sun with them (a promise they unfortunately can’t keep) and do their best trying to cheer up the crowd, but whether they manage the task is still unclear as I leave to catch the next concert…
Julie Stokkendal @ Tårnlunden
I leave the balkan-country boys and climb up the hill again, only to realize that the music coming from the big stage is so loud it’s hard to hear the act I’ve come to see, Julie Stokkendal. Luckily the audience who have come to witness a concert of this rising star is offering up their entire attention, listening intently. Stokkendal starts the show with her red ukulele and tells us it is her first time on such big stage and how she was expecting to play in front of twenty people instead of a crowd ten times that size.
I can’t think of any other word to describe this girl and her dreamy music than sweet. And the fact that she’s quite nervous makes her even sweeter. Young lady Stokkendal probably also heard about the naked guy who ran to the stage during the gig of Swedish folk pop duo First Aid Kit the day before, and hopes nothing similar happens during her concert.
The gig at the big stage finally stops, but unfortunately the feedback that has been troubling Tårnlunden is back again and it makes neither Julie nor the audience happy. For a little while everything runs smoothly and there’s magic in the air, until She Said Destroy jumps the schedule and start their gig prematurely. The magic moment is disturbed by a metal mayhem that leaves little space for the gentle sound of of a girl and her ukulele. Stokkendal gets a bit confused and asks if she should continue playing, and as the audience seems to adore her they encourage the newcomer to go on. She plays the last song, telling us about the moon with a sweet smile on her face. Good luck, Julie – we really hope to hear from you again, the sooner the better!
Synkron Ulyd, (Get Dancy), Bygdin @ Beddingen / Kastellnatt
Finding the way to the Kastellnatt venue in the middle of the pitch dark night is tricky, but apparently I’m not the only one who have decided to end their festival at this club – the late night show in the old factory hall is sold out.
Synkron Ulyd, whose show is a part of the FestivalVizual art concept of Slottsfjell, start their gig late and people are getting inpatient. Ronald Aune Jensen and his left hand Michel Diniz de Carvalho are both staring intensely at their Macbooks and invite the audience to a sonic journey in the world of sights. These fellows, who have played together since 2003, glance at each other quickly every now and then but mostly keep their eyes fixed on the computer screens. The pieces these guys put together are beautiful and interesting, but not quite the best match to create a Saturday night fever; some of the songs include vocal parts bringing older Sigur Rós stuff to my thoughts. The last song they perform is more up-tempo and finally brings some action to the venue and several people in front of the stage.
After Synkron Ulyd it is time for DJ duo Kristine Bjørnstad and Simen Herning aka Get Dancy to jump the stage. These ex-record store colleagues have been playing together for more than two years now and have become more and more popular in Oslo’s night life. But, as the program is half an hour late, they have to give in and give up. It’s a pity their show is dropped, because the kids in the house have decided let loose on the last evening of the festival. So it comes as a bit of a disappointment when “The Girl And the Robot” by Röyksopp and Robyn remains the only song the DJs get to play. Party people in the house seem to be ready to get down on the floor and dance the night away.
So the program goes on to American party-combo Peachcake, who throw one of the craziest gigs during the whole festival, crowd surfing and jumping up and around on and off the stage. After Peachcake the atmosphere has hit the ceiling and it’s a bit of a downhill slope when Bygdin start their electronic fuzz. It’s not an easy task to beat the hullabaloo the guys from Arizona successfully caused minutes before. Kjetil Ovesen & Arne Schröder Stöy Kvalvik, probably better known from the band 120 Days, have just released their first record as a duo and the second album is due already this September. The guys are good at what they do but the crowd seems to be yearning for something more energetic and groovy. Bygdin has mentioned in their press release from June ‘09 that they will gradually create more dance-orientated music so we’ll be looking forward to that. Off we go — the night will be dedicated to sleeping instead of dancing this time. Thanks Slottsfjell and bye for now. See you next year!
Photos by
Julie Stokkendal: Hilde Mesics Kleven
Synkron Ulyd: Leena Ollikainen
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