Way Out West – Göteborg, Sweden 12-14 August 2010

27 August 2010, 16:57 | Written by Lisa Ehlin

(Live)

The first city based music festival I ever went to was Accelerator in 2002, held by Luger in an old brewery in Stockholm. I realised there and then that I had found the perfect way for enjoying such festivities; of being surrounded by music, bumping into people, and getting that whole festival vibe, but always being able to go home to a real bed (not a tent peg in sight!). I went to Accelerator every year from then onwards, until Luger decided to put more energy into the emerging Way Out West festival in Göteborg

Even though Luger arranges both Accelerator and Way Out West, the aspect of “festival” at Way Out West is a lot more noticeable. The main area is located in Slottsskogen, a big forest like park in the middle of Göteborg. The concrete and brickwork of Accelerator are replaced by greenery and plenty of open space. The city feel of the festival is instead, to a large extent, moved to nightfall as Way Out West actually could be regarded as two, overlapping festivals. When the forest closes at around midnight, it passes the musical torch to a number of clubs around the city centre. This divide between Way Out West and Stay Out West (the club gigs) are both the festival’s forté, and it’s biggest problem.

The idea of having some of the bands playing at clubs as well as the main arena has been under constant debate each year WoW has been running. Despite the wish to combine the classic daytime festival vibe with the more intimate, urban nightlife of the clubs, chaos inevitably follows as hoards of people leave for these clubs simultaneously. Those more positive to the arrangement argue that the whole city comes alive with the club gigs and that they carry the festival feeling further into the night, free of the dark, damp cold of the late outdoors. This is true, but they do so at the cost of what I personally regard as one of the major joys of a festival; the flow. Even though the aim is to create a vibrant rhythm of music, a feeling of that flow that beats through the entire heart of the city, it requires rigorous planning and constant choices, quite the opposite in practice of what, I imagine, the festival wishes to achieve.

This is also the reason I only saw one club show (Harlem). Standing in line and feeling stressed wasn’t what I was after. I went for the more organic feel and ended up at various, more or less organized after parties instead. (Even though I can’t deny I slightly regret not seeing Fool’s Gold and Surfer Blood).

So what of the music? The best show? Funny question really, as it of course impossible to compare Panda Bear to Wu-Tang Clan, or Beach House to LCD Soundsystem. This is also what it is all about; overdosing on music. And so one of my favourite moments was having brunch to Girls and The Radio Dept. Even though they weren’t the most extravagant and intense of shows, they gave me that complete festival experience of being perfectly comfortable with exactly where I was.

However, amongst Iggy Pop, Pavement, Konono no 1, Paul Weller, Local Natives, The National, Jens Lekman, Broken Bells, Chemical Brothers and a few more, two shows are worth an extra, honourable mention; M.I.A. and Håkan Hellström. Interestingly they both sort of tie it all together, as M.I.A. represents something very present, and Hellström, at least in this context, is part of the past. When M.I.A. entered the stage in a green parka, shades and a sparkly shirt, nothing else really existed from then on. I have to admit, I had low expectations. I thought of her walking off the stage in NYC, I thought of her not caring because I’ve read too many articles about her. Whatever image I had of her, the woman (and the rest of the people) on the Flamingo stage was a ball of directed energy and total dedication. Even I, very often the one standing in the corner with folded arms, couldn’t stand still. Eyes wide open; I was lost in laser beams, beats, and everything I love about music.

The other show was Swedish (and specifically Göteborg) pop darling Håkan Hellström, who has managed to gain national popularity while continuing to win the hearts of longing teenagers. Precisely 10 years ago, he released his first album, and decided to play only that album, back-to-back, live in his hometown. It was a sweet journey down memory lane, but even more a fascinating experience of watching someone who can captivate so many and not loose any credibility. Even though I don’t return to him as often as I did 8 years ago, it was hard to resist the total feeling of collectiveness, when so much else of music experience is based on fragments and exclusivity.