Friday night at by:Larm was different from Thursday in that there were less bands with a direct appeal to my taste, but on the other hand, I got to see bands I would have avoided in another setting. Two of the artists impressed me, but in diametrically opposite ways – Linkoban from Denmark and Kaja Gunnufsen from Norway. (Picture above: Linkoban)

I started out with the Norwegian singer songwriter Vilde Tuv at Rockefeller. She was awarded a price of 50.000 NOK (ap. $ 8300) from NOPA, the association of songwriters in Norway before she went on stage. She sings and plays guitar and drum at the same time. Her songs are good, but tend to be quite alike in this setting. But she has a presence that makes me want to follow her career.

From Vilde Tuv I ran over and saw the tail end of Swedish Side Effects. They are a straight pop rock band that didn’t touch me too much. But competent enough.

The next artist out was Kaja Gunnufsen. She is also a singer songwriter, alternating between keyboard and guitar. Her songs are what can be described as desperate girl songs, delivered in a dead pan way with lots of dry humor in between. On stage she became a bit static, but I really like her verbal style.

After Kaja Gunnufsen I went back to Rockefeller for the Danish band When Saints Go Machine. I have seen them before in Denmark, and they did a good set, even if I still think that three guys twitching knobs and playing on Mac Books, plus a drummer, is a bit weird for a band. But when that is said, When Saints Go Machine is a good band in their genre, and many in the audience knew them and their songs.

Linkoban is a rapper, also from Denmark. WIth a keyboard and knob twitcher plus a drummer, she gave a great show at Sentrum Scene, also visually. She has great presence and is generous with her music. Visually she was so far the best show this night.

Next out was Seinabo Sey. Her father is from Gambia, but she has grown up in Sweden. The mix of the African and Swedish cultures is a good one. Her music is distinctly western, but with some heavy African influences that makes it stand out.

Carnival Kids are a young punk band from Norway. Charming band with lots of energy, and they have learned their tricks from more established bands. The fans were enthusiastic, and the band kept their energy high through their whole set. We will probably see more of them in the future.

My last act Friday night was Hanne Kolstoe. She is one of Norway’s most promising artist in the synth pop style, and she has delivered some very good songs. Her light person seemed to have entered the set in the Norwegian championship in backlighting, making it almost impossible to get a good shot of her. When that is said, many of the other concerts were also difficult to shoot because of a lot of “creative” light. Hanne Kolstoe played a good set anyway.

All pictures are © Per Ole Hagen and must not be used without written permission.