Elevating music festivals to civilised new heights

Published on Monday 18 July 2011 20:07

Our new-music columnist braves the elements to discover why Scottish artists and Norway's hilltop shindig Slottsfjell have embraced each other so warmly

• The main stage at Slottsfjell looks out over the Oslofjord. Picture: Olaf Furniss

NORWAY'S oldest city, home to the country's leading horse race, has since 2003 Tnsberg hosted the Slottsfjell music festival, which takes place on the site of a former fortress.

Scottish bands and DJs have become a firm fixture at this eclectic musical feast, and this year Biffy Clyro and Mogwai followed in the footsteps of Teenage Fanclub, Belle & Sebastian and Twin Atlantic, who all appeared in 2010. Moreover, Radio Scotland's Vic Galloway and Craig Jamieson, host of Edinburgh's Modern Lovers club, returned to DJ at one of the several parties which continue after the festival site shuts down.

"Quite a few Scottish acts have played the festival and we have developed relationships with the bands, agents and managers," says PC Rae, who books the international artists for Slottsfjell (which translates as "castle hill"). He grew up in nearby Horton, but boasts the status of free man of Glasgow, handed down by his Glasgwegian father.

For the artists, part of the appeal of the 10,000-capacity festival lies in its location. Both Biffy Clyro's James Johnston and Mogwai's Stuart Braithwaite enthuse about the scenic setting, where stages are dotted both around and on top of the hill.

Mogwai's atmospheric performance appeared to be timed to accompany the sun setting over the Oslofjord, which the musicians are perfectly positioned to watch.

The previous day, Biffy did not have such luck with the weather and, being on the way to play in Ibiza, had failed to pack warm clothes. Nevertheless, they braved the dreich conditions taps aff, putting in a powerful shift on the main stage.

How a festival plans for rain is a fundamental aspect of the non-music preparation, along with decent toilets, a wide range of food options and well-staffed bars. Slottsfjell scores highly on all fronts, taking care of the former by covering the main stage area with a massive mat and erecting a huge scaffolding walkway so people don't have to slide down the side of the hill.

Moreover, while many of the great performances this year came courtesy of loud guitar bands including stoner rockers Monster Magnet and the beguiling surreal Rolo Tomassi, the bill is extremely varied. "It feels like the audience isn't tied down to one genre, there is an openness to different types of music," observes Johnston, whose band was followed by the elegantly warped Grinderman.

At Slotfsjell anyone with diverse tastes can be dancing to a pop or hip-hop act performing on the main stage, walk up a hill and five minutes later be within spitting distance of screaming punk combo. There is no need to be a stage an hour early to guarantee catching a band and stage times are structured so the keen fan can see most of the main acts. Nor are festivalgoers ripped off, as they are at some festivals, by having to pay for a bunch of silly cards simply to find out when their favourite artists are playing. Stage times are all available on the website and on mini flyers made of indestructible paper.

One of the big surprises on the first day of this year's festival was Anthrax. In recent years many older acts have been enjoying a kind of pension plan provided by well-paid festival slots, often tainting their musical legacies with mechanical and uninspiring performances.

Anthrax were just the opposite, clearly loving every minute on the stage as they fire through a succession of hits including Indians, Madhouse and I Am The Law. Singer Joey Belladonna's voice has lost nothing of its power and the band was further enhanced by Sepultura guitarist Andreas Kisser.

The following day the bill began with a young band Mhoo, fronted by three Tnsberg girls playing acoustic pop tinged with a mariachi streak. It was clear they have a lot of fans, which suggests that a local venue opened by Slottsfjell's organisers is fulfilling its role as an incubator for new talent.

Mhoo's rise might help atone for some other artists born in the city: in 1978 Jahn Teigen was the first person to score nul points at Eurovision; 20 years later Lene Nystrm achieved global fame fronting Euroschlock outfit Aqua.

Another young band from Norway turned out to be one of the highlights of the festival. Honningbarna are a six-piece punk act from Kristiansand with a cello-playing singer who dresses like he has just stepped into the clubhouse of the nearest golf course. The fact that they sing in Norwegian is a refreshing change to the many Scandinavian acts who resort to painfully trite rhymes in English which the listener would rather not understand.

It is discovering gems like Honningbarna which puts the icing on the cake at foreign festivals, and in a less Anglo-centric music business they would already be getting primed for international success. Leeds-based Pulled Apart By Horses came close in terms of entertainment and musical appeal, boasting the best between-song banter of the festival. This continued into the backstage area as they debated whether Ozzy Osborne once snorted a line of ants.

Among the British journalists and booking agents housed on an island in a former military base – possibly to protect the friendly and polite locals – Erasure were the most anticipated band of the festival. And it transpired that many of the Norwegians concurred.

On the surface, their live show might not exactly sound like a recipe for success. Andy Bell dances and dresses like someone at closing time at Ce Ce Blooms in Edinburgh. Meanwhile synth legend Vince Clarke alternates unsmilingly between playing acoustic guitar and occasionally pressing a key on a gleaming Mac.

However, their huge catalogue of hits has stood the test of time and with two radiant backing singers beefing up the sound, it was impossible not to get carried away with the sheer joy of it all. The song Drama was given a particularly nifty tweak and when Erasure ended with Stop, it was time to sprint up the hill to get involved with grunge godfathers Mudhoney.

The daytime festival finished with local heroes Kaizers Orchestra, whose music defies description. However, what is there not to like about besuited showmen who use oil drums as percussion, have a gas mask-wearing organ player and write choruses even non-Norwegians manage to sing along to?

The music continues at several locations around the city's marina, as well as the festival campsite and Slottsfjell's Total club. Many of the artists who have played earlier take to the record decks. Among them this year were Braithwaite, who, flanked by Galloway and Jamieson, appeared to be struggling to get people to dance in the tiny space in the corner of the sizeable tent.

Then the motley crew of journos and industry types showed up, sofas were up-ended against the walls and tables stacked onto other tables. The newly expanded dancefloor was quickly filled by enthusiastic revellers with an insatiable appetite for a set which includes soul, ska and 1960s garage. Being at a festival as well organised and civilised as Slottsfjell is a wonderful experience, but sometimes it takes a bit of judicious rock'n'roll behaviour to get the party started.

• For more information on Slottsfjell, visit http://slottsfjellfestivalen.no