Strong international focus on Oslo festival
International media is descending on the vital Øya Festival in Oslo, which showcases its strongest roster ever with headliners Turbonegro, Röyksopp, Jaga Jazzist and Cato Salsa Experience.
On short notice, a strong delegation of foreign journalists and music industry representatives have booked tickets for Oslo to experience new Norwegian sounds at the Øya Festival. The setting for the event is picturesque; Medieval ruins at Oslo’s East Side with a panorama view of the Norwegian capital’s skyline and surrounding hills. The festival proper starts this Friday, but the activity on the capital’s club scenes has been frantic all week with gigs by among other bands The International Tussler Society (aka Motorpsycho).
Since its conception four years ago, the Øya Festival’s focus has been on Norwegian acts – established headliners as well as up-and-coming support acts. The majority of the concerts are held at the scenic festival grounds, but a healthy club scene at such vibrant venues as Mono, So What and Rockefeller presents a pulsating night-time programme.
This year’s headliners represent a healthy home-grown scene that has fostered such acts as Röyksopp, Turbonegro, Jaga Jazzist, Nils Petter Molvær, St. Thomas, Amulet, El Caco, Cato Salsa Experience, Supersilent, Thomas Dybdahl and Ephemera. Strong foreign names include Mogwai, Sleater Kinney and Yeah Yeah Yeahs.
Word of the vital Norwegian festival has spread abroad, and this year’s international press and music industry presence is the strongest ever. Here’s a selection of some of the international media representatives to the 2003 Øya Festival: BBC Radio 3 (UK), BBC Music Online (UK), NME (UK), The Face (UK), Sleaze Nation (UK), Vice (UK), X-Ray (UK), Eins Live/WDR (D) and Intro (D). Music industry representatives include the Roskilde Festival (DK), Spot/ROSA (DK), Arvikafestivalen (S), ART Profile Management (D), Baltic Development Group (EST), P3 Danmark (DK), The Agency (UK) and Luger (S).
The full Øya Festival programme can be found here.
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