photos: Øya Festival 2012
Frank Ocean + Tyler, the Creator :: Øyafestivalen 2012
Over the last week, some of the best artists in the world converged in Oslo, Norway, to play Øyafestivalen, the greenest festival in Europe, and from the looks of Faith Silva's gorgeous photos, the chillest, most relaxed festival anywhere. Check out Faith's dreamy pics -- featuring Chromatics, Jessie Ware, Frank Ocean, Feist, John Maus, Purity Ring, Tyler, the Creator, Lee Scratch Perry, Best Coast, Yelawolf, Holy Other + more, all shot on The Impossible Project's Nigo Edition instant film -- and read her recap after the jump...
Jessie Ware :: Øyafestivalen
Purity Ring :: Øyafestivalen 2012
A$AP Rocky :: Øyafestivalen 2012
Frank Ocean :: Øyafestivalen 2012
Chromatics :: Øyafestivalen 2012
John Maus :: Øyafestivalen 2012
Feist :: Øyafestivalen 2012
Tyler, the Creator :: Øyafestivalen 2012
Island Dog :: Øyafestivalen 2012
Massive thanks to Claes Olsen for putting together such an amazing festival and inviting Gorilla vs. Bear to come share the experience with him, and a slightly smaller thanks to Club Mono for making an amazing burger. Just a few highlights + things worth noting from an altogether unforgettable week:
Øya is easily the cleanest festival I have ever attended (not a surprise, considering that the fest won European Festival Awards as the Greenest Festival in Europe). 70% of all waste is recycled and 100% percent of the food served is organic. And, I didn't leave covered in mud or having swallowed a pound of dust by the end of the week like most festivals in the States. Fairly certain it's also the only fest that takes place above thousand year old skeletons / ruins in Medieval Park, which is pretty cool.
Øyafestivalen 2012
Øyafestivalen 2012
Øyafestivalen 2012
The line-up had plenty of great international headliners (see photos), but the Norwegian scene represented with a number of amazing and diverse bands that will likely be popping up on your radar soon, if they haven't already. The acts I enjoyed most were exactly the ones I had anticipated I would going in: from a highly danceable Philco Fiction, to dreamy Modular signees Young Dreams, to Susanna's highly intriguing ambient sounds, and Highasakite (also a personal favorite of Justin Vernon) making me feel, well, as high as a kite.
Highasakite :: Øyafestivalen 2012
Philco Fiction :: Øyafestivalen 2012
Young Dreams :: Øyafestivalen 2012
Running into this legend/bro:
Lee Scratch Perry :: Øyafestivalen 2012
Uncluttered scheduling. One of the few fests I've attended where I felt like I could see the majority of the bands I wanted to see without stressing out over it.
Best Coast :: Øyafestivalen 2012
Dam-Funk :: Øyafestivalen 2012
Friends :: Øyafestivalen 2012
Cloud Nothings :: Øyafestivalen 2012
Sondre Lerche :: Øyafestivalen 2012
Best Coast :: Øyafestivalen 2012
A #dark set from an invisible Holy Other.
Holy Other :: Øyafestivalen 2012
Frank Ocean. He started his set fifteen minutes late, and would only play 4 songs before he left the stage due to "sickness and voice loss". But I thoroughly enjoyed his brief time on stage, which opened with a heart-melting rendition of Sade's "By Your Side." And while his painfully short 15 minutes ultimately proved to be a huge tease, his voice sounded nothing short of amazing.
Feist / Jessie Ware. Feist's stage presence was amazing as always, as she led an epic singalong, our collective voices drifting out over the North Sea. Øya also served as a perfect intro to Jessie Ware, who dominated the festival with her insane vocal range, sending chills down everyone's backs (including the group of people watching from the top of the Opera House a mile away).
Jessie Ware :: Øyafestivalen 2012
Jessie Ware :: Øyafestivalen 2012
Yelawolf's neck tats:
Yelawolf :: Øyafestivalen 2012
The festival closing set by Bon Iver couldn't have been more moving. It was the last show of his six-week-long tour, and he repeatedly mentioned that he couldn't be happier to be finishing in Oslo. I feel like I should have so much more to say about this set, but the guy just leaves me speechless.
Bon Iver :: Øyafestivalen 2012
Øyafestivalen 2012
--words + photos by @FaithSilva