SPOT Festival, in pictures – Aarhus, Denmark 28/05/11

It’s not everyday you get to see a member of one of the best bands in Sweden wearing a giant moomin hobgoblin hat (jj); a bunch of futuristic Danish techno hounds dressed as rabbits (Sleep Party People) or yours truly being mistaken for being ‘an artist’ with his two cohorts, thus getting complimentary White Russians until dawn whilst jams from Kenton Slash Demon, Tyler The Creator and erm… The Ronettes blast out of the soundsystem.

Safe to say then, that Spot 2011 has been somewhat of a success. The hidden jewel in the Nordic festival calendar and perhaps overshadowed by the big dogs Roskilde, Way Out West and Airwaves, it’s no less a magnificent weekend. Which, hopefully, our photographs go some way in proving. (Unfortunately) Not pictured were one of Saturday’s true highlights: Nisennenmondai. A trio of minute Japanese girls who create a dazzling display of ear splitting kraut. There wasn’t one conversation I had post performance that didn’t involve the line: “were you at the Nisennenmondai show?????” – it was one of those gigs. Stupendous.

An honourable mention has to go to Hymns From Ninevah who played their biggest show to date at the main concert hall Musikhuset. Tender, earnest and oh so very tight. Opening number ‘So Mournful The Elegy, So Comforting The Hymn’ had this particular hack reaching for the handkerchief on several occasions. The standing ovation said it all – if Spot were to crown a king, it’d be Jonas Peterson and I’d challenge 2000 Danes to even attempt to disagree.