Friday 29/06/07 Day Four @ Hove Festival, Arendal, Norway

The music festival that’s more green than Shrek, takes another twist today, on day four, as metal fans from all over Norway descend on the site in a bid to catch Slayer and Mastodon. For Gigwise, our contact with Slayer happens a lot earlier than their performance on the main stage, however, because today we’re their personal laundry service. That’s right. Slayer have chosen our beach house to wash their clothes, which, after much examination, are more colourful than we would have expected.

It’s important to remember that – music aside – there is a serious meaning behind this festival. One that hopes to reinforce the global realisation that if change doesn’t happen, it will be future generations that will pay the price.

Our day begins (at 4pm) with a boat trip, which has been organised by the Bellona Foundation – Norway’s principal environmental organisation. Established in 1986, the organisation has expanded from its original role as a direct action protest group, to become one of the worlds most established global and climate organisations. Bellona have allied themselves with this year’s Hove Festival in a bid to further their campaign and encourage Norway’s youth about the consequences of climate change. 

After attending the on boat press conference (a tad surreal) it’s time to get back to the musical aspect of the festival. The first band for Gigwise today is the 1990s. One of the most anticipated bands to come out of Scotland since Franz Ferdinand (and that’s not where the ties to that band end), the 1990s were one of the first bands to be booked to play at the inaugural Hove Festival. Looking at the crowds today, as the band take to the stage in front of a packed tent, it’s not hard to see why either.

With the simple setup of just a guitar, a bass and a drum kit, 1990s rattle through a brisk forty minute set which creates the most appreciative reaction from the Norwegian crowd that Gigwise has seen all week (headliners aside of course). The band play songs from their debut album, ‘Cookies,’ with an overwhelming sense of liberated fun. ‘See You At The Lights,’ with it’s catchy vocal hook is infectious; ‘You Made Me Like It,’ is brisk and bashful and, ‘Arcade Precinct’...well you get the picture. Today this band can’t put a foot wrong.

After treating the crowd to a new song (which they tell us is called ‘Newbie’), which is more bass driven that their usual art-rock guitar sound, the band even cave into the crowds demands and return for an encore. 1990s look set to bring a smile to more faces for a while to come.