Our KOC Experience

We finally had our fill of Kings Of Convenience after weeks of holding on to our advanced tickets. As expected, Erlend Øye and Eirik Glambek Bøe performed with much enthusiasm as their calming voices and delicate tunes reverberated all over NBC Tent on a hot Holy Wednesday.

Erlend Øye said he always wanted to perform with a grand piano during gigs but always ends up using a keyboard instead.

The indie folk-pop duo from Norway are remarkably funny and witty onstage with an impulse for mild cockiness throwing sweet remarks and little jokes to occasional serious tones. “Some people get bored after our fifth song. But if you wanna talk, take it outside.” says Erlend in a coolly manner in the middle of their set. A notion to call the attention of people chattering while they were performing. I know there are people in the VIP list, if you’re a celebrity, shut up! he added. I let out a hard laugh.

There are times when artists may seem prickly or arrogant. Often that’s because they have such a strong sense of what is right. it is difficult for them to do something that opposes the integrity of their vision.

Eirik on the other hand brought a camera with him on stage and ocassionally took pictures of the crowd. It’s their first time in the Philippines and he wanted to show their promoters in Europe that KOC has a following in our country. He also mentioned about his son and the prospect of being asked what touring is all about, he asked Erlend to take a picture of him with his back facing a hands-up crowd. It was quite charming.

Jens Lekman (a Swedish pop musician) fronted for KOC. Too bad we missed his set. He resurfaced on stage , tambourine at hand, and joined the duo to jam and dance to the tune of  “I’d Rather Dance With You.” Enjoy the videos below.

Seldom do I encounter a chance to watch a foreign artist I truly like. This is one of those first and I immensely enjoyed it. The visual production may not be as spectacular as the audio experience of hearing my favorite Kings Of Convenience tunes amplified in a large venue. It was nevertheless a fantastic event with a sizable crowd scattered all over the place. A night to fell in love to. Kudos to Intercept! (Kate Torralba, Quark Henares & Joff Cruz) for bringing them in the Philippines!

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