by:Larm in Oslo
The ever more important music convention by:Larm is breaking its inaugural promise never to opt for Oslo as a host city. In 2008 it will take place in the capital for the first time in its eleven years of existence.
At the inception, the main objective of by:Larm was to give a boost to the music scenes in cities around the country and taking all the buzz out of Oslo was an integral point. Now the situation has changed, argue the administrators, and the time is ripe for Oslo to be allowed to display its hugely diverse and vibrant local musical landscape. Unlike the other major cities in Norway there is no unified scene in Oslo, therefore it is all the more important to bring an event like by:Larm to the capital and let the hugely active environment stand forth.
“Oslo is the musical capital of the Nordic region, says by;Larm’s boss Erlend Mogård Larsen, the number of events per week is on par with New York. We think it is important to put focus on this by bringing the international profile and media attendance of by:Larm to Oslo.”
The event, taking place in February, will primarily make use of a small selection of venues in Oslo making it compact and focused. But adding to the few key venues, twenty other clubs around the city will bring the total number of venues up to 35.
Interest from the other Nordic countries has exploded, says head of booking Runar Eggesvik, and the expanded Nordic profile will be continued with focus on artists that are established in their home countries but largely unknown in Norway. The main focus is still on the demo artists, the 50 to 60 of which will all play two gigs each.
With by:Larm coming to Oslo, the thousands of musicians that keep the capitals music profile vibrant have been rewarded with a unique opportunity to make their presence and zeal really felt. The event will surely be of a magnitude not yet experienced in the history of by:Larm.
Headlines:
Himmelkvad
Celebrated vocal ensemble Nordic Voices is currently out on its promo tour for their new outing ‘Himmelkvad’, a critically acclaimed album presenting Norwegian composer Lasse Thoresen’s unique vocal universe. MIC Norway takes a closer look at the cutting-edge vocal ensemble and ground-breaking composer.
I was the devil in my younger years
Late Feb sees Enslaved heading out on a month-long European tour. MIC Norway hooked up with Enslaved’s Ivar Peersen to talk about musical cross pollination, inspirational sources, humour and his fascination for singer-songwriter Stein Torleif Bjella.
