Jamie Lidell, Thom Hell, El Cuero, and Tommy Tokyo

Four new names have now been added to the Øya bill. Soul pop genius Jamie Lidell will be coming to the Medieval Park in August. In addition, gifted Norwegian song smiths El Cuero, Thom Hell, and Tommy Tokyo & Starving For My Gravy.

5 DAYS, 5 RELEASES, 5 BANDS!
Next week we’ll be releasing another five artists, one every day from Monday to Friday. These are new, thrilling acts that we have recently discovered, and that we want people to take the time to read about here on our web pages. They may all – and each in their own way – come to provide us with musical surprises. Several of these acts we saw for the first time during SXSW in Texas just before Easter.

JAMIE LIDELL (UK)
Jamie Lidell is the latest addition to the more dance-oriented segment of this year’s Øya bill. Fans of wicked-to-the-bone electronica, synthetic soul, and unconventional pop music should already be familiar with this name – though with an emphasis on ‘should’. For those of you who are not yet familiar with Lidell, however, there is no reason to despair, as you will be presented with a golden opportunity to become so at this year’s Øya Festival. His first release came out towards the end of the 90s under the name Super_Collider, a cooperation between Lidell and the Chilean techno innovator Cristian Vogel.
Lidell is now coming to the Medieval Park. His live performances center around his voice, but a lot goes on around it. Lidell uses modern computer technology and old analog equipment to construct his sound. He live-samples and manipulates fragments, which are then looped, and on top of that, he sings and beatboxes. He is unable to remain still, and the same normally goes for the audience. Reviewers have resorted to words like amazing, horizon-expanding, chaotic, ingenious, and outstanding when referring to his live-extravaganza – and it’s all correct.
His album debut as a solo act came out in 2000, entitled ‘Muddlin Gear’. The album was well received, but was just a notch too particular and inaccessible to catch on outside the hard Warp core. That feat, however, he accomplished with the follow-up, the crossover-success ‘Multiply’ (2005). This mix of classic Motown and a futuristic production gained a large audience also within the pop genre. His third album, ‘Jim’, is soon due for release, and is even tighter and more focused than its predecessor, and – rather surprisingly – quite devoid of electronic elements. Lidell might be a pale and skinny Brit, but he sings like he were the son of Marvin Gaye, Sly Stone, Stevie Wonder, and Prince combined. Hallelujah!

Jamie Lidell on MySpace

THOM HELL (N)
On Monday April 7, pop lover Thom Hell will release his third album, and in that connection, we’re happy to report that he’ll be playing at the Øya Festival in August. The album has been given the title ‘God If I Saw Her Now’, and is considered a real jewel among those who’ve had a pre-listen. Thom Hell, or Thomas Helland, which is his real name, is one of Norway’s most solid songwriters when it comes to timeless pop. According to him, the new album moves throughout the same soundscape as Paul McCartney, Beach Boys, and early Pink Floyd.
In addition to his solo career, he has played in the band Twinklehead, as well as contributed on releases with i.a. Minor Majority, Marit Larsen, Syntax-e, and Washington. The last time Thom Hell played in the Medieval Park was in 2004, after his lovely debut EP, ‘Tremendous Sinner’. We really look forward to seeing him perform in the Medieval Park again!

Thom Hell on MySpace

EL CUERO (N)
El Cuero was formed about three years ago, and they’ve spent this time well, impressing audiences at venues large and small across the nation. Their self-entitled debut album came out last year, on their own label Gravel Road Music. On the album you’ll find strong material, respect for the history of rock, and layers upon layers of nerve. El Cuero extracts a warm and lovely sound from a musical tradition that has been alive and well since the heyday of Neil Young and Gram Parsons. In other words, the band’s sound is rooted in quality 70s rock and Americana. This is music that’ll bring out the smell of new-mown grass and bottles of cold beer that have just been opened. El Cuero has become an experienced live act, and the guys have performed at Øya before, both on Club Night and as Bare Egil’s backing band last year. They’ve now recorded their second album, which will be in stores this fall. Maybe you’ll get to hear a few samples from it when they strap on their guitars in the Medieval Park in August. El Cuero will be serving amazing and timeless festival rock that’ll fit in perfectly with sunshine, cold beverages, and a happy festival audience.

El Cuero on MySpace

TOMMY TOKYO & STARVING FOR MY GRAVY (N)
Tommy Tokyo is not a Japanese art school rocker, but a sturdy songwriter from the Norwegian city of Fredrikstad. He and the band move throughout a wide soundscape between indie rock and Americana. Tommy began playing guitar well into adulthood and started his career with a few EP releases with the band Piggyback and on his own. Last year’s solo album ‘Octopusdrunk And The Arms To Prove It’ was released on the small Osito Records and was met with praise all across the nation. In 2007, Tommy played at Skaugum – the nice, little backyard of Palace Grill – on Club Night. This year, he’ll be bringing his crew and material to the Medieval Park. Tommy Tokyo and the musicians in Starving For My Gravy have just signed with major label Warner, and many of us are excited to see what this band might come up with when working with budgets that are a little bit bigger than they’ve been accustomed to so far. A new album is planned for release this fall. Some of Tommy’s associates have previously been in great Fredrikstad acts like Ricochets and Peru You. In an attempt to describe his hometown, Tommy came up with the following lines: “It’s nothing like Eden, and it’s not far from Sweden, down here we are in love with our cars”. At Øya you’ll get a chance to peek into Tommy’s musical backyard.

Tommy Tokyo & Starving For My Gravy on MySpace