Friday at Blastfest started out with the same wet weather as the day before. Fortunately it wasn’t raining when I went over to the venue, but the rain came back with a vengeance when I went home after the last band. Hard wind and pouring rain isn’t exactly my kind of weather, so a taxi got me safe back to the hotel. But inside at USF Verftet it was hot and dark with fifteen bands eager to play their songs and fans from all over the world waiting to hear them. (Photo above: Ravn from 1349)
Blastfest 2016 – Friday with Ihsahn, 1349, Arcturus and more
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After Hole In The Sky in Bergen quit in 2012, the new 
In Norway we have had a showcase festival since 1998, by:Larm. It started out in Trondheim the first year, and was arranged in different cities around Norway the first years. Since 2008 it has been arranged in Oslo. by:Larm has been a successful festival and conference, getting international attention. In 2011 the first edition of Trondheim Calling was arranged. Not in protest to by:Larm, but as a local alternative in Trondheim. During these five years Trondheim Calling has grown to be a very interesting festival with showcases from up and coming bands and interesting seminars with a talk with Keith Harris as a highlight. (Photo above: Biru Baby)
Minor Majority is a Norwegian band that started out as a duo in 2000, expanded to a trio, and became a full band when they were invited to play at the Quart festival in 2003. They soon became audience favorites at their concerts, and the albums sold very well. Their last studio album so far came in 2009, and in 2006 they released their so far most popular album, Reasons To Hang Around. On Saturday they celebrated it’s 10 year anniversary by playing the whole album plus some more for a sold out Rockefeller in Oslo. (Picture above: Pål Angelskår)
The year 2015 has been a good one for concert photography, with some twelve festivals and several separate concerts. I have no idea how many photos I have shot from concerts, but I have tried to pick out the twenty I am most satisfied with. Except for the top five, I have problems ranking the others. It usually depends on how I liked the concert or the band. You can make up your own mind. (Photo above: audience for Alt-J at Bergen Fest)
This year I have seen some 270 concerts all in all, at festivals and venues in Norway, Spain and USA. At some I have seen the whole concerts, others I have seen the first three songs or more. Some have been good, some not so good, while others have been excellent. Here are my best concerts from 2015. As usual, it has been difficult to say which are the best, also which ones are better than the others, but here are the concerts from #20 to 37.
Just like 2014, 2015 was a good live music year for me. I got to attend 12 festivals and lots of stand alone concerts in a variety of styles during the year. As always, it is hard to pinpoint exactly which concerts were my favorites during the year but I have tried. In this article you will find #20 – #37, and here are my best concerts of 2015, from #19 to #1.
One of the best signs that Christmas is coming up, is the amount of concerts that are held from the end of November to Christmas eve. You have the typical Christmas concerts, where two or three artists go together to present a repertoire of known Christmas songs and carols, plus some of their own hits. Then there are artists and bands that have regular concerts in December every year. 
Black metal has always existed outside of the established culture, both by choice and also from lack of acceptance. So also in Norway, until four years ago, when our Department of Foreign Affairs started educating their aspirants in black metal history, acknowledging the international reputation of Norwegian black metal. Since then the aspirants have got a yearly lecture one black metal, and this year it happened as a road trip with a twist. (Picture above: Order in the cowshed)
Artist Pictures Blog 