SALIVA is Eardrums’ reporter on the norwegian open air festival BUKTA in Tromsö. She will be writing reports from the concerts and doing interviews with the bands during the ongoing festival. This is her report:

Saturday.
After extremely bad planning and a huge amount of ugly words (because of my lack of buses which arrive precisely) , it was a rather stressed out, yet eager, Lotte who finally arrived at Bukta 5 past 5 in the afternoon. Late for the interview with Kaizers Orchestra (doing some work for the local newspaper)…Luckily they were late as well, so it didn’t do any damage.
The interview was good, lots of laughing and good answers. These guys are great! And when my work was done, I could finally get ready for the concert I had been waiting in eager expectation for. With a beer in my hand, a newly purchased raincoat, and happy faces all around me, I was ready for Kaizers Orchestra! And what a show…I’m still blown away! Not only is the music catchy and great, but these guys really know how to get people in the mood for rock music. Not that it really is needed. The music in itself is enough for me. But Kaizers is a live band, and that’s what they really know how to do. After pleasing their audience with their best known songs, with everybody singing along and dancing, they sadly had to end their show. What an opening!

Since the organizers decided to be tactic and smart this year, and put one of the headliners as the first band playing both days, Bukta was already filled with people when Brant Bjork and the Bros entered the stage. I can’t say that I know much about the band, except that Brant Bjork himself has played with bands like Kyuss and Queens of the Stone Age. The music was good and people seemed to enjoy the concert. I kind of enjoyed watching these guys only because of their funny expressions and weird behaviour. Each and every one of them looked as if they were stoned (they probably were too). The vocalist smiled all the time, and kind of rocked back and forth, and he had this twitch in his right arm the whole concert. The bass player had his back turned against the audience so we never saw much of him. With the drummers constant headbanging in addition, this made a funny collection of musicians. At least I enjoyed the concert.

Washington is a local band, with a vocalist who has one of the most soothing voices I’ve ever heard. You’re not able to do much else than close your eyes and feel the atmosphere when this band starts playing. I’ve heard them live once before here in Tromsø, and I wasn’t half as impressed then as I was know. They’ve come a long way. Great concert with a real feelgood band.

Then came the moment I had been waiting the whole summer for…Mew!! This must be my all time favourite band. I can’t believe it’s possible to sing as good as Jonas Bjerre does. Or write as good lyrics, or play as good music as they do. Wow, is all I can say. I was in ecstasy the whole concert, and as far as I could notice, so was the rest of the audience. It’s amazing how such a big crowd can jump around to the music with beer in their hands, and not spill a drop of it! That puzzled me. “The Zookeepers boy”, “She came home for Christmas”, “Am I wry? No”, “Chinaberry Tree”, “156”…there was no end to the intoxicating madness! This will be my best moment this summer, no doubt. Thank you, Mew!

It was time for more beer. Since the need of a toilet always comes at the worst times, I couldn’t drink beer while Mew played. I can’t even begin to imagine what a crisis it would have been, having to leave in the middle of a Mew concert!
Nevertheless, one must have beer when Danko Jones is playing. This man has got quite a reputation. I overheard some drunken women discussing what a sexy and handsome man Danko himself was, and I must say I couldn’t disagree more. “This song is about jerking off”, “This song is about sex”, was all I ever heard him say between the songs. Even though the songs made my feet feel the beat, the vocalist was a bit too vulgar to my taste. The crowd seemed to be huge fans, though.

DumDum Boys made a worthy closure to a fantastic festival. “Splitter pine” and “Slave” are endless classics, and even though I’ve never really had that much of a relation to this band, I loved the concert! The vocalist was fantastic, and made a great show by jumping around and climbing the scene. As I stood there looking at the huge amount of empty and broken plastic glasses and cigarette-butts covering the entire area, I thought to myself “My night is complete. This weekend has made my summer memorable. I pity the poor bastards who have to clean up this mess”. Thank you Robert Dyrnes and all of the organizers, thank you Bukta, and most of all, a huge thanks to all of the bands who made this festival perfect!

SALIVA is Eardrums’ reporter on the norwegian open air festival BUKTA in Tromsö. She will be writing reports from the concerts and doing interviews with the bands during the ongoing festival. This is her report:

Friday.
It’s half past five, and two eager girls are trembling with excitement. Luckily me and my friend had already fixed our festival bracelets, so we avoided the line of people waiting to get into the concert area. Only half an hour before the first band, Ricochets, entered the stage, and Bukta were starting to fill up. Most of the people had of course lined up in front of the booth where you buy beer tickets. To my great annoyance, almost everyone were paying cash, and no one with credit card (two different lines), so I had to wait for an eternity before it finally was my turn. I even had to fight with a bumble bee who had decided to park in my face, and bumble bees are my greatest fear. You can only image the screaming and waving. If you’re smart, you buy lots of tickets so you don’t have to return later in the evening… I’m smart. Just beware so you don’t loose those small tickets, because they cost a fortune!

Luckily the beer line was immensely shorter, so when Ricochets entered the stage, I was thinking: “Ok. This is summer. Beer, lots of people, great bands, and the weather in Tromsø finally has agreed to be on our side”, with the widest smile around.

Me and my friend parked ourselves on a blanket in the grass on the side of the stage, ready to enjoy the music. I honestly must say that Ricochets isn’t exactly my kind of music. Or at least, not my kind of band. The opening of the concert was great. They played some of the songs I know, and I thought to myself that this was swinging. But my general impression of the hour they got to convince me was not quite so good. It was a bit boring, and I lost interest and started talking to people instead of listening. Still, it was ok.

The need for a bathroom is always quite huge when I’m at a festival, and this time was no exception. Unfortunately, everyone has the same need as me, and at the exact same time, so the lines were looong. I don’t like to wait. That’s probably the thing I hate the most. So I decided to be a bit of a sneak, and use the bathroom which was hidden before the rest of the line. No one knew, hehe. This was my favourite toilet the rest of the evening. It even had a sign which said: “Ikke putt noe I doen med mindre du har spist det først”. In translation: ”Don’t put anything in the toilet unless you have eaten it first”. Nice thing to put in a toilet, I think.
Baby Woodrose from Denmark was the next band on stage. Not exactly a political correct band, with lots of inappropriate comments and such. I’ve never heard this band, but I’ve heard people talking very warmly about them, and they have played in Tromsø lots of times before. The music captivated me, and even though the vocalist, who was a fat and sweaty man with long and disgusting rock hair, got out amongst the audience and kissed a few of the ladies, the concert was great.

I’ve never heard Art Brut live before, and I’ve only listened to a few of their songs in advance of the concert. They impressed me on stage though. Both vocalist and guitarist was so energetic, one should have thought they both were on speed or something. But what do I know? The vocalist wore a pink shirt with his tummy kind of hanging around and bouncing from side to side when he moved, but he kicked ass! I really liked the way he performed the songs. It was more like talking than singing (kind of like how The Streets do their songs), and it worked like I would never have believed. “My little brother” and “Emily Kane” were my highlights, and I also thought their closure was great. They honoured all the bands by singing “Kaizers, top of the pops, Seigmen, top of the pops” and so on. It swung!

Håkan Hellstrøm is a Swedish man, which probably gets all the women he wants. I was kind of disappointed that he didn’t wear his shirt with stripes, but other than that I got really into the atmosphere and the music. Dance music! You have to jump a lot to Håkan. This concert actually got me on the front page of the competing newspaper in Tromsø, Nordlys (I work for the other newspaper, Tromsø). Not exactly proud of that.

Motörhead is a band I’ve never liked. Ok, “Ace of spades” is well-known and loved by everyone, but why do all of their songs sound just like this one?? I started singing the chorus of this song to all of the songs, and it might as well have been correct. They made me wish the organizers never hired them to play in Bukta. Waste of time…

…Time that prevented my beloved Seigmen from playing as much as they could have done. I must admit that they used an extreme amount of time to get everything ready, but come on! 6 or 7 songs from Seigmen?! That’s a crime. A crime I would not have put up with if I thought I could do something about it…
Still, “Döderlein”, “Hjernen er alene” and “Slaver av solen” made my day complete. What an experience. I’m still kind of puzzled that I my
voice still was able to scream and shout and laugh after the evening in Bukta was ended. The huge
mass of people walked together into the center of Tromsø to end the night at some bar. Thank you, Bukta! I will see you tomorrow, at what I suspect will be an even more spectacular night.

SALIVA is Eardrums’ reporter on the norwegian open air festival BUKTA in Tromsö. She will be writing reports from the concerts and doing interviews with the bands during the ongoing festival. This is her report:

Mew is the only band playing at Bukta this year which will break through the distinct “rock-profile” the festival has gotten over the years. A gift to us all! Mew is a very successful band from Denmark, and these boys haven’t visited Tromsø since they played at By:Larm many, many years ago. And they have been sorely missed… The music is happy and playful, with lots of interesting turns. The thing I love the most about Mew, is that they never cease to amaze me, and it’s extremely difficult to categorize them! They have been called everything from symphonic rock, atmospheric pop to retro-indie. Live? They really rock! Great videos in the background, and the sound is even better than recorded! One of my favourite bands…

Seigmen (N) has been well-known for many years, before they suddenly stopped playing together. Now they’re back, ready to rock my hometown! The music is massive, with great lyrics and a beautiful sound. The sceneshow is beyond compare, with an ecstatic opening with lights, pictures and movies. Each one different from the next concert…
Will absolutely be one of the highlights on Friday!

Art Brut (UK) will be a new experience to me. I’ve neither heard nor heard about this band, but I’ve listened to a few of they’re songs after the program to the festival was official. This is British rock and roll. Really. I’m looking forward to seeing what these boys can do.

Kaizers Orchestra (N) is without a doubt the best live band in Norway. I’ve never experienced such energy, originality or dancing on stage, ever! After a concert with this fantastic band, which by the way plays music called “omparock”, I’m in total ecstasy! What I like the most is that the lyrics are in Norwegian. It’s great. They even use oilcans, airmasks and accordion.

Three of the bands playing on Saturday are from Tromsø. I’ve experienced two of them live, and can only say I’m impressed. Washington plays beautiful, melancholic music, and the vocalist is just fantastic. Vishnu also plays melancholic rock. The Fernets on the other hand, is all about the happy rock sound.

These are just a few of the bands playing. For the whole program, go to www.bukta.no .

Stay tuned for an update! J

SALIVA is Eardrums’ reporter on the norwegian open air festival BUKTA in Tromsö. She will be writing reports from the concerts and doing interviews with the bands during the ongoing festival. Here is her report:

Bukta Open Air Festival 2006 is approaching, and in only a few days eager music lovers can experience great bands like Mew, Motörhead, Seigmen, Brant Bjork and the Bros, Kaizers Orchestra and Dumdum Boys in Tromsø, Norway. All festivalpasses were sold out about two weeks ago, and that leaves hundreds of frustrated people without tickets.

The first Bukta Open Air Festival was arranged in 2004, and 5000 people showed up to watch bands like Big Bang, Span and Sondre Lerche (all Norwegian bands). In 2005 Bukta had become a known name, and the organizers managed to get a hold of great international bands like Phoenix, Supersuckers and The Soundtrack of Our Lives, and well-known Norwegian bands like Madrugada and We. The number of audience rose to 11 000 last year.

Bukta Open Air Festival has grown larger than anyone expected. This year the organizers have managed to make room for about 10 000 people Friday and Saturday. The area is much bigger than before, and the program has exceeded all expectations. Even though the weather forecast isn’t exactly promising, it’s going to be great! Saturday noon Bukta is opening for all ages, and with no charge. Both local, national and international bands are playing.

Without bragging too much, I would have to say that the scenery for this festival couldn’t be better. Bukta is one of the most desirable outdoor areas Tromsø has, and also the area we can be most proud of. The area is located nearby the center of the city, and next to the ocean, and contains a beach, grassy areas and playgrounds. It really is a paradise.

The planning of Bukta Open Air Festival is extensive, and a fulltime job for the organizers. This week hundreds of volunteers work day and night to get everything ready for the weekend. Fences, bars, and equipment must be ready by Friday night, and without the volunteers, it would be impossible to get everything in place.

Only a few days till the kick-off, and the city is in ecstasy! Bukta is the topic of discussion both amongst people and in the media. We can’t wait!

Summer is making me lazy. I haven’t updated for quite some time, and since I once promised myself to only write when I really want to, I do not write much these days… I want to enjoy summer, and listen to birds, wind, trees, bees…
Ok, that’s not 100% me, but close. I DO listen to some music, and I still look around for new music when I’m not doing all those other things. Less than in the winter, however. So… don’t expect those huge daily updates until the next rainy day in Norway. Oh, by the way: My sister’s oldest daughter, Lotte, will write some stuff for me during the summer. She’s a girl with great taste in music, and I’ve booked her to cover the Bukta Open Air festival in my birthtown, Troms�, Norway. She will see and hopefully also interview bands like Art Brut, Mew, Seigmen, Turboneger, Danko Jones, Brant Bjork and some fantastic local bands like Washington, The Fernets and Vishnu.

Here are some newly found songs for you that I really enjoy:

Gestapo bitches – danish boy
- some girls from my before mentioned birth-town, Troms�. Style: punk, raw attitude, melody, choruses that lift the roof… Their reason for being in a band is that they want to become as cool as Britney Spears. Judge for yourself. (from nrk ur�rt)

je suis animal – sparkle spit
A new song from one of my norwegian favourites, inspired by both the c86 scene, the shoegazers and newer bands like Stereolab, Broadcast and other farfisa or moog-based bands. I don’t know if Je suis animal use instruments like that, but anyway… Walls of guitars, female vocals, beautiful music. There’s something “french” about their music. Oh, it was the name, sorry (also from nrk.no/urort)

Surkin – and you too
Swedish website Shaktar.nu gives us an “mp3 of the week”, and this time its an infectious groovy electronic song, from France. It’s from Surkin, and this is a b-side from the artist’s latest 12” (you can buy it here). Thanks shaktar!

Jim Noir – key of c
I like this guy- he’s quite different than all the other musicians out there. “On the side”, in some way. And his songs are very good too, in their quirky way. This is summer! (from betterpropaganda.com)

The Rifles – local boy
I THINK I have written about these guys earlier, if not, it’s a shame and I beg your forgiveness for it. I heard London band The Rifles just after they released their first single ages ago, and they were so difficult to find on the internet. They only had a shared website with some ofter bands, I think, and all I got on google were guns and ammo. NOT what I was looking for… But this is good. It’s … good. I’m a man of dots today. Can’t find the good words, and dots are always good. (From sxsw)
Actually, after writing this, I feel that I did not get my point about this song through good enough… this is……………………. VERY…GOOD…..!

Codec and Flexor – do what you want
German electro pop. I notice that I have some mixed feelings about that word. This is on the good side. Very melodic, cool vocals and very good beats. Not geniously made, but, I like them. (from kitty-yo)

And here are some songs I have qued up for a couple of weeks, just because I had other things to do than to blog… Oh, of course I care about your need for new and fresh music, my dear readers! Stop crying! I’m just saving my writing-energy for a really fantastic post on some rainy day, ok?

Depeche Mode – darkest star (monolake remix)
- from monolake’s website

Oneida – up with people
- from labelsite
Energetic rhythm-explosion!

The Sunshine Underground – dead scene
- doesn’t sound dead to me… From redinkmusic.de

Stars of Track and field – with you
- from myspace
A fantastic band from Portland, and this song goes right into the ear and stays there.

Love arcade – sweething
- from myspace
Love Arcade is an alt.pop band from Detroit who has their debutalbum out on august 8.

Brightblack Morning light – everybody daylight
- from labelsite
Melodic modern hippie-drones from two bestfriends from northern California. Nathan Shineywater and Rachael Hughes. The two have an album out on June 20 on Matador records. Interesting music, interesting people.

The Maccabees – about your dress
from myspace
- High energy indiepop, maybe with a “slash punk” in there somewhere. And, yes, they are the UK….

My Broken Frame – back home
- from myspace
- Low-voiced acoustic indie/folk/pop from France.

Sidecar – faun
- from myspace
- this is a sideproject for Ken Negrete of Familiar Trees and Lili De La Mora of The Year Zero + multi-instrumentalist Joel O’Neill. Beautiful, dreamy popsongs.

Have a perfect summer!