Wednesday 27/06/07 Day Two @ Hove Festival, Arendal, Norway

After yesterday’s often torrential rain, Gigwise is happy to be joined this morning by the relatively insignificant arrival of light drizzle. Mind you, that doesn’t stop our poxy pumps being ruined though – something we’re not too happy about.

For those who have frequented festivals in the UK before, you’ll know that by 9am (often earlier) campsites are awash with bodies scrambling for showers; people searching for their first drink (pint) of the day, and; general scenes of debauched devastation. Not so in Norway. Do these people ever get up before eleven? Indeed, when Gigwise awakes – at what to Norwegians must be the ungodly hour of just after eight – all we’re greeted by is the odd litter picker desperately trying to keep this festival carbon neutral. It’s certainly a challenge as well, with 18,000 people determined to have the time of their lives on diet of pizza, alcohol and liquorish. Sorry, but we just can’t get over the amount of that stuff there is on site.

Day two of the Hove Festival – to the festival continental fans certainly – is the biggest of the five, with two of the biggest bands in the world playing on the same stage - The Killers and Arcade Fire. They’re also joined by, among others Bright Eyes, The Hold Steady, The Maccabees (who have replaced The View – the poor Dundee lads are hungo...sorry...ill from their double header at Glastonbury) and The Noisettes.

For Gigwise, however, the day begins with a trip to see Maps play in the only indoor tent at the festival – it’s very big and very pink. Maps' trip to Norway began in their native Northampton as most of the festival-goers were enjoying day one. There’s not a hint of sleep depravation around though as they wow the Norwegian crowd who have congregated to bare witness to their absorbing pop-tronic (can we claim that like ‘New Rave?’) performance. Like Hot Chip on ecstasy, live Maps – the brainchild of James Chapman – are a group of five individuals (six if you included Mr Apple Mac) who are intent on mixing pop and electronic in a glorious, spiralling concoction. Today in Norway, they do just that as well. This might be their first international festival, but as the band plough through a set that includes new single, ‘You Don’t Know Her Name,’ and album tracks, ‘Elouise,’ and ‘Liquid Sugar,’ you get the distinct impression that they don’t want it to be their last either. Engaging and enthralling, Maps are a band you’ve just got to cast your pop-tronic eye over.

With Maps’ performance still on our minds we navigate (excuse the pun) to a little backstage bar to have a chat with the bands mastermind James Chapman – a shy guy who literally breaths the word music as he talks, amongst other things, about sharing a tent with Har Mar Superstar (or at least that would be his ideal camping partner).

The loose Har Mar American connection continues, as we wonder over to the main stage to catch The Hold Steady, who are showering the Norwegian crowds with their unique throwback to a Springsteen-esque era of American patriotism. A visible spectacle, as well as a musical one, The Hold Steady catch the hearts of the audience with tracks, including, ‘Stuck Between Stations’ and ‘Chillout Tent,’ from their fantastic third album, ‘Boys And Girls In America’ – as well as a host of songs from their previous albums, ‘Almost Killed Me’ and ‘Seperation Sunday.’

No offence meant to The Hold Steady, but as good as they are, there’s not been a buzz of expectation like there is tonight since Gigwise arrived on site. As far as line-ups go, the back-to-back prospect of Arcade Fire and The Killers is almost as good as it gets. From the subliminally vivacious Win Butler to the inversely extravagant Brandon Flowers, the juxtaposition of characters is obvious but that’s what makes it all the more enticing.

As people near Gigwise, who has scurried to the front for tonight’s main acts, dash off for a last minute toilet stop (there’s no Glastonbury-esque devastation in these toilets by the way), Arcade Fire make their overwhelming appreciated entrance. With their as-per-usual stage set of organs , cello’s, violins, pianos – you name it, they’ve got it – surrounding them, tonight the Montreal band turn Hove’s mainstage into their own church. And, as they open with the anthemic combination of ‘Keep the Car Running’ and ‘No Cars Go’ there’s no doubt as to who their congregation is – or, what they think of them for that matter.

The hype around this band of off-stage shy and retiring, but on-stage closet nutcases is nothing short of colossal. In the space of a few years they’ve gone from a group of matched up misfits to one of the biggest bands in the world. When you’re treated to their live performance, however, it’s not hard to see why. Tonight, in amongst the bark and greenery of the festival site, Arcade Fire are relentless. ‘Intervention’ – with Regine Chassagne caressing the huge pipe organ – is nothing short of spiritual, while, ‘(Antichrist Television Blues)’ – the bands ‘attack’ on America – is as frenetic as always.

We’ve never seen Arcade Fire like this. That probably has something to do with the fact that the last time Arcade Fire were scheduled to appear in Norway they had to cancel their show – along with other European appearances – because of Win Butler’s voice problems. Tonight, more than anyone, Butler looks glad to finally be in the country. “It kind of feels like home, except the sun never ****ing goes down,” he says, enticingly, about him and his brother’s distant attachment to the country. In fact, not only has Gigwise never seen Arcade Fire like this, we’ve never seen Win Butler quite so unrestricted. The jokes just keep flowing. “I was noticing on late night TV here that you guys have American TV with Norwegian subtitles – be careful with that shit...I’m just saying.”