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Ellise Shafer
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Øyafestivalen/P.Bellis/Johannes Granseth Not many festival lineups are as stacked — and sonically diverse — as Øyafestivalen in Oslo, Norway.
Over four days at Tøyen Park in the center of the city, there was truly something for everyone. Goth romantics young and old gathered for the Cure’s two-and-a-half hour headlining set on Wednesday; indie lovers got a double dose with Wilco and Geese back-to-back on Thursday; teenage girls flocked to the fest to see pop sensation Sombr on Friday; and Lily Allen brought her “West End Girl” spectacular to the country for the first time on Saturday. In between, there was plenty for rap and R&B lovers — a groovy set from Blood Orange, the return of hip-hop duo Clipse, the lo-fi stylings of Dijon and his six-piece band — and many homegrown Norwegian acts to discover, including headliner Dagny and up-and-comers Girl Group.
But since we can’t write about every single act that graced the fest’s four stages last week, read on to find out more about the 10 best sets Variety saw at Øya this year (listed in chronological order).
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Dove Ellis
Image Credit: Øyafestivalen/Johannes Granseth When Irish singer-songwriter Dove Ellis stepped onto Øya’s Vindfruen stage, he looked like a kid. Then he opened his mouth. It took about 30 seconds for his rich, lilting, limitless vocals to convince me that the 23-year-old is Jeff Buckley reincarnate. His band — which based on their skill levels, must be classically trained — consisted of guitar, bass, drums, saxophone and violin, while Ellis himself switched between guitar and piano. “When You Tie Your Hair Up,” from his excellent debut album “Blizzard,” was a highlight as the instruments built to a nearly cacophonic peak and were brought back down again by Ellis’ heavenly crooning.
