Punk, intelligence, humour equals Jon Langford

The Waco Brothers 2012. © Per Ole HagenMaybe you have seen the Waco Brothers on stage? Or the Mekons? Or the Three Johns? Or maybe Jon Langford with his own band? All these bands have one thing in commen, and that is this British gentleman, living in Chicago. When he doesn’t play music, he makes art or writes books.

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Ken Hensley, from Uriah Heep to Live Fire

Ken Hensley at Rockefeller. © Per Ole HagenEarlier this yar I attended a three-band gig at the Rockefeller Music Hall in Oslo. The bands were Street Legal, Junipher Greene, and legendary Ken Hensley with his band Live Fire. It was a great night, and all the bands did a great job. Here are some of the pictures I took of Ken Hensley and Live Fire.

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Norwegian Americana in Oslo

Tore Andersen and Roger Midtsian, Oslo Opry. © Per Ole HagenThe headline looks like a contradicion in terms, but americana music is well rooted in Norway. Now the organisation Norsk Americana Forum is established, and their goal is to promote americana music in Norway and to make more people aware of this music.

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Deadman at the Buckleys club in Oslo

Deadman at Buckley's. © Per Ole HagenAustin band Deadman has a name that implies a former existence. That is not far from the truth, since this is the second incarnation of the band. They started out in Dallas, but front man Steven Collins moved down to Austin and restarted the band when the first version broke up. Yesterday they played at Buckley’s in Oslo, Norway.

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Look to the hip music scene in Oslo


Kaizers Orchestra at Sentrum Scene. © All Rights Reserved Per Ole Hagen

Kaizers Orchestra at Sentrum Scene.

Now you don’t have to go to New York, London or LA to be updatet on what’s hot and what’s not. Oslo and Atlanta have been declared by The Independent as the two main trend-setting cities. For Oslo, much of the honour goes to the showcase festival by:Larm. But there are other important contributors to Oslo’s new status that deserve to be mentioned.

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Mayhem – veterans of Norwegian black metal

Mayhem at the by:Larm festival in Oslo. © All Rights Reserved, Per Ole HagenMayhem was formed in 1984 and is the longest living Norwegian black metal band. They have had their problems during the years but are considered to be the pioneers of Norwegian black metal. In February this year they were the closing act of the Norwegian showcase festival by:Larm.

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Arcturus – back from the dead at the Inferno Festival

Arcturus at the Inferno Festiva. © All Rights Reserved, Per Ole HagenExcept for Mayhem, Arcturus is one of the longest living Norwegian metal bands. The started in 1987, and split up in 2007, then reunited in 2011. There were great expectations to their closing gig at the Inferno Festiival Saturday night, and they met these with flying colors.

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