Øya Festival 2017: 10 awesome Norwegian bands that you need in your life

The rising homecountry heroes that impressed us in and around the Oslo festival

Pom Poko

For fans of: The Sugarcubes, Dream Wife
What went down: We’re not quite sure. It was bloody great, though. They’re a curious car crash of angular post-punk, visceral math-rock and a twisted kind of pop – every turn defies expectation.
Key tracks: ‘Jazz Baby’, ‘It’s A Trap’

Strange Hellos

For Fans Of: School Of Seven Bells, Alvvays
What Went Down: As a biblical torrent of rain emptied from the sky, Strange Hellos were a tonic of sunlight with a sound that ranged from fuzz-rock to shoegaze. From Øya, they head straight to Abbey Road to finish off their debut album. Bring it on.
Key tracks: ‘Monumental’, ‘We Are Trouble’

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Sauropod

For fans of: Biffy Clyro, Nirvana
What went down: With inescapable melodies, and interchanging gravelly male and angelic female vocals backed by break-neck grunge and blues torn inside out, Sauropod are a defiant howl into the face of anyone who dares to say that rock is dead.
Key tracks: ‘By The Tree’, ‘Winter Song’

Nils Bech

Nils Bech live at Øya 2017. Credit: Erik Moholdt
Nils Bech live at Øya 2017. Credit: Erik Moholdt

For fans of: Perfume Genius, James Blake
What went down: Between intertwining himself with a ballet dancer and inflating a 20ft tall inflatable woman, the DFA-signed Nils Bech delivered a devastating and extraordinary display of sombre but sublime electro-backed orchestral chamber pop to show that he has the wonder to match the weird.
Key tracks: ‘Glimpse Of Hope’, ‘A Sudden Sickness’

Amanda Tenfjord

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For fans of: Adele, London Grammar
What went down: Tenfjord boasts a purity to her voice that lends itself well to an intimate sound, before her soaring ambition lifts each chorus well into the heavens. There’s a promising power inside her which is definitely worth keeping an eye on in the year ahead.
Key tracks: ‘I Need Lions’, ‘Man Of Iron’

Sløtface

For fans of: Metric, Wolf Alice
What went down: While the band have made waves with a handful of singles and boisterous performances at the likes of The Great Escape, the feral fan reaction for unheard songs as they played their upcoming debut album ‘Try Not To Freak Out’ in full suggests that maybe you should believe the hype.
Key tracks: ‘Magazine’, ‘Pitted’

Thea & The Wild

For Fans Of: Fleetwood Mac, Haim
What went down: It may have been a fringe gig, but the abandon of the scores of screaming girls losing their minds to ‘Dark Horse’ made this feel every bit the main event. With the open road anthemics of Fleetwood Mac and the R&B-infused pop sass of early Haim, Thea & The Wild are just fun in its purest form.
Key tracks: ‘City Of Gold’, ‘Dark Horse’

Imitating Aeroplanes

For fans of: Tame Impala, M83
What went down: Not enough bands wear capes these days. I guess you can only pull it off if you’re going to go all out on a bat-shit odyssey of psych-fuelled electro. If you’re into that, then check out this new supergroup from members of The Wombats and Team Me.
Key tracks: ‘Hourglass’

Wet Dreams

For fans of: The Ramones, The Vaccines
What happened: Imagine Motorhead covering The Hives. Add beer, punk, and stir. Doesn’t that sound fun?
Key tracks: ‘Wizzard Staffing’ , ‘I Can Fly’
Cartridge Belt by Wet Dreams

Sigrid

Sigrid live at Øya 2017. Credit: Helge Brekke/Øya
Sigrid live at Øya 2017. Credit: Helge Brekke/Øya

For fans of: Lorde,
What went down: “I’m young, I don’t care, I won’t quit,” declares Sigrid in her set closer and globe-dominating hit ‘Don’t Kill My Vibe’. You can’t watch Sigrid and not be overcome with joy. Rumour has it that she’s the future queen of pop. If she remains as unstoppable as she seems, we don’t doubt it.
Key tracks: ‘Plot Twist’, ‘Don’t Kill My Vibe’

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