UPDATE, 5 OCTOBER 2018: Due to unforeseen circumstances, Noisey Festival 2018 in Copenhagen will not be carried out as planned. Purchased tickets will be refunded via www.billetlugen.dk
First question: do you understand Danish? If so, you might remember Noisey Denmark yelling something a few months back about hosting a festival in Copenhagen on Friday 2 November and Saturday 3 November. Given November’s proximity to get-those-gloves-on-now weather in the northern hemisphere, that means an indoor festival, at venue TAP1, that will significantly extend the Danish festival season. Second question: do you want to know who’s playing? Well, good – we’ve now got the first batch of acts lined up, and we’re ready to share them with you. Noisey Denmark will be playing host to everyone from Norwegian pop star Sigrid and UK rapper Nines to Aussie guitarist and singer Stella Donnelly, London-based Welsh techno-pop artist Kelly Lee Owens and American rapper Ugly God (for his first-ever Danish show).
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Scroll down to check out the full list of the first nine names and get your tickets right here – they’re 630 kroner for both days (about £75), so there’s absolutely no excuse not to come and party with us besides being someone who maybe hates fun? Idk. You’ve still got a few months to save up too (and the Danes are good at keeping warm in the cold, so don’t let that put you off).
Jungle (UK)
Maybe you’re one of those people who just won’t shut up about Jungle’s self-titled debut album from 2014. Or maybe you jumped on the bandwagon more recently, after they dropped two’ new tracks. Or maybe you just recognise their biggest hit to date, “Busy Earnin’”, from all of those times it has blared out of your television as you and your stoned friends have argued over who gets to play as Real Madrid in FIFA 15. Whatever the case, you’d better start stretching and polishing your best dancing shoes, because things are bound to pop off when the London septet unleashes their infectious neo-soul.
Kelly Lee Owens (UK)
There’s usually a clear difference between the type of electronica that makes you dance like a mindless bass slave, and the type of electronica that seduces you and brings you closer to your emotions. But once in a blue moon, an artist like Kelly Lee Owens appears and does both at the same time. Her self-titled debut album and concerts are a beautiful example of precisely that combination, so get ready to move like a rabid animal while somehow maturing as a person.
LISS (DK)
Aarhus-based quartet LISS are one of those bands who you might struggle to shove into a specific category. Is it electro pop? Indie pop? Straight up indie? It doesn’t really matter, because the music that comes out of this four-piece is both something you can dance to, sing along to, use to woo your crush and appreciate as a chin-stroking connoisseur of the musical art form while you’re at it. It feels as current as an actually good night out and yet as timeless as four guys picking up their instruments and making everyone’s night.
Nines (UK)
Before road rapper Nines released his debut album, One Foot Out, last year, he’d already established himself as one of the most hyped names in British rap – a feat he achieved with four mixtape releases in five years. They cemented him as a ruthless lyricist, who deals with the murky underbelly of life in London. In April he released his second album, Crop Circle, which was also critically acclaimed and debuted directly in the UK top 10. Expect a high-energy concert with heavy beats and a confident flow.
Riverhead (DK)
Danish punk isn’t dead. Far from it. And Copenhagen-outfit Riverhead are proof. They play hard and fast without compromising the melodious elements of their music. The hardcore punk pioneers of Riverhead hail from such bands as Halshug (“Decapitation”) and As We Fight, but under their new banner, the foursome freely fuse many different schools of punk and distill a full-bodied sound with intricate guitar riffs, emotive vocals and neck-snapping breaks and tempo-shifts. Riverhead’s new album Nothing is produced by the Godfather of Danish metalcore, Jacob Bredahl, so don’t let mushy song titles like “Hardships”, “Nothing Lasts” and “Holding On” fool you – these lads go hard.
Sigrid (NO)
It can take some artists decades of hard work, small concerts for modest crowds and overlooked releases to gain recognition for their talent and musical ability. Others seem to almost instantly have their enormous potential seen by the world. She might look like just any ordinary, yellow sweater-loving Scandinavian uni student, but Sigrid is one of those latter overnight success stories. Since the 21-year-old Norwegian releases her international debut single, “Don’t Kill My Vibe” via Island Records, she’s played Glastonbury and won BBC’s Sound of 2018 poll, putting her in the company of Sam Smith, HAIM and Adele, among others. Believe the hype: Sigrid churns out feverishly energetic pop music, built up around her masterful vocals.
Stella Donnelly (AU)
With her Thrush Metal EP, Australian Stella Donnelly cemented herself as a singer, who combines strong melodies and acoustic guitar with lyrics so tight that they put some rappers to shame. Her music is peppered with feminist master strokes that describe the relationship between men and women using everything from humour (“And you tell me all of my jokes ain’t that funny / And that may be so, but I know your mama loves me”) to crackling severity (“Your father told you that you’re innocent / told ya, “Women rape themselves” / Would ya blame your little sister / If she cried to you for help?”). Oh, and her voice is pure magic.
Ugly God (US)
“Fuck Ugly God / Ugly God a ho.” Yes, this sounds like the lyrics to a diss track aimed at the American rapper Ugly God – but in fact, it’s the first line from his own track “Fuck Ugly God” from his debut album, The Booty Tape. Self-deprecating humour and crude punchlines mixed with trap beats and a versatile flow have been the keys to success for the 21-year-old Soundcloud-rapper. And among other accolades, landed him on the 2017 XXL Freshman List. At the goddamn risk of repeating ourselves, Noisey Festival will mark Ugly God’s first-ever concert in Denmark. Let’s go.
Westerman (UK)
Britain has always fostered a strong pop scene, and 26-year-old Westerman from London is one of the latest artists to create a unique, cool-but-catchy style. Last year’s masterful single “Confirmation” saw him gravitate from folky expression to mixing acoustic and electronic elements in a surprising, earworm-y way. Can you sing along to the chorus of his new tracks after a single listen? Yes. Do you still feel cool, while doing it? You’d better believe it.
Purchased tickets will be refunded via www.billetlugen.dk
Noisey Denmark reserve the right to make changes to the programme.
