The first day of the Øya Festival 2009 had a little bit of something for everyone – also weatherwise.

Jaga Jazzist had the honor of opening the whole she-bang, and this isn’t the first this many-headed ensemble from Tønsberg has visited the Øya Festival. The band first performed at Øya back in 1999, and then in 2006, so the gig yesterday was both a ten-year anniversary and a “third time’s the charm” performance – in one. Many old fans turned up to see the band, which, among other things, will be spending their concert fee on the release of a new album this fall.

A little later, after the tender and beautiful performance of Bon Iver, Kåre & The Cavemen entered the Enga stage. This concert was not just a reunion, but also an opportunity to bid a final farewell to this Norwegian instrumental band. It did get a little sentimental, but mostly it was just fun – and not least a dazzling display of how to play instrumental rock. Kåre and his companions have received a lot of mention in the press prior to the gig, and today Norwegian newspapers are brimming with great reviews.

Vampire Weekend were lucky enough to play when the Medieval Park was at its hottest yesterday. The band enjoyed the sunshine, and so did the audience at the Seaside stage, who not only got to hear well-known hits from last year’s excellent debut album, but also very promising pre-tastes from the upcoming release.
- This is the best gig we’ve played in a long time, said singer and front man Ezra Koenig to the cheering crowd.

During The Bronx the rain started pouring down by the bucket load, but the band still delivered a pedal-to-the-metal and highly interactive gig, both on stage and among the crowd. Many think that their performance was one of yesterday’s biggest highlights. When Band of Horses started their show an hour later, the raging rainstorm had more or less passed and left a beautiful rainbow across the Oslo skyline—and for once, the rainbow actually had seven distinct colors; red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and violet were all visible in the sky. Rise Against delivered a strong hit parade that seemed to please both young and old punks and rockers. Like The Bronx, Municipal Waste and a few others, as well, stated that they were really happy to finally play in Oslo. Down at the Odden stage, Monotonix were no less happy, playing the entire gig out among the crowd. It was a lot of fun for those who stood close enough to see the band through the entire gig.

The prime memorable moment of yesterday: Municipal Waste trying to outdo Norwegian black metal at being evil, burning a small church made of cardboard – on stage!