The Norwegian picturesque southcoast has been known as a festival warzone the past few years, with major festivals Hove and Quart fighting for audience, and minor festivals popping up and fading out like the rest of us changes shorts.
Hopefully, the new little fringe festival Popfest won’t mind themselves with petty quarrels and billions in red figures. For the first time, DIY promoters from Bodø in the north to Kristiansand in the south have joined forces to create a festival devoted to independent pop scenes worldwide. Two bands are booked so far, Norwegian quirky accordian-playing singer/songwriter Moddi, and Dutch Daily Bread — picked up at this year’s Eurosonic Festival.
The shebang starts with a massive dancy party in an old factory building Friday night, while the Saturday sees a more traditional festival experience — ten gigs on the beautiful Bronseplassen site, 10 minutes from the city centre. Louis Holbrook, promoter of Kristiansand’s Trashpop night, discovered the site and according to Simen Herning (Spoon Train) the rest of the Popfest team fell for it immediately. «Who can resist the southcoast in the summer, especially if you get to hide a little from those migrating from Oslo’s westside?» he adds cheekily.
The festival promises Popfest will be a headliner-free zone, representing the nature of its backing labels and promoters, an indie army of ira ira and Skantze Agency (Bergen); Trashpop (Kristiansand); Redyellowcab and Spoon Train (Oslo); Andrew, promoter of :onsert at Brukbar (Trondheim); and Julius and Thomas of former X Rockeklubb (Bodø). To top it off, they are bringing Oslo’s uncrowned king of music and beverage, Revolver Bar, to offer pleasant prices and their regular Ms Congeniality-worthy staff.
So what can we expect from Popfest musically, or rather, what music can we be sure to avoid by attending? To Nö Music, Herning explains: «at Popfest you’ll never find mainstream Norwegian headliners á la Dum Dum Boys or Raga Rockers. If our party becomes bigger than planned it will be because we’ve sold a lot of tickets to people who really want to see exciting bands, not ’cause we sold a lot of tickets to people who really don’t care about music. This first year there will be a few international acts and probably mostly Norwegian names, but in the long run we have ambitions to include about 50/50 Norwegians and internationals. Genre-wise, the bands belong in the expanded pop-genre, but that could include noisepop, nerd’n'b, new folk, or anything, really.»
Herning and the rest of the Popfest team hopes Popfest will become a place where the vibrant music scenes of Bergen, Kristiansand, Oslo, Trondheim and Bodø can meet, and also get together with those living in less fortunate areas of the country, speaking in concert listings-terms of course.
Popfest - in Kristiansand 11th-12th June 2010.
2 day passes 400 NOK - in sale from 22nd March 2010.
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