Fredag 14. august 2026

Like many, I discovered Band of Horses 20 years ago with their first album «Everything All the Time». At that point, I thought they had the potential to be the next big band to come out of Seattle indie scene and dethrone Death Cab for Cutie. History proved me wrong…

As for Wilco the day before, Band of Horses were in charge of the afternoon at Amfiet; a perfect sunny day to celebrate the 20th anniversary of their first album. It was great to hear hits like «The Funeral» or «The Great Salt Lake»; but also, deeper cuts like «Our Swords» or «I Go to the Barn Because I Like The». 

Band of Horses are regular visitors of the Norwegian capital, so the show felt more like a get together with close friends rather than a typical concert. It also attracted some curious who took that opportunity to relax on the hill and catch up with friends. Overall, Ben Birwell and friends gave a good and honest performance but unfortunately, they gave me no reason to rush to Tidal or Spotify and rediscover their music. 3.5/6

Crippled Black Phoenix visited Øya for the first time ever on Friday afternoon. The English progressive dark rock band let by Justin Greaves didn’t benefit from a large welcoming crowd when they walked on stage. They opened the show with «444» followed by «Wyches and Basterdz». Then they served us three tracks from their new album «Sceaduhelm»: «Things Start Falling Apart», «Hollows End» and «Vampire Grave». The closing track «Rise Up and Fight» got the loudest reaction from the small audience. The start of the show felt really slow with vocals that were very murky and completely lost in the mix, especially for Belinda Kordic during «Wyches and Basterdz». The overall mix and sound (and energy of the show) got significantly better towards the end of the show, but at that point, they had already lost part of their audience.

Crippled Black Phoenix didn’t manage to attract the crowd they deserved for their first appearance at the festival. To their defense, was this the right slot time for them?  Was it the right day? Or perhaps the wrong festival? Let’s face it, they are a much better fit for Tons of Rock than Øya.  3.5/6

Slomosa, the Bengen sensation made their highly anticipated debut appearance at Øya in front of a packed Sirkus stage. Since the release of their 2nd album, «Tundra Rock» in 2024, the band has been building quite a reputation, not only here, but outside Norway and benefited from the support and promotion of legends like Chris Pontius.

There’s plenty of Queens of the Stone Age and Kyuss in their DNA, but Slomosa brings something different and have enough melody to stop it becoming just another stoner-rock workout. The show openers «Cabin Fever «and «Rice» set the tone for a great show. Live, the songs from «Tundra Rock» sound bigger and dirtier than they do on record. There was an undeniable connection between the band and the crowd during the entire show with the energy picking up as the set progressed. The band themselves looked completely locked in, particularly during «Afghansk Rev», «There is Nothing New Under the Sun», «Kevin» and the closing song «Horses». 

Benjamin Berdous is a natural entertainer with great charisma and a hint of naivety; a strange mix of Cedric Bixler-Zavala and John Garcia. He is well supported by Marie Moe, who seriously knows how to handle a base, as well as the brilliant Tor Erik Bye on guitar and Jard Hole on drums. Together, they impressed most by how incredibly tight they sounded, as if they have all had been playing together for 25 years. 

This Øya performance definitely brough the spotlight on them, especially for many festival goers who would not necessarily attend Tons of Rock. One of the best concerts at Øya this year, with a band that feels ready for considerably bigger rooms. 5/6

Tekst: Olivier Fillion Boutin
Foto: Johannes Andersen

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