Cool, Calm, and Collected

Göteborg has become my favorite place in Sweden... granted there was a music festival and all that fun excitement, reallý, I immediately felt drawn to the lil quirky cafes and lush forests.  I did some couch surfing conveniently a 15 min walk away from the venue with a musician/bike builder by the name of Albe. A well traveled, super energetic and happy guy.  We got our wristbands early then continued to take a stroll through the streets, grabbing some beers at a bar called Café Publik, and ran into some friends who literally just got in from Oslo.

 

Albe!

Cafe publik

Convenient lil App for the Festival

The next day I met up with Joel and Jenn while Albe was at work before the festival, and as we made our way to a cafe, it began to rain on us.  We had also just grabbed some liquor because you can only purchase it during a certain time from specified liquor stores, aka not even grocery stores, oh and if you are a foreigner you need your passport not your license- talk about efficient society control... but that would explain the cleanliness to me.  So while Jen and I ran into a mini shopping frenzy (mostly me) Joel and his brother Hannes went to find somewhere to eat- a Danish sandwich place not far off.  We snagged some rain jackets for 175kr, roughly 25USD, among other things that I am too ashamed to say... Ok some sweet skirts and blouses! Me love patterns.

The Sweds like their coffee

Emmaus, prime second hand store

mmm Danish loc sammy

Now a proud owner of a Swed rain jacket

So I guess there's a piranha that will bite your balls off if you're a dude.

The Weirdness

Alabama Shakes

Tame Impala

Funny story; I got separated here because I just had to be in the front to drool all over Kevin and Jay, when I met another fellow American, Meaggan.  From SLO, she was working backstage at the festival and later making her way on down to Rome to teach english/nanny.  Who would have thought?  Out of all the people to strike a conversation with, we would meet each other? I can only hope to make it down to Rome before I go home, cause Meg was a pretty cool gal. I mean, we're both from Cali... hehe

Mystery Ice (which we later found out was out for people to break and put into buckets to keep their drinks cold)

Erik, Linnea, Joel, and Jenn on a carpet heaven

Sibille Attar - I want to say it's a blend of Beach House and Best Coast with little dramatic spots of Florence

Rodriguez 

Lisa, Jenn, yours truly, Ekanem

Local Natives

The festival was very fun even with the rain off and on. However, was pretty dissapointed at the lack of redbull vodka at the bars. I definitely stood there with my mouth hanging open because I didn't know what to order instead. Can't say I'm too surprised, I mean even the beer was in plastic bottles.  So apparently throughhout the forest people hid bottles of booze, and then other people go treasure hunting for them.  Ekanem and I skulled a bottle of wine that she had hid in some bushes down the street... girls need their alcohol blanket too!

Anyhow, my favorite perfomances were by, well, all the artists pictured here and some more.  I'm sad to have missed Unknown Mortal Orchestra, Austra, among some others. The festival was pretty spread out outside the main venue grounds. Meaning you had to take a tram or bus etc with a grip of pther people. It's a 50/50 chance you make it in - the line for Austra was offensively long so we had to pass that and just dance somewhere else! 

Alabama Shakes was groovin, HAIM rocked out despite the feedback from the speakers.  Tame Impala was good, but I've seen them play with a little more excitement in their step.  Crystal Fighters and Of Monsters and Men a harmonious echo of happiness... Grimes was actually pretty fun, and Local Natives had very very good sound.  Public Enemy got the crowd jumping, Alicia Keys released her soul, while Rodriguez made me do nothing but smile.  The Knife didn't let me down, some may have hated the weirdness, but I can honestly say I was super satisfied. It was a performance, not just a shoe show.  Dig? What made it even cooler was that I met Fredik, a music student nearby whos professor was also Karens, and had worked with them on their first album. Ooo

The Knife

Crowded much Joöl?

Stay Out West - one of the outside venues after the 'headliners' near the amusement park

Jenniffer

HAIM

Line for free coffee

Public Enemy

Wine Hunt

Porter Robinson, had to take a ferry to see this guuuy

Mosh pit claimed my tee

Mmm breaky

If you have any questions on architecture, ask this guy

Albe and Jenn

The day after

So, as I left Sweden for real this time, I can't not mention how superb the Sweds are at speaking english, making me feel worst for not being able to pick up Swedish (one day i swear!).  And if there is such thing as being too nice, this may be the place - because getting to the front of stages was like playing hopscotch. No shoving no sweaty flailing bodies or ... well for lack of a more sophisticated word - craziness. And nearly everything is closed on Sunday (cafes, shops, gyms, and I guess it is even moreso in Oslo), that anything drug related is unheard of, if - not spoken of.  If you don't drink coffee you are considered strange, and rain is always expected.  People work hard, and still play hard.  All in all that may be what makes Göteborg so special... So cool, calm, and collected. Thank you Albe for hosting me and making me tea each night, Joel for educating me on Swed architecture and life in general, and Jenn for translating and sharing your thrift store love! Meaggan, and Ekanem for indulging in a shared love for wine and moshing, Linnea and Erik for your big smiles and similar tastes in music!  Göteborg is definitely on my list to go back to, and I can't wait.

KL