The 29th Blues Festival at Notodden in Norway is over. Four days with blues and related music styles all day and parts of the night. The official start is early night Thursday, and the festival ends with a concert Sunday at noon. Here are photos of the artists I saw Thursday at Notodden. (The winner of the Bues Prize 2016, Amund Maaraud and Little Steven)

Nils Aage Nonstad, Little Steven and Robert Sætervik

The former minister of culture, Hadja Tajik presented the official opening speech

MK’s Marvelous Medicine

Lowell Levinger Banana

Amund Maarud

The winners of the Norwegian Blues Union’s band competition 2015, Tito Lausteen Quartet

Swedish singer Lisa Lystam  with her Family Band

Eric Slim Zahl and Robert Sætervik

At the opening show for the festival, we can see some of the artists do a song or two, the winner of this year’s Blues Price is presented, and the show is broadcast at Norwegian radio, NRK P1. This year it was also streamed live at nrk.no. The show is hosted by radio hosts Robert Sætervik and Nils Aage Nonstad.

Amund Maraud, Vidar Busk, Magnus Berg, Daniel Eriksen

The first regular concert Thursday night was a concert with four of Norway’s best blues guitarists. This year’s winner of the Blues Prize, Amund Maraud, the winners from 1997 and 2015, Vidar Busk and Daniel Eriksen plus newcomer Magnus Berg.

The Waterboys were the second band Thursday night. This was their first concert at Notodden, but not the first in Norway. They have had a solid following here for many years, and personally I have seen them twice, plus a solo concert with Mike Scott in 1997.

The last band Thursday night was Eric Slim Zahl & the South West Swingers. They recently won the European Blues Challenge. The band’s music is based on 50’s blues with elements of rockabilly, and they have played together for seven years.

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