Some might expect the music of John Olav Nilsen & Gjengen to be unaccessible, because the band sings in Norwegian. Yet somehow, the genre they themselves have dubbed “streetpop” was easily translated in the band's live performance. John Olav Nilsen got up on stage in tight black pants and a yellow tank top, a white hankie sticking out of his back pocket. He was stumbling on stage, leaning on a crutch on one arm and holding a bottle with the other. Later, it turned out that the crutch was a necessity after the lead singer broke his leg a short while ago. Yet for those who didn't know this, it could easily have appeared as a stage theatric.

“To the brave young men in the front”
The crowd was mixed and thinned out as the concert proceeded. Even still, one could see that the band had made an impact. Up in front, some fans were nodding to the beat while smiling broadly. The band was also met by enthusiastic cheering after each song. After a while, three young members of the audience got up and started dancing. When the first song accompanied by the dancing men finished, John Olav gave his thanks “to the brave young men in the front.” And it truly takes courage to get up and dance. Especially in Store Sal, which is a seated venue.

Diverse band members
The seven band members were what could be described as a good representation of young Norwegian urbanites: varied. They all had their own stage personalities and their own looks. In the middle, there was the energetic John Olav, while on the flanks, Alastair Guilfoyle on synthesizer and Daniel Maranon on percussion were dancing.

The band’s expectations for SPOT
Asking John Olav what expectations he had when arriving at the SPOT Festival, he said he had none.
- If ten people see us live and like us, we are happy. Now if those people bring ten others the next time we play, that’s even better. We’re just happy to be here, he said.

It is interesting to see the progress of the band. The band is successful in Norway, having great sales for their record “For Sant til å Være Godt” ("Too True to Be Good") and winning the prestigious Norwegian award Spellemannsprisen for best rock debut album, but it still remains to be seen how the Danish audience will greet the Norwegian streetpop band in the future.  The band will also play at Roskilde Festival this summer.