About Per Ole Hagen

Avid concert photographer and music journalist. Works with Music IP management at the Norwegian Brodcasting System (NRK).

In Memory of Per Eirik Johansen

Posted on January 17, 2015 by Per Ole Hagen

In Norway we don’t have many legendary music business people, but we have a few. Per Eirik Johansen was one of them, but one year ago, on January 15, he died of a heart attack while sleeping, only 54 years old. On Thursday this week his family and several of the artists he worked with held a memorial concert for Per Eirik, celebrating his great influence on the Norwegian popular music scene at the Rockefeller Music Hall in Oslo. (Picture above: Sondre Lerche and Jarle Bernhoft)

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My Favorite Photos from 2014, A-M

Posted on December 27, 2014 by Per Ole Hagen

OK. So here is the first batch of my personal favorite photos from 2014, from Audrey Horne to Morudes. I might have loved the concert, or not, but I liked the visual performance and thought I managed to capture it on camera, too. Some of these bands and artists are well known, and some aren’t. Most are from Norwegian festivals and concert venues. I have posted them in alphabetic order, with no ranking of which I like the best. Enjoy! (Pictures above: Janelle Monae from the Oya Festival)

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My Favorite Photos from 2014, N-W

Posted on December 27, 2014 by Per Ole Hagen

Here is the second batch of personal favorite photos from 2014, from Neil Young to Watain. Many of the photos have been used in other articles, or I have posted them on my Facebook photo page or my profile. But these are the rest of my personal favorites from this year, and hopeful some of them show why I like this so much! (Picture above: Silver)

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My best concerts in 2014 Part 1

Posted on December 22, 2014 by Per Ole Hagen

This year I have seen all together a little more than 250 different concerts, and I have enjoyed most of them. Therefore the task of picking my best concerts of the year has been a hard one. I ended up with choosing 34 concerts, since it was too hard to cut down the list from there. And, anyway, this list is not a scientific project, just a list of what I enjoyed the most. Here are the concerts from #34 to #18. (Picture above: The audience to Bryan Ferry’s concert at Oya)

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My best concerts in 2014 Part 2

Posted on December 22, 2014 by Per Ole Hagen

2014 has been a great live music year for me, and hopefully for the rest of you, too. Here is the list with the rest of my best concerts this year, from #17 to #1. As such a list will never be exact science, my disclaimer has to be that all the concerts were good, but that the list reflects a mix of the performance, how much I like the music, and, of course, also the visual aspects. (Picture above: The audience to John Mayer at Bergen Fest)

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R.I.P Rene Jansen

Posted on December 14, 2014 by Per Ole Hagen

This summer I had an experience to remember, presenting a photo exhibition in Warsaw. The exhibition, Norwegian Metal in Concert, was hosted by the Norwegian embassy in Warsaw, and staged at the rock club Club Progresja. As part of the package, the Norwegian black metal band Order played at the exhibition. on Friday the band played in their bass player, Rene Jansen’s funeral. R.I.P Rene.

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Svartlamon Hardkor – Hardcore Male Choir

Posted on December 1, 2014 by Per Ole Hagen

This weekend in Trondheim, Norway has been dedicated to choral music, with a televised choir marathon from a church and Svartlamon Hardkor, that celebrated their 10 year anniversary Saturday night. The only thing the two happenings have in common, is that it’s about singing.

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Frode Alnæs Trio – Perfect Musicianship

Posted on November 23, 2014 by Per Ole Hagen

The last time I saw Frode Alnæs, was with his band Dance With A Stranger who played their farewell tour this year. Before that I saw him with the Organ Club, a collaboration of Norwegian organ and jazz enthusiasts. I haven’t seen Frode Alnaes solo before, but Friday night he played with his trio at Olsen på Bryn.

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Marianne Faithfull – As Years Go By

Posted on November 9, 2014 by Per Ole Hagen

I still remember Marianne Faithfull from the 60’s, when she sang As Tears Go By, and was featured in the newspapers from the scandals around The Rolling Stones. After a long silence, I remember when she came back with Broken English in 1979. This years marks er 50 year anniversary for her debut single, As Tears Go By, and she has released her 20th album, Give My LOve To London. She is also on an anniversary tour, and last night she played at Sentrum Scene in Oslo.

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In Flames, Papa Roach and Wovenwar In Oslo

Posted on November 8, 2014 by Per Ole Hagen

Last night In Flames played Oslo Spektrum with While She Sleeps, Wovenwar and Papa Roach. I saw two of these and In Flames, and I liked all three a lot. Interestingly enough, around 3-4000 people were there, more than usually come to metal concerts. (Picture above: In Flames). Continue reading →