by:Larm Day Two: Sea Change, Tove Lo, Shine 2009, Young Dreams, and Hanne Kolstø

Shine 2009

by:Larm 2014, by:Larm 2014 Day Two, Hanne Kolstø, Sea Change, Shine 2009, Young Dreams

by:Larm Day Two: Sea Change, Tove Lo, Shine 2009, Young Dreams, and Hanne Kolstø, February 28th, 2014

Mar 06, 2014 by:Larm 2014 By Laura Studarus Photography by Laura Studarus

You know that feeling when you can’t wait to get out bed and start your day—even if your body would prefer about four more hours of sleep? Yeah, welcome to by:Larm day two. The effort was worth it, especially when what was waiting for me was standout shows from Sea Change, Tove Lo, Shine 2009, Young Dreams, and Hanne Kolstø.

The night began at Stratos for Sea Change. We’ve only heard two tracks from the Oslo-based producer (who doesn’t use a real name), but if they’re any indication, fans of hazy electronic music are in for a treat when she releases more. Quite often performances involving laptops are a bit dull (Unless someone is flamboyantly hitting their space bar), but Sea Change brought a certain mystery to her performance, augmented by a guitarist who played his instrument with a bow. (Sadly not a member of Sigur Rós).

At Sentrum Scene Tove Lo put in a high energy, radio-ready performance. The Swedish singer/songwriter likes three things—pop hooks, drugs, and boys. (Although while the first two seem to treat her well, the boys enviably lead to heartbreak). Songs from her recently released EP Truth Serum sound the same live as they do recorded. This is not a bad thing at all.

Shine 2009 gave a master class in brat pop; their electro pop tunes dripping with braggy, Manchester-like swagger. There’s something instantly likeable about a band that has the talent to back up the attitude. Brighter, more interesting, and more fun than their sophomore album Our Nation—which, the record, is incredibly hard to do.

Young Dreams were up next. Perhaps the most accomplished performers of the festival, the Bergen, Norway-based collective (which can swell up to twelve members) somehow managed to recreate the intricate pop of their debut, Between Places. Members traded off on vocals and instruments and made the complex juggling act look impressively easy.

Finishing off the night was Norwegian singer/songwriter Hanne Kolstø. She also may also double as the country’s best keep secret. The melodic songs of her album Stillness and Panic hit the same breathy, epic peaks as Mew. Clad in a floaty black dress and baseball cap, she looked and sounded like a pixie come down to Earth.

Unable to imagine that anything could beat Kolstø, I called it a night. Sure I was exhausted, but it was festival lag—not jet lag that had me feeling sleepy now. In all, a small price to pay.

Check out photos from day two here.