Yes kids, here I am living in Norway and things are really happening here, as long as no moose or groundhog jumps in between. In Trondheim, there is a small neighborhood in the city called Svartlamon, and there is quite a vibrant leftist scene that came together this weekend, with plenty of programming for young and old. The neighborhood is alive, so to speak, and consists of about 30 to 40 houses. Unfortunately, I must admit to my foolishness that I only realized in the evening that there was something going on that I could attend. So I hopped on the bus at 9 PM with good hopes.
My goodness, it was really crowded when I arrived. On two self-built stages equipped with good technology, the local talents were playing. Of course, I didn't know any of these bands, maybe that was for the best. I only caught two bands each while I hopped back and forth between the stages. But to be honest, I didn't like what was offered at all. Everything felt too immature, and the music didn't resonate with me in the slightest. The artists on the respective stages acted as if they were the heroes. Well, off to the beer stand, where I casually paid 50 kroner for a 0.3l beer, but with 9.3% alcohol. For those of you who are unaware, 8 kroner = 1 euro, and these prices are quite normal here.
I had to choke down the beer; it was way too sweet, the brew was overly herbal and too caramel-heavy in the aftertaste. Well, there was also a bar where you could watch well-known bands via projector. A can of beer cost 35 kroner here, and a lot was happening. Lots of drunk people, and you could catch a whiff of cannabis. When I left the bar, I was chatted up by one of the drunk people and had to struggle to shake off the meatball from my leg (in a friendly way). At some point, it was 10:30 PM, and a reggae band came on stage, and for the standards of the evening, this band was really good! But I don't like reggae for long stretches... Two songs are enough, and you know the whole program...
Still a bit worn out from work, I wanted to go home. The last bus left at 11:17 PM, which was very convenient for me. I cranked up the MP3 player and hopped on the bus. The way people stared at me, I must have blasted the whole bus with music... But I didn't care because I really needed some good music right then!
On Saturday, I was on the verge of not going back, but since I have a kind boss who generously gifted me a monthly bus pass right at the start, I didn't have to pay 8 euros for a ride, so I thought to myself: "Come on, old man... go back and check it out again." First, I stopped by the supermarket because that's the only way to get beer cheaper... After all, 13 kroner less than at the city festival. And this time, delicious Tuborg. I arrived a bit earlier on Saturday, around 8 PM, and what found its way into my ears was miles better than the day before. The last band really rocked me... My goodness, it was awesome... And I wasn't the only one who thought so. You have to imagine the audience here as very well-behaved. When the frontman says something like, "come to the front," they do it. They raise their arms, and they do it... I should try that here in Trondheim too. Only I wouldn't have a reason to say: "Jump off the bridge!" ... hehe...
All in all, the festival was very good. Everyone had fun, and that's one of the reasons why you attend such events and can casually inform yourself about the leftist scene. Well, one thing I can confidently say is that the way the leftists celebrate and present themselves here is miles better than in Germany. They are more open and don't have this tendency to check if you're a fascist or not, even though you've been in the scene for over 20 years. There's no searching here, and that's very pleasant! The closed-mindedness of the left in Germany has always annoyed me, and I believe I've finally found a nice spot here where you are still seen as a normal person. No envy or bickering, where you don't want to share the butter on the bread with others. That makes the scene here much more enjoyable!!!
It was a lovely weekend at the venue!!
Thank you or Takk skal du har!