Saturday 30/06/07 Day Five @ Hove Festival, Arendal, Norway

Day five. Day FIVE! Yes you read right, the final day of the inaugural Hove Festival in Norway has arrived. Just as we thought we’d seen everything at this festival, day five begins with a chance encounter with Margaret Thatcher. Yes, the Iron Lady is officially (well, in papier-mâché head form) on the island. We can’t blame her either; after all, My Chemical Romance will officially bring the festival to an end today. Arguably one of the world’s biggest bands, the intense allegiance of My Chem fans is already on show as Gigwise goes for breakfast. There is a strong contingent of girls clinging to the front barricade of the main stage and it’s only ten o’clock in the morning. This really is fanaticism in its most impenetrable form.

Before the bands take to the stages for today’s shows, it’s brought to Gigwise’s attention that we’ve been missing out on a rather lucrative money spinner this week. As part of the festivals ambition to raise awareness for global warming, any (empty) plastic cups that are found at the festival site (usually by child entrepreneurs) can be exchanged for 1 kronor (about £1). It explains a lot – after all, we have been wondering why people have been walking around with bags of plastic cups all week.

From re-cycling to a revelation. It’s taken five days, but today Gigwise has finally discovered a Norwegian act that’s really worth talking about. It’s just after four o’clock in the afternoon when we head of to the pink tent to catch Kate Havnevik, a woman who’s already released her debut album, but is just now starting to build some major momentum.

It’s not hard to see why either. After one song Havnevik proves to be a totally enchanting and thoroughly significant performer. Backed by a bass guitarist and a trumpet-cum-laptop player, she looks resplendent in a purple Edwardian dress, which ruffles as she dances nervously during her performances opening songs. Sounding like a profusion of Bjork and Frou Frou (it’s not hard to see that connection when you learn that Havnevik has worked with Guy Sigsworth of the latter group), Havnevik’s eloquent vocals and coy demeanor demand instant attention. Playing songs off her debut album, ‘Melankton,’ from the bristling ‘Kaleidoscope,’ to the tenderness of ‘You Again,’ Havnevik vocal talent is superb. She really is someone with a unique gift.

Next up today for Gigwise is Modest Mouse – with Johnny Marr – on the festival’s amphi-stage. On paper, Modest Mouse are certainly appealing. An asserted rock band for over ten years, and as of the summer last year in possession of former Smiths guitarist, Johnny Marr, they’ve certainly got the credentials to draw a crowd. They do that as well today, as thousands descend into Hove’s amphitheatre to watch them play. It’s just a pity that Modest Mouse don’t bring a performance that’s worthy of the crowd’s attention. Today they sound lost in the woods, with tracks from their new album ‘We Were Dead Before The Ship Even Sank’ failing to carry through the audience. The performance’s only highlight comes from, ‘Dashboard,’ although, even that’s not enough to unite the whole audience.

Today’s crowd are distracted, however, with the impending arrival of tonight’s headliners on the horizon – My Chemical Romance. The obsession is obvious and the adulation unfathomable for this band. Following the commercial success of ‘The Black Parade,’ frontman Gerard Way and the rest of his MCR have by-passed the ‘cult’ stage and are currently occupying somewhere very few ever reach. As the band take to the stage tonight dressed in all black, the only girls that aren’t screaming are the ones who have passed out at the sheer glimpse of the group – and particularly, the white makeup pale Way. The lead singer only has to move his head to one side to send the incapacitated audience into hysterics.

Onstage, My Chemical Romance are relentless. The guitars are frenetic and the drumming like a sustained assault on the nervous system – tonight, they are simply awesome. Treating the audience to everything from ‘Welcome To The Black Parade,’ to ‘It’s Not OK’ and ‘Cancer’ to ‘Teenagers’ – just at ten times the speed the songs are normally played at – it’s not surprising that MCR are only on the stage for just over an hour and fifteen minutes. For the Norwegians in the crowd, however, that is plenty long enough. As some, who have come dressed in drag, dance like it's 1999 and others just watch on pinching themselves to make sure that it’s real.

By the time they return for the encore and their last attack on the people in front of them - it’s all become too much for one poor girl in the front row. She struggles to sing the lines of ‘Helena,’ as tears poor down her face. The question of where this band goes next is only the real question which remains unanswered tonight.