Motorpsycho

Motorpsycho are Trondheim and Trondheim is Motorpsycho, at least in the band's genetic makeup and in the geography of the music.

The premises for this encounter are magnificent. An ancient Norwegian capital founded in 997 by the Viking king Olaf I on the Trondheimsfjord, at the mouth of the Nidelva river. A city of scientific universities, music schools and the northernmost Gothic cathedral in Europe. By the sea, battered by wind and rain. From Oslo you head towards the Arctic Circle, passing between lush green rocky mountains and skirting fjords.

This time the pilgrimage is for Motorpsycho, local heroes who have drawn people from every corner of the globe to their hometown for a special event: the complete live performance of "Blissard" (1996), one of their most beloved albums among fans and critics alike. The Facebook page created for the occasion announces Psychonauts arriving from Sweden, Denmark, the UK, Germany, the Netherlands, Italy, Spain and even Japan.

Hosting them is Pstereo Festival, a local community festival that since 2007 has carved out its place on the European summer music events circuit with an eclectic, high-quality lineup, boasting names such as Lemonheads, Mum, Primal Scream, Calexico, Gang of Four, Jaga Jazzist, Ulver, Roots, Santigold, Spiritualized and Grandaddy. The venue, which organizers fought for from the very start, is the wonderful Marinen, a park surrounded by the river at the foot of Nidaros Cathedral, overlooked by the city's old quarters.

The two-day 2013 edition, alongside Motorpsycho, features on its four stages XX, Savages, Goat, Graveyard and Monster Magnet. Joining the headliners on stage as special guests are Matt Burt and Ole Henrik "Ohm" Moe, the American poet and violinist who originally featured on the "Blissard" recordings. Also on stage with Motorpsycho, already a fixture since "Still Life With Eggplant", is Reine Fiske, guitarist of the Swedish psych-rock band Dungen.

Opening the second day is Woven Hand, the stage name of David Eugene Edwards, American gothic alt-country singer-songwriter - the mastermind behind 16Horsepower - who in 2012 released "The Laughing Stalk", produced by Alexander Hacke of Einstürzende Neubauten. Phox, Monster Magnet and Goat mark the rock-driven pace of the bill, rhythmically punctuated by English rapper Dizzee Rascal with a set played at high volume. The electrifying performance by Goat gives way, on its final chord, to the notes of "Nathan Daniel's Tune from Hawaii" coming from the speakers of the second stage, setting the scene for what would soon sweep away the Marinen crowd.

Announced on stage, Motorpsycho break the ice with "Mad Sun" from the "Nerve Tattoo" EP, a lovely little gem as the concert's opener. Just enough time to balance out the sound in the venue, and at the end of the track Saether simply announces "Blissard", launching into "Sinful, Wind-Burne", the album's blazing opening track.

After a customary "Drug Thing" to warm up the large Marinen crowd, a killer run follows: "Manmower", "Greener", "Sonic Teenage Guinever", "True Middle". The first two are intensely intimate, albeit in different tones - "Greener" especially, sung in unison by a crowd betraying real emotion, even during Ryan's Mascis-esque solo. "S.T.G." is superb, with Ohm on violin, as is "True Middle", recited by Burt, stretching out the show's time and drawing out the apparent simplicity of an album like "Blissard". Fiske is seamlessly woven into the band's sound, enriching every track with skillful guitar, piano and synth arrangements. As the show climbs toward (near) perfection, the pace picks up again with "S'Numbness". An unexpected "Like Always", from "Angels and Deamons at Play" (1997), also makes an appearance, hinting at which album the band will most likely revisit next.

The finale is absolutely wonderful: the two violinists are called up on stage for "The Nerve Tattoo" and a "Fool's Gold" rearranged with strings and guitars in perfect balance between rock and symphonic grandeur. A flawless version, endless and enveloping, one that all of us in the crowd would have gladly stayed inside forever alongside the band. In the heart of this quiet Northern city.

To soften the moment of farewell, Morten Fagervik comes on stage to carry off the drum kit piece by piece, just as the musicians, one by one, bid the crowd farewell and leave the stage to Kenneth Kapstad's drumming, and finally once more to the notes of "Nathan Daniel's Tune from Hawaii".

There's something emo about "Blissard", and live it comes through even more. An album that sounds like the era it came out of, while at the same time not aging a single day. Over all these years, Bent Saether and Hans Magnus "Snah" Ryan have accustomed us to hearing all sorts of things: long improvisations, live sessions even with other artists like Jaga Jazzist, songs and concept albums, blending rock, psychedelia, jazz, progressive and classical music. Revisiting their back catalogue today - in 2010 it was the turn of "Timothy's Monster" (1994) - with "Blissard" Motorpsycho recount their passion for Led Zeppelin, Who and Beatles, as well as for Sonic Youth and Dinosaur Jr. The fervour of Nineties music. A certain emotional quality inherent to that music. We're talking about one of the most significant rock bands of the last twenty years, in the happiest and most multifaceted sense of the term, with the remarkable skill and intelligence to fulfil any of their musical desires, on stage and in the studio alike.

With Motorpsycho, the lights go out at Marinen for this year. The music carries on in the city's clubs, organized by KlubbPstereo, Pstereo's nighttime offshoot. Still lingering in the air is the intensity, and the powerful feeling, of having witnessed a truly unique event.

Great lineup, great venue, great atmosphere. Pstereo proves to be a thoroughly enjoyable festival - drawing crowds of 7,000-8,000 people a day - in a fascinating city deep in the far North. All that's left is to wait for Motorpsycho's new album - they were due to enter the studio the day after the show - and to see them back on tour in Italy soon.

Ride the wave of great music

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