The Hultsfred Report: Day Two
After a night of freezing camping, I went out to the town of Hultsfred (which I hesitate to even call a town, because it's more like a street) and bought a hoodie at a secondhand shop to cope with the cold Swedish nights. With that, I was ready to set off on day two, which was the most jam packed of the three festival days.Laleh
Juvelen
The Sweptaways
I was intrigued by this group, a choir of female singers who cover classic pop hits, so I decided to stop by. The women were all dressed in elaborate and whimsical yellow/gold outfits and looked like they had jumped straight out of a Dr. Seuss book. They sounded great as a group, and in between songs individual members would come down and say apparently very witty things. I don't know, because eveything was in Swedish, but the audience was laughing.
I went to this gig solely on the response this group has gotten by my fellow bloggers. I wasn't overly familiar with most of their music, so it was a bit of an introduction for me. As an introduction, it wasn't highly memorable, but I did see a lot of potential in this young, chirpy band. It actually felt like watching Josie & The Pussycats as the girls bopped about looking almost scarily happy. I didn't hear anything that sounded like a breakout single in their set, so it'll be interesting to see how they do on the charts.
Best bit: Opener Home Sweet Home (or at least I assume that's what it's called)
Rating: ��
Oh No Ono
I was really looking forward to seeing this strange group of Danes that I've been championing for so long on tattoowesley. They didn't disappoint at all. In fact, they were the sound of a band at the top of their game. The show was very loud and energetic, and it was hilarious to watch teh crowd's reaction as the guys opened their mouths and sang. The vocals are definitely an acquired taste, but those who stuck around for the whole show were in for a treat as the band played a furious set, even tossing in a surprisingly amazing Dylan cover. Plus, nothing was funnier than hearing their soundcheck before the gig. It sounded like a bunch of warbling aliens.
Steso Songs
This was another bizarre performance, as Korro (the voice behind Steso Songs, looking very much like a doll come to life) sat behind her pink keyboard and played some Tori Amos esque songs. At one point she plugged in her mp3 player and sang to a backing track, throwing glitter over herself as she performed. It was kind of strange and amatuerish, as if we were at her house and she just decided to get up on a whim and start singing. It wasn't completely successful, but it was at least interesting. Not all the songs were great, but there were definitely a few gems.
This was very strange for me because I would never actually go to an Ozzy concert, as it's not really my thing. Still, the whole festival seemed to be obsessed by his presence so I knew that I had to see him, even if it was just for a laugh. The audience was full of scary old men dressed in leather and playing air guitar (never an attractive thing at all). Ozzy sounded horrible (as expected), but I've got to give him respect since he is a legend after all and has come up with some terrific hits in the past. His between song chat seemed to consist of only three phrases: "I can't fucking hear you!" "You're not loud enough" and "I fucking love you." Seriously, that's all he said. He was very funny, though, and I must say I enjoyed myself.
Best bit: hearing him warble through Mama, I'm coming Home
Mohair
Rating: ���Ž
I finally got to see the carnival show that is Amy Winehouse live. She drank throughout the entire show, until she had to stumble offstage after uneasily warbling her way through the closer You Know I'm No Good. I couldn't understand anything she said in between songs, even though unlike most of the acts, it was said in English (well, Winehouse's version of the language, at least). Putting that all aside, though, her voice was phenomenal and the show was great as well. There was no denying Winehouse's star power, even though it was at times like watching a car crash.
Best bit: Rehab, what everyone was obviously waiting for
Rating: ����
Rating: �����
Salem Al Fakir - I only saw Dream Girl, but that's my fav. song and it was stunning
Goose - Great energy... songs were so so
Veto - Great songs... energy was so so
(all photos courtesy of rockfoto.nu, who covered the whole festival)
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