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Not quite sure whether there's too much to add. It was a glorious, glorious night, even if, as others have pointed out, Slottsfjell is very different to other festivals I have been to. The crowd was way different from what I'd expect at a festival.
I was one of those fortunate enough to get a ticket for the Q&A. Snah missed it, the four others were present. Exactly why Deathprod and Kenneth took place I'm not quite sure, they hardly said anything at all. Bent and Geb did most of the talking – Bent was the serious one, Geb was in a great mood, with oneliner following oneliner. An example: he claimed to be completely unaware of what was going on in the music world in the early nineties, so when he saw the word "grunge" (on purpose pronounced with two syllables) in a review, he had no idea what it meant, and figured out that it was probably a trøndersk expression ("eit inntrøndersk uttrykk"). Most of those present enjoyed it, at least those speaking or understanding Norwegian. Several travelling psychonauts were there, including the one from the legendary Carpe Diem-photo from Øya 2010. When Geb recognized some of those in the audience, he immediately went up to them, greeting them with smiles and hugs.
As you all know, it was uncertain whether the show would go on. We spent some time studying the program (and trying to find out where the stage was – it would be helpful if Slottsfjell put up some signs), and realized that it would be impossible to move the concert to another stage. Thus, it was no big surprise when it was finally announced that the stairs leading to the stage were opened, neither was it a surprise when Bent opened the show by saying that if the wind increased, they would have to call it off.
The wind stayed away, of course. Why would it cause such a show to be called off? After a playful "Waiting for the one", the drum intro to "Nothing to Say" brought a number of smiles to the crowd. I went to the show with my brother, who hadn't seem Motorpsycho since the mid-90s, and the smile on his face made me think of the many shows we witnessed together back then, and how that intro always made us jump like mad. (Now we are too old for that, we only move our bodies back and forth.) The song itself, and the following "Feedtime" set the tone for the night. "Feedtime" was bloody excellent.
And so it progressed. The more rocking songs got the best response, I felt, but also the others were a joy to watch. The only downpoints of the show were "All Is Loneliness", which suffered from a bad mix, where Bent's singing was the only singing we could hear, to a certain extent "Gutwrench", and "Mr. Who?", who was as misplaced here as it is on the record.
I also felt that "Demon Box" as a minute or two too long, but otherwise it was, as I've already said, a glorious night. Many songs brought lumps to my throat, some brought tears to my eyes. It was not quite as exceptional as TM at Øya, but it was not far away. I turned fifty the following day, by the way, and even if I have never bothered celebrating birthdays, this was the best present anyone could have received.
Some similar thoughts on my blog (Norwegian only).
And one from Mojo, written by Andrew Perry:
Motorpsycho: Demon Box (4 stars out of 5)
Deluxe version of the punk/prog/psych Norsemen's 1993 breakthrough album.
How can these international bottom-feeders from Trondheim have had three unheard-of mid-'90s albums reissued lately, in a multi-disc splendour fit for rock giants? Answer: in Norway, and across Europe, this incredible trio full of exploratory spirit and with phenomenal chops, are rightly held in high esteem. Booklet essays explain how Demon Box was their last gasp on a domestic indie deal and they threw everything at it, recruiting insane techno fella Deathprod, and busting every frontier of their post-hardcore/grunge sound. Slayer and Napalm Death were clearly hot spins chez 'Psycho, and, boy, do they cook in that vein. Also revelatory: a primordial stab at Moondog', All Is Loneliness. The album is presented as a director's cut across two discs; two more collate contemporary EPs and outtakes (Groundhogs' Cherry Red!); on a DVD, a fearsome, virtually unlit set at Groningen's Vera Club. Months of succour here for any metal-leaning Anglo-American – if they only knew!
Rune Grammofon will also release it as a Limited edition of 2000 handnumbered copies.
From their web page:
RLP2170 – Motorpsycho & StÃ¥le Storløkken: En Konsert For Folk Flest (2LP/DVD/CD)
PRICE: 0,00 NOK
COMING
Last summer Motorpsycho, together with Ståle Storløkken, Kammerkoret Aurum and Sheriffs Of Nothingness performed a one-off special commission work in the mighty Nidarosdomen in their hometown of Trondheim. Luckily, they had the foresight to have it all filmed and recorded, and now we are very proud to be present it on 180g double vinyl, cd and dvd! Documenting an event that most likely will never be repeated, this is a unique album in many ways, one being that all the lyrics, sung by the 24-piece choir, for the first time in the band´s history are in Norwegian. The dvd includes the full concert plus a 65 minute documentary. The packaging is also pretty nifty with its 400g heavy duty cardboard and a 24-page LP-sized booklet. Please note that the Rune Grammofon edition is a one-off and limited to 2000 copies, individually numbered by hand.
Please don´t ask, as we do not know yet when we will start pre-orders.
Released 17.04.15
Very nice video, which made me look forward to the next tour even more.
And I like KK's hint of a smile at 2:09.
A rather excellent review in Mojo:
Norwegian psych-prog rocketeers celebrate quarter century in ecstatic style.
For most bands simply surviving 25 years is an achievement, but to do so while enjoying a run of consistently stunning records is virtually unheard of. That their latest album finds Motorpsycho sounding as wild and adventurous as ever is testament to the creative flame blazing bright between founder members Bent Sæther and Hans Magnus Ryan and relative newcomer Kenneth Kapstad. With assistance from Dungen guitarist Reine Fiske and string players Ole Henrik Moe and Kari Rønnekleiv, Behind the Sun is a freewheeling melting pot of West Coast harmonies, prog-jazz dexterity and power trio muscle. Whether melodic and mellow or blown out or busy, this exhilarating ride through rock's back pages offers irrefutable proof that these Nordic giants are currently operating at the peak of ther powers. (Andrew Carden, 4/5 stars)
A rather excellent review in Mojo:
Norwegian psych-prog rocketeers celebrate quarter century in ecstatic style.
For most bands simply surviving 25 years is an achievement, but to do so while enjoying a run of consistently stunning records is virtually unheard of. That their latest album finds Motorpsycho sounding as wild and adventurous as ever is testament to the creative flame blazing bright between founder members Bent Sæther and Hans Magnus Ryan and relative newcomer Kenneth Kapstad. With assistance from Dungen guitarist Reine Fiske and string players Ole Henrik Moe and Kari Rønnekleiv, Behind the Sun is a freewheeling melting pot of West Coast harmonies, prog-jazz dexterity and power trio muscle. Whether melodic and mellow or blown out or busy, this exhilarating ride through rock's back pages offers irrefutable proof that these Nordic giants are currently operating at the peak of ther powers. (Andrew Carden, 4/5 stars)
Setlist looks correct, Sjur, with one exception: Bent played 15 seconds of Young Man's Blues immediately after Stay Young. :MPD:
Stickfrau Writes (on Stickman page) that a European tour is lined up for May and June, and that dates will be posted "shortly".
From Stickman: http://www.stickman-records.com/
I like the description of Fiske – the mercenart psychedelic halfbreed.
Nice interview; good concert review. It still pisses me off that I managed to miss this – I was at a conference in Tromsø that week, and didn't realize that Motorpsycho were playing there until I had returned home. Maybe I should visit this forum more often.
@fillmore: what do you mean, "bring back g35"? are you suggesting g35 is dead? :lol:
