We’re loving
Bigbang live
After more than 20
years, Bigbang still put
on a great show, as they
showed at Norwegian’s
10
th anniversary party
last year. Norway’s best
live band are back on 20
April at Oslo Spektrum,
which also hosts Lana
Del Rey and Mumford &
Sons this month.
Bigbang.no
Swimming at
the Yrjönkatu
Swimming Hall,
Helsinki
The sauna, steam and
swim at this city centre
pool is relaxing enough,
but the stunning Art
Deco building from
1928
makes it a must.
Single-sex only on
different days. Swim suits
optional.
Hel.fi
Ikea Hotels
Whether you like your
beds classy (Folldal) or
cheap (Malm), the idea
of Ikea hotels makes
perfect sense – 50 mid-
range Ikea hotels are in
the pipeline, in collabo-
ration with Marriott, with
the first one lined up for
Milan next year.
“
Why does it always rain in Ålesund?” asked our taxi driver, on his
fourth joke of the 15-minute ride to the airport (there’d been something
about kilts and Vikings, and why Norway has better-looking girls than
Scotland, though the details are hazy). “Because God loves it so much that
he’s always cleaning it.”
After just enough polite faux-laughter at this, I decided that his joke had
a point where bad weather and divine beauty is concerned. Even though
the barman at the Brosundet Hotel told me there were only ten nice days in
Ålesund last summer, it must be one of the most beautiful towns I’ve ever
seen, even on a grey windy day in late February. The big, unpredictable skies;
the old wooden fishing sheds perched over the fjords; the ski-able mountains;
the way the whole town’s basically one big harbour. And that’s not even men-
tioning the fishing – you’ll find that on page 50.
Toby Skinner, Editor
n
oted
Enthused
Amused
Bemused
Confused
Reactions
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Experimental music
Arve Henriksen
Sound like a woman singing
high notes over a Japanese
flute? It's actually a su-
premely talented Norwe-
gian man and a trumpet.
Arvehenriksen.no
Dinos Chapman
The controversial British
artist’s new album of omi-
nous electronica is named
Luftbobler
,
the Norwegian
word for Aero bubbles (?)
dinoschapman.com
Night Tripper
This dusk walk/concert/
ritual in the woods from
Oslo trio Fiksdal/Lang-
gård/Becker is certifiably
weird – but compelling.
Ingrifiksdal.com
Lasse Marhaug
Norway’s most prolific
noise musician releases
28-
minute songs with
what sound like foghorns
and untuned televisions.
lassemarhaug.no
The view of Ålesund from
Fjellstua, which is yours if
you climb 418 steps
GET T Y, TOM ROBINSON
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