Pumpegris, H:e:B and The Handover to Oslo World!
Experience the phenomenon Pumpegris at Parkteatret, and the smashing live acts H:e:B and The Handover at Kafe Hærverk.
Pumpegris - Parkteatret - October 31st
Heroes by night and by day, Pumpegris has in a short time become one of the big crossover favorites in the much-discussed, and very real, new wave of Norwegian folk music. It is quite understandable: The band plays music for evenings that never end. With strong material, infectious folk melodies and honest lyrics where vocalist Vera Sonne draws on everything from traditional Norwegian kveding to rap – in other words, whatever works at any given time, and captures the dancing drive inherent in folk music. Pumpegris also draws inspiration from funk, shoegaze, folk pop and hip hop.
Earlier this year, the debut album Fritids was released, produced by the influential musician and scene maker Tuva Syvertsen. It received rave reviews. Fritids is perhaps first and foremost a portrait of what it means to be a young person in 2025, intertwined with the long lines of cultural heritage. Counterculture meets nightlife, melodies meet rhymes, fuzz guitar meets old hymns. Pumpegris contains great contrasts, the lyrics are vulnerable and humorous, the music contains scents of both the stable and the big city. This year Oslo World is proud to present a band that has established itself as one of the great live favorites on the Norwegian music scene – and who are headed to even greater heights.
H:E:B - Kafé Hærverk - November 1st
A cool, playful wind blows through the music of the Bergen based band H:e:B. They draw on Moroccan musical traditions, and will also appeal to fans of adventurous prog rock, jazz and offbeat electronica. The bass lines are pulsating, Simen Walle's guitar playing is exploratory and distinct – and Hassan El Bouzidi's vocals tie it all together with strong melodic hooks and storytelling. Here and there, accordions, drum machines and electronic textures crash the party – the result is curious, intuitive, with an irresistible outsider appeal.
During Vill Vill Vest in 2024, Bergens Tidende's reviewer wrote that “H:e:B is perhaps the best and most unique prog rock band I have ever heard and seen live”, while the album Demi-volee (part 1) was mentioned as one of the best albums released in 2024 when NRK P2 summarized the year in music. And why not? H:e:B represents some of the most effortless genre mixing found in Norwegian music at the moment. Their concerts are energetic, hypnotic, and refreshing. In 2025, H:e:B is the sound of a band that knows who they are, while constantly finding new paths through the boundless musical landscape.
The Handover - Kafé Hærverk - 30. oktober
Et band som fyller ekstatiske dansegulv uten noen form for perkusjon eller trommer, det være seg akustiske eller elektriske, er ikke hverdagskost. Men det er akkurat det The Handover gjør. Den kritikerroste trioen spiller hypnotisk, transefremkallende musikk, inspirert av rituelle rytmer fra den egyptiske landsbygda. De kombinerer raffinert klassisk arabisk musikk med Egypts rurale shaabi-musikk, krydret med en god dose psykedelisk improvisasjon, kraut-riff og eksperimentelle lydlandskaper. Debutalbumet deres, The Handover, ble gitt ut av det amerikanske kultselskapet Sublime Frequencies og fikk strålende anmeldelser i publikasjoner som Songlines Magazine og The Wire. Og på konserter finnes det rett og slett ingen som er akkurat som dem.
