KAIZERS ORCHESTRA (N)
GRAND ISLAND (N)

Kaizers Orchestra hasn’t played at the Øya Festival since their debut album made them a Norwegian household name. We felt that it was time that the boys – who’ve currently sold about 30.000 copies of their fourth album, ‘Maskineri’ – paid us another visit. Kaizers Orchestra will perform on our biggest stage on Wednesday Aug. 6, the same day as Nick Cave and his Grinderman, Iron & Wine, José Gonzales, Girl Talk, and The Mae Shi are due to play the Medieval Park. In addition, Grand Island has been confirmed, out now with the amazing second album ‘Boys & Brutes’.

KAIZERS ORCHESTRA (N)
On Wednesday Aug. 6, Kaizers Orchestra will be returning to the Medieval Park. The last time they played at Øya was back in 2002, shortly after their big breakthrough with their debut album ‘Ompa Til Du Dør’. At the time we booked them, only a couple of thousand people had heard of them. Now, their fourth album, ‘Maskineri’, has sold in about 30.000 copies and climbed high on the album charts since its release in February. It actually went straight to number one and got strong reviews from media all across the nation. The songs “9mm” and “Enden av november” currently get a lot of airtime on Norwegian radio. The next single is “Den andre er meg”, on which you can hear front man Janove sing a duet with Ragnhild Winterstø Røthing, who is married to guitarist Terje.

Over the past few years, the guys in Kaizers have played a lot of gigs both at home and abroad, but have still found the time for side projects like Skambankt, Zahl, Cloroform, and Janove’s solo career. Requests for Kaizers have been popping up regularly in our web forum, and now a lot of fans will have their wish granted. The band’s unique mix of powerful rock, cabaret punk, and electrifying live performances has made them indisputable live faves across the nation. They mix modern rock with Eastern European madness and an untraditional approach to popular music. They’ve been compared to artists like Tom Waits and Nick Cave, but above all, Kaizers are an amazing rock’n’roll orchestra that puts the pedal to the metal every time they enter a stage. What old faves and new highlights you’ll get to hear at the Øya Festival we surely can’t tell, but we can guarantee a live show your not likely to forget for a very long time.

Kaizers Orchestra on MySpace

GRAND ISLAND (N)
Grand Island is without a doubt a great and thrilling act, both live and on albums. Their second album, ‘Boys & Brutes’, recently came out and was met with praise from reviewers for its variation and catchy songs. On their MySpace page, the band characterizes their own music as Southern indie, and few terms could be more fitting. With the banjo of country rock, the power of hard rock, the playfulness of indie, the respect for tradition of Southern music, and the catchyness of the pop genre, they’ve come up with a sound that’s completely their own. Grand Island can be both easy-going, progressive, hard, and fast without losing focus or grip on the songs. They’re truly at home on stage and always deliver, regardless of whether it’s a cramped basement or a large outdoor stage. Grand Island played our smallest stage prior to the release of their debut album ‘Say No to Sin’ back in 2006. Since then, they’ve gained a lot of live experience from several tours in Europe, a visit to the US, and not least several gigs back here in Norway. The guys in Grand Island claim that their new album is well suited for both crying, dancing, and fighting. At Øya, it will probably become apparent that it is even better suited for partying and putting big ol’ smiles on people’s faces.

Grand Island on MySpace