So I went to one of Swedens largest music festivals. Arvika is supposed to be a Mekka for electronic music but we got a little bit of this and that to top it off. Not complaining one bit! :)
Started of with
Timo Räisänen - Awesome act to kick off this weekend of good music. Timo turned out to be a really good sport in private aswell. Greetings from mom!
Universal Poplab - kicked ass! They still got it! Those new tunes sounded great guys!.
Efterklang - Wow, this is pure art! The band used their brush of music to paint a beautiful picture of sounds, visions and atmosphere to send the audience to heaven and back.
The Kooks - You really can't go wrong with them, they can make anyone smile and dance.
Robyn - I'm not really a fan, but this girl can perform! I found myself singing along with almost every song, jumping up and down with the chorus. She owned that stage I tell you!
Slayer - I tried, I relly did. I used to enjoy a little bit of Slayer every now and then, but now it just sounds... old. IMO, this type of metal is on the downfall. Nice light effects though, but too much hype.
El Perro del Mar - Aw, this girl breaks my heart! The way she lives the music (one of Arvika's slogans btw) is adorable. It's like she doesn't even know we're there... great music, great atmosphere and excellent musicians all and all!
Owl Vision - Great beats, nice smile and an obvious dedication to what he's doing. I see great things in this guy's future. He hits the spot right on. You just have to dance to it!
Adam Tensta - Hip-Hop's got a new beat, it's nice to see someone taking the genre to a new level. And he's swedish too :) The act was fun and entertaining, and even though I'm not a fan, I couldn't help myself but raising my hand and join the chorus in "I'm an 80's baby baby". Well, I was born in the 70's but hey that's a minor detail. I hope you straighten things up with your record company, Adam.
Assemblage 23 - Yes, yes, YES! One of the resons I came to Arvika! Really made my day. Excellent performance, a good mix of old and new stuff so that everyone could walk away happy. He could have gone on for another hour though, there are just too many good songs... hihi
The Hellacopters - Sweden's most beloved trucker hats. Rock that never goes out of style, and these guys surely never gets boring. Unfortunately I could only stay for a few songs, but I could hear them all over the area :)
Soilwork - The reason I had to leave The Hellacopters, but I got my priorities :) Saw this lovely bunch @ Metaltown just recently and just had to relive that moment. Sadly enough I felt that the audience was either tired or not happy with the material, because they never really got into it. Sure, we had the whole "horns-in-the-air" & headbanging thing going, but where was the love? Maybe a few more "sing-along-songs" would have done the trick? Still love them to death though <3
The Crüxshadows - Just to see Rogue's incredible hairdo is reason enough to show up at stage Andromeda :) Jokes aside, these guys with their unique sound really got the crowd going.
Kent - Perfect. Just perfect. For some reason they managed to play all of my favourite tunes, old aswell as new ones. This is my third Kent concert, and this one owned everything else. I could have died happy right there on the spot. You're simply the best. Case closed. Too bad I missed
Suicide Commando though, a bit of re-arrangement in the schedule would have made alot of people happy.
Interpol - Yes they might seem arrogant, and yes, their songs might not be obvious live material, but still, no one can deny the fact that Interpol makes beautiful, atmospheric and sometimes eerie music. The set was perfect, sun had set, red lighting on stage and then the mystery began. Excellent!
And One - Just found out that Rotersands performance had been moved, and that we just missed it (grrr), so that gave us the opportunity to watch the whole And One concert. And what a concert it was! Steve was really out there with his dance and provocative small talk, and we loved it! And thanks for playing
Timekiller (And One remix), one of my all-time favourite tunes. A perfect ending to a perfect day @ Arvika!
In Strict Confidence - Surely an act I never will forget. Yes the music was great, and the band did everything they could to light the audience's fire. But, several days of extreme heat and loads of concerts takes it's toll on people. We were tired. And hot. Then, suddenly, it happened. The rain came. And the wind blew small drops of cold water onto our steaming bodies, and POWWOW! The crowd went wild! Totally turned the gig into a massive tribe worshipping the rain. And, of course, ISC :)
Alice in Videoland - Due to an almost collapsed stage tent because of heavy rain, the gig was postponed until further notice. So while me and my daughter were trying to save what was left of
our tent, AiV went on stage :( At least we caught the last 20 minutes or so, and I'm just gonna say, hell yeah! Sexy, catchy and just fucking awesome! The new album kicks ass, and so does Toril.
Combichrist - Does it get any harder than this? I was totally blown away - give me more of this! Pain and agony mixed with attitude and rude lyrics. Ah, yes!
Lola Angst - This was just weird... but I kinda liked it? Got a good laugh out of his small talk though, kept asking "are you doing ok Afrika? Are you with me Afrika?" I guess he read the name of the festival wrong... (A-r-v-i-k-a)
Death Cab for Cutie - Sweet, mellow and easy on the ear. Yeah that pretty much summons it up. I wasn't too impressed, but i did a few dancing moves and I could actually sing along to a few songs. Great tunes for rainy days like these :)
S.P.O.C.K. - Live long and prosper! Oh my god what a finish for this festival! The crowd wouldn't go away after the gig, we just wanted more, and more, and... well, I don't think this is the last we've seen of the spacemen in tights, being booked 9 times to Arvika must mean there's going to be a 10th... ? More party oi oi!
Hot Chip - No, no, no, I don't get the hype with these guys. Yes there's a few hit songs that I can tap my foot to, but too much of this and my ears will start to bleed. I'm a huge fan of electronic music but there's just something about Hot Chip that makes my skin crawl. Sorry! I tried! Went back to the tent and fell asleep to blip-blop-choo-choo-doop-doop.
To summon it up: Great festival, awesome bookings! The crew worked hard and long for us to have a memorable weekend and they did an amazing job, kudos to the Arvika Staff 2008!
Now I will need a few days to recover from aching muscles, blisters and burns, anxiety over gigs I missed and euphoria over gigs I loved. Thanks Arvika for this experience, and see you again in 2009!
//Diadara
p.s. Do NOT eat the Teriyaki, it sucked big time! d.s.
Adam Tensta