Blastfest, Day four, Saturday

Posted on February 22, 2015 by Per Ole Hagen

The last day of Blastfest had Satyricon as headliner. With Immortal out of play and an inactive Dimmu Borgir, Satyricon are the only ones, together with Mayhem, of the big black metal bands in Norway. There are no signs of Satyricon giving up, on the contrary. The closing gig on Blastfest showed that they are still one of the absolute best live acts on the metal scene today. The other bands that I saw the last night, were Decapitated, Destruction, Tsjuder and Finntroll. (Picture above: Satyricon)

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Blastfest – Day Three, Friday

Posted on February 21, 2015 by Per Ole Hagen

Friday night at Blastfest I chose to see all the bands at the main stage. As the day before, the fans had a good time, the beer was flowing freely, and the mood was friendly and good, like it usually is at metal festivals. The bands I saw were Borknagar, Cryptopsy, Dark Funeral, Paradise Lost and At The Gates. (Picture above: Dark Funeral)

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Blastfest – Day Two, Thursday

Posted on February 20, 2015 by Per Ole Hagen

The Blastfest metal festival started last year, and has so far become a success. It is situated in Bergen, at Garage during the day and at USF Verftet at night. I didn’t go last year, but this year I am here, and yesterday I saw 5 bands from Sweden, Israel, Ireland and UK, with Watain as the headliner. (Picture above)

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Eidsivablot – Extreme Metal and Vikings

Posted on September 14, 2014 by Per Ole Hagen

The year 2014 marks the 200 year anniversary for the Norwegia constitution and our independence from more than 350 years under Denmark. There have been many celebrations during the year, and this weekend marked the end of the celebrations, with – among other activities, the festival Eidsivablót. A blót is a pagan ritual to the Norse gods and the spirits of the land, and was celebrated by the Norwegian Vikings 1000 years ago with sacrifices, food, drinks and a party. The 2014 version of the blót had viking games, food, drink, and party, and instead of sacrificing animals, we got concerts by Wardruna and Enslaved, plus Skuggsjaa.

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Trondheim:Play – A New Festival With Success

Posted on September 8, 2014 by Per Ole Hagen

Trondheim has got a new festival this year, Trondheim:Play. The first version of the festival was held on Saturday, both as an independent festival , but also as an opening celebratiuon of the new Scandic Lerkendal Hotel. The line-up was local bands from the region that have got nationwide success, plus two bands who have had international success. (Picture above: Tony Harnell from TNT)

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A Hell Of A Night at The Blues In Hell Festival

Posted on September 8, 2014 by Per Ole Hagen

Blues In Hell is a Norwegian blues festival that has a long history. It started as a hotel festival, then it became a Music Fest, with artists like Snoop Dogg, Dimmu Borgir, Turbonegro and Bob Geldoff. After the Music fest went bankrupt, the Blues in Hell Festival came “back” to Hell Station as an outdoor tent festival with the Magic Mirror as an important ingredient.

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Pstereo 2014 – Photo Highlights

Posted on August 18, 2014 by Per Ole Hagen

The Pstereo festival 2014 is over, the sound has died and all the people in front of, on, and behind the stages have left. I have attended the festival every year since 2009, and this year was the overall best. Not necessarily the best artists, but the whole atmosphere, the setup and the attitude. Here are my best shots of the bands I saw at the festival. (Picture above: Ingrid Helene Håvik from Highasakite.)

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St. Vincent Amazes at Pstereo

Posted on August 16, 2014 by Per Ole Hagen

St. Vincent, or Annie Clark, as is her real name, is an American artist who is difficult to fit into any traditional musical genre. Her music has elements of everything, and she molds it together to form a genuine and personal mix. Last night she played the Pstereo festival in Trondheim for an audience who shared the critiques’ excitement for her.

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The Oya Festival 2014 – Photo Highlights

Posted on August 13, 2014 by Per Ole Hagen

The Oya festival is over, and it is a whole year to next time. This year the festival was held in a new location, which proved successful for the audience and hopefully also for the artists. It worked just fine for us photographers too, with good conditions and possibilities for some good shots. Here are my personal favorites from the bands I photographed at the festival. (Picture above: Bryan Ferry’s drummer Cherisse Osei.)

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Mayhem – 30 Years Celebration at Oya

Posted on August 11, 2014 by Per Ole Hagen

Mayhem are Norway’s longest existing black metal band. It is also the band with the most controversy surrounding it. On Friday they celebrated their 30 year anniversary at the Oya festival with the stage full of carcasses and pigs’ heads and some good new and old school black metal. Here are pictures from the concert.