By:Larm 2013 is almost upon us!

Did we ever mention that we’re particularly fond of Scandinavian music here at Best Fit?

I mean, we’ve probably dropped it into conversation once or twice, or perhaps you’ve attended one of our sister site Ja Ja Ja’s Nordic club nights at The Lexington, but just in case we hadn’t made it clear, we love it. More than life and time itself, we bloody love Scandinavian pop music. And it’s with this love bubbling in our gut that we head to the snow-tinged, waterside haven that is Oslo to by:Larm, to spend time amongst like minded music fans, and to discover the best of what the Nordic regions, in particular Norway, currently have to offer.

Taking over the Norwegian capital between the 14-16 Februar (that’s February in Norwegian – it’s important to learn the local lingo) are more than 120 hand picked artists, known and new, looking to invite crowds in from the depths of winter to warm them with charm, wit and catchy sounds.

Among the acts appearing at the 2013 edition is last year’s show stealer Mikhael Paskalev, who, having just released his debut album in Norway, is sure to delight once again with his self-described “bastardized soul mixed with a bit of rock ‘n’ roll and good ol’ gospel”.

Paskalev’s bandmate, angelic vocal provider Billie Van will be stepping out alone this year to showcase her highly anticipated solo efforts, while Oslo/Berlin based artist Boska will be providing the mellow electronic sounds that will be wafting through the streets of Oslo throughout the festival’s duration.

Other acts set to play and certainly not to be missed include JJ, NONONO, Oyama, MØ, the almighty Efterklang, Iceland’s excellent Sin Fang and Best Fit faves Young Dreams.

So long as we don’t cause ourselves an icy injury, we’ll be dashing between venues to find the best new music that by:Larm has to offer, so keep an eye on The Line of Best Fit for news and reviews from the event. Keeping in mind that the crowd are enduring sub-zero temperatures to travel to each of these shows, we’re hoping to be gifted with a hearty ‘Hei!’, some kind of post-marathon foil blanket, or a warm, inviting hug upon arrival at each of the venues. We can’t be sure that that’s actually going to happen, but what by:Larm 2013 does guarantee is a stellar line up featuring a host of artists from one of the most musically innovative and prolific regions that we know of. Just don’t forget to pack your thermals.

For more information about by:Larm head to the festival website and for a taste of what the event’s going to sound like, have a listen to the by:Larm mix tape below.