Aside from IKEA, meatballs and H&M, one of Sweden’s most popular exports to the UK has been its musicians. ABBA’s Greatest Hits has become a British wedding staple, while Robyn’s electropop regularly climbs the UK charts and rock band The Cardigans have an album literally named after the ITV soap Emmerdale. So, you’d think more of us would be flocking to Sweden for its musical festivals, particularly with Glastonbury taking a break this year – and yet, few Brits have heard of Way Out West, Gothenburg’s annual three-day event.
Based in Sweden’s second-largest city, Way Out West attracts the same heady headliners as Primavera, We Love Green and its European rivals, but oozes Scandinavian charm thanks to the picturesque backdrop of the pond-filled Slottsskogen park and its efficiently compact array of stages. There’s nothing quite like bopping around to Lorde belting out “Green Light” as the sun descends on the Azalea stage, before spinning around 180 degrees for the Gorillaz’s closing set on Flamingo – which is directly opposite. The festival kicked off on Thursday afternoon with Lily Allen running through West End Girl, the Brit-nominated dissection of her marriage’s demise.
The London-born singer certainly lived up to the album’s name, shedding tears and hurling dildos in the theatrical staging of it. Way Out West may be one of the later stops on Allen’s festival tour, however hardcore fans could easily slip to the front through the blonde sea of polite, tall Swedes for a more intimate experience. There was less of a chance of getting to the barrier for Zara Larsson however, with Sweden’s pop princess drawing the biggest crowd of the weekend.
The “Lush Life” singer’s hour-long set proved that she’s the ultimate siren, hypnotising the hyped crowd with her mermaid aesthetic and infallible vocals while twerking to catchy track “Pretty Ugly”. Dance music pioneer Moby followed with a moving set, dedicating a rendition of “Go” to the late filmmaker David Lynch before playing a video message from chimpanzee expert Jane Goodall, who died last October aged 91, in which she called for more people to take up a plant-based diet and end animal cruelty. He couldn’t have picked a better audience for that message – Way Out West has been a completely vegetarian festival since 2012 for environmental reasons, while Gothenburg itself is one of the greenest cities in Europe.
It’s incredibly easy to get around the city on foot or via its electric trams and buses so while climate change is at the forefront of our minds thanks to the UK’s hottest summer on record, you can at least rave guilt-free (well, somewhat if you took a plane to get there). Friday’s line-up truly provided something for everyone, beginning with the chilled musical stylings of Jalen Ngonda before a wild set from rock outfit The Hives on the main stages. Geese were a particular highlight on the festival’s alternative stage Linnê with the American rising stars drawing throngs of rock lovers.
Shaggy-haired frontman Cameron Winter channelled both John Lennon and Liam Gallagher in circular glasses and a skintight Massive Attack top, as a head-banging audience wailed along to their breakout album Getting Killed. With the rest of the acts tightly packed into the evening’s schedule, those bouncing between them were in for emotional whiplash – with both Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds and The Cure playing mellow two-hour sets, while DJ Four Tet and electronic band Fcuckers delivered high-energy performances on the dance and alternative stages. Enjoy unlimited access to 100 million ad-free songs and podcasts with Amazon Music Sign up now for a 30-day free trial.
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