Eurosonic: Villagers Video Interview & Day Three Report

It was snowing in Groningen yesterday, but that didn’t slow down any of the action at Eurosonic Noorderslag 2013. Panel discussions during the day at De Oosterpoort conference centre included ‘Google’s View on Music and the Creative Industry’, ‘Cashless Payments at Festivals’, ‘The Value of International Cooperation of Venues’ and ‘Managing Your Sound Recording Performance Royalties Internationally’.

If none of those floated your boat, there was also a table football tournament.

Of course there was also music – and lots of it. As ever, from 7pm til late, there were more than 100 European acts playing at venues scattered around the city Buzz acts included Foxes (UK) at Simplon, Finland’s Huoratron (described as “the electro metal Mozart”) at Huize Maas, and Belfast indie band Girls Names at Huis De Beurs.

2fm’s Dan Hegarty was broadcasting from upstairs in Vera, while downstairs Norwegian popsters Highasakite blew the crowd away with a set mainly comprised of material from their debut album All That Floats Will Rain. Gradually building a name for themselves outside of their homeland, they’ve already converted Bon Iver to their cause. After a recent show he tweeted, “Holy shit, this was a crazy band. I loved it!”

Our interview with zither-playing frontwoman Ingrid Helene Havik will be on hotpress.com in the coming days.

Conor J. O’Brien and his fellow Villagers also rocked the house with their late night set at Stadsschouwburg. Earlier in the day they played an acoustic set at the Plato Sonic coffee shop downtown. Our man Olaf Tyaransen interviewed the young Dubliner after that show. Watch here as O’Brien reveals the truth behind those braces surrounding the title of their critically acclaimed sophomore album {Awayland}...