Festival report: by:Larm 2009 - Day 1
I'm not sure what's best about Oslo, that the 2 hour drive from the airport made me feel like I've ended up in Narnia, or that the sound at the pedestrian crossings reminds me of the intro to Lil Wayne's "Lollipop". Either way, it's a pretty neat town (despite being ridiculously expensive, I'm trying to ignore what I'll have spent on beer alone come Sunday). It's constantly snowing here, but even though it's quite cold it could have been worse – prior to last year (and since 1998) the festival was based in Trondheim which is further north and allegedly much colder. The gigs at by:Larm are at various Oslo venues, and most of them are within walking distance from each other (like The Great Escape in Brighton, UK or SXSW in Austin, TX). Yesterday I was very lucky, pretty much all the shows I went to were at venues almost door to door. The majority of the shows start at 8 pm, and it's all pretty much over by 2:00 am. There are some shows early on though, one of these was Children and Corpse Playing in the Street who, despite their creepy moniker, play sweet twee folk. It was a little bit short of great melodies, but charming nevertheless. Shame that the tent that they played in was almost empty.
After the show I went for a light lunch, light for the stomach but heavy for the wallet (150 NOK – yipes!). I also managed to have a little nap back at the hotel (I planned to camp, but couldn't find my tent) before I braved the cold again to see the next band. Pony the Pirate are probably getting used to be called "Norway's Arcade Fire" by now, but it is a very fitting description. At first I was very charmed by their sheer energy and drive, but after a while their pompousness and "in your face" style started getting on my nerves. At times it was so pompous that I got vibes reminiscent of 80s power ballad bands such as Scorpions. I'm sure there are a whole bunch of people out there who will go nuts for this though. Good on them!
The contrast between Pony the Pirate and the next band I saw, Denmark's Choir of Young Believers, could hardly have been greater. Whereas the former are so energetic it almost hurt the eyes to watch them, the latter are a rather dull Americana MOR sounding band. My first disappointment at by:Larm!
Just one floor down in the same building as I saw COYB, Iceland's Retro Stefson were meant to play. This was one of the bands I'd looked forward the most to see at the festival. When they entered the stage I was certain I'd gone to the wrong place though, in walked a bunch of teenagers looking way too young to play the music I've listened previously to on their Myspace. Imagine my surprise when they played a set that was one of the best I've seen in some time. It's as if these kids have channelled all their teenage energy into writing and performing fantastic complex songs. I wonder, don't they have video games Iceland? Their charisma and playful songs make them a kind of teenage Icelandic Vampire Weekend. Dang, they were great!
There's no time for sitting down on a bus or in a pub after the gigs at by:Larm to reflect of what you've just experienced. It's hard finding time off to eat, and I've come to realise that I should always have a back-up plan in case the gig I plan to go to is full. I panicked a bit when I couldn't get into Mono to see the daftly named My Little Pony, but then I came to my senses, checked the program and rushed to Sub Scene to catch Manatee Racket, which proved to be a lucky move! Manatee Racket are not as young as Retro Stefson, but equally as energetic (especially their drummer who hit those skins as if his life depended on it). But where Retro Stefson are more of a bunch of geeky teenagers who are yet to discover alcohol, Manatee Rackets came across as a gang of snotty teenagers who are quite familiar with moonshine and dancing until you puke (nothing wrong with either way, and I might be totally wrong, it could be the other way around, who knows what the kids are up to these days, eh!). Erm, anyway, I found their XTC-tinged songs quite alluring.
Einar Stray could have done with a little of Retro Stefson and Manatee Racket's teenage energy. He's a hip looking singer songwriter with an even hipper looking backing band, and he sounds a bit like an early Brigh Eyes on Xanax. Not too exciting, but ok.
While waiting in the Dagbladet tent after Einar Stray played and before Ingeborg Selnes's show, I by chance caught Anne Lene Hägglund play. She's a happy-go-lucky girl playing harmless songs on her acoustic guitar. Nice and as subversive as a cup of tea, although not my cup of tea.
Unfortunately I only managed to catch half of Ingeborg Selnes who played next. It sounded quite good, she's a very charming and quirky singer songwriter. I'm definitely going to try and see her properly today or tomorrow.
My hasty departure from Selnes's gig was due to trying to see Swedish band Parken at Fisk & Vilt. I'm not too familiar with how Parken looks but I think it's a blonde Swedish guy (not too many of them in these parts, right?). So when I got to the venue and saw such a man with a guitar I assumed I was in for a Parken gig. Imagine my surprise when the blonde man started singing in English. It wasn't Parken, but Robert Svensson! Someone had change the bill without telling! Shame on them! Robert Svensson was ok, but I was quite disappointed with not seeing Parken so I couldn't really pay him enough attention. This is where my Swedish part of the night started.
Second Swedish act of the night was Juvelen who played at the lovely Stratos that is situated on the 11th floor of a building with a great view of Oslo (that also has an outdoor part, which makes the venue very popular with smokers and others alike). I've seen Juvelen once before, then it was just him with an electric guitar. This time he had two band members with him, which proved to be much to his advantage, he appeared more comfortable and the sound was far richer than at his solo show. I'm crazy about Juvelen's Prince sounding music so seeing him at this picturesque place was a real treat!
After Juvelen it was back to the mess of a bill at Fisk & Vilt. Far och Son was meant to play, but when I got there The Fine Arts Showcase were setting up their gear. Far och Son was pretty much one of the bands I wanted to see the most at by:Larm, cue similar disappointment as at previous Robert Svensson gig – and despite TFAS having a bunch of great songs, I couldn't really get into it.
At this stage my original plan was in tatters, I had intended to see Jenny Wilson after Far och Son's nonexistent previous performance, but oddly enough they were scheduled to play at Stratos straight after their Fisk & Vilt show. The temptation to see Far och Son at Stratos was just way too much for my intoxicated mind, so this is where I went, and I'm very glad I did. Far och Son rap in Swedish, over fast electro-like pumping beats. Their fun show (especially their phenomenal single "Panik") really got the crowd moving and it was a great way to end my first night in Oslo.
Ok, the night didn't really end there, I managed to go to the Dagblad tent for more drinks, then back to Fisk & Vilt for further refreshments, only to catch the last half of Far och Son doing another show. I enjoyed my first day at by:Larm immensely and now I've got two more to go. Woop! Woop!
Words and (amateur) pictures by Simon Tagestam