Bergen Fest 2016 – Friday with Lars Vaular, Sivert Høyem, YelaWolf, Half Moon Run, Jake Bugg and more

Posted on June 18, 2016 by Per Ole Hagen

Lars Vaular © Per Ole Hagen Friday at Bergen Fest had a noticeably younger audience than the first two days. The reason was obvious, with local hip hop hero Lars Vaular as headliner and bad boy YelaWolf, plus the British boy wonder Jake Bugg, this was the day for the young crowd. We also got the Canadian indie boys in Half Moon Run, a tropical party with Rudimental and the new British soul star, John Newman. (Photo above: Lars Vaular)

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Bergen Fest 2016 – Thursday with Wilco, Sigur Rós, Ghost, Banditos and more

Posted on June 17, 2016 by Per Ole Hagen

Ghost © Per Ole Hagen Thursday at Bergen Fest had a couple of my favorite bands – live and on album – plus some new ones. Wilco has long been a favorite since I saw them the first time at Norwegian Wood in 1999. I have seen Ghost several times the last years, and love their pop version of black metal. Sigur Rós isn’t my personal favorites, but they always make a great live show. Here are the artists I saw last night. (Photo above: Ghost)

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Bergen Fest 2016 – Wednesday With Biffy Clyro, Vintage Trouble, Israel Nash, Michael Kiwanuka and more

Posted on June 16, 2016 by Per Ole Hagen

Vintage Trouble © Per Ole Hagen Bergen Fest is usually my first summer festival every year, and I always look forward to this festival. They have a good booking, the organizers are extremely professional and also friendly, and there is a good spirit there. This year’s festival started out Wednesday night with Biffy Clyro as the headliner, and with top performances from Vintage Trouble and many other artists. (Photo above: Ty Taylor from Vintage Trouble)

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Bergen Fest 2015 – The Last Night With Röyksopp, Susanne Sundfør And More

Posted on June 15, 2015 by Per Ole Hagen

Bergen Fest 2015 is over, and now we are looking forward to next year. But first, a report from the last night, Sunday. I saw Death Cab for Cutie – American indie pop, The Struts from England – the closest you get to a glam band nowadays. Then I saw Susanne Sundfør, who is getting her live act to a higher level, Razika, super charming indie rock from Bergen, and Röyksopp, electronica royalty from Tromsø, Norway. (Photo above: The Struts) Continue reading →

Friday at Bergen Fest 2015 with Bastille, Ben Howard and Jackson Browne

Posted on June 13, 2015 by Per Ole Hagen

Friday at Bergen Fest presented artists from totally different genres. Jackson Browne and Calexico have some common songwriting traits, while St. Paul & The Broken Bones were quite different – white soul from Birmingham, Alabama. Then we got John Grant singing about lost love and misery. Bastille follows up in the wake of Imagine Dragons. and Ben Howard closed the night with his folk inspired music to the delight of all the girls at the front. For a festival with all ages and varied tastes, it was probably just the right programming. (Photo above: Jackson Browne.)

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Ladies’ Night Thursday at Bergen Fest 2015

Posted on June 12, 2015 by Per Ole Hagen

The first day at this year’s Bergen Fest had Patti Smith as the headliner. Before her, the Swedish sister duo First Aid Kit played. The opening act was supposed to be Sam Smith, but when he canceled, Grace Jones came in, making the main stage on the opening day all female. Many festivals have been criticized for having to few female artists, and their argument is often that there aren’t enough good female artists. They shouldn’t worry – Bergen Fest showed us yesterday that this is no problem. (Picture above: Patti Smith) Continue reading →

Bergen Fest 2014 – Sunday

Posted on June 16, 2014 by Per Ole Hagen

Sunday started just as beautiful as Saturday, except for some more wind and a few scattered clouds. The festival schedule started later than the day before, with fewer bands and artists, and the schedule was also more condensed, with less time in between. That was the good news. The better news is that there were many good concerts by Monica Heldal, Tom Odell, James Vincent McMorrow and Bow To Each Other, with John Mayer as the musical climax. (Picture above: John Mayer)

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Bergen Fest 2014 – Saturday

Posted on June 15, 2014 by Per Ole Hagen

Saturday at Bergen Fest had the best weather so far. Sunny, warm, and no wind. The music was equally good, Highasakite, Billy Bragg, Graham Parker & The Rumours, Lars Vaular, Lana Del Rey and many more. (Picture above: Lana Del Rey poses for the iPhones of the girls in the front row)

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Bergen Fest 2014 – Friday

Posted on June 14, 2014 by Per Ole Hagen

Even if yesterday was Friday the 13th, the rain had stopped, and Bergen was sunny, as it should be with so many great artists in town. The day started with Kylesa and ended with Simple Minds. Not the worst way to spend a day, specially with all those great acts in between. (Picture above: The Dillinger Escape Plan) Continue reading →

Bergen Fest 2014 – Thursday

Posted on June 13, 2014 by Per Ole Hagen

Bergen Fest has risen to be one of the most exciting festivals in Norway. For a festival with a quite grown up audience, they have a varied lineup which spans from Blondie and ZZ Top to Joe Henry Lana Del Rey, John Mayer and The Dillinger Escape Plan. In between there are many well known and less known band in different genres. Here are some highlights from Thursday. (Picture above: Blondie)