You know it is proper Summer in Denmark when you are wearing 5 layers of clothing including 2 x jackets where one of them is a snowboard jacket for Winter use, and you are freezing your ass off in 12 degrees “heat” standing on a windy grassy field – but you do it with a huge smile on your face because you are at Roskilde Festival and you are sharing a wonderful music experience with 70,000 people worshipping The Cure. True story, I was so tired and cold on the last night I wore every piece of clothing I had available. The weather gods could not quite make up their mind during this years festival. Sun, wind, rain, hot, cold, just lacked some hail and snow to complete the full weather bingo board.
The music programme at Roskilde is so varied you can have a hiphop, or a heavy metal, or whatever you like festival. Just pick your own trail through the programme. For my taste, electronic music, I thought the program to be slightly thin this year but the acts that did play were incredible. Jon Hopkins was magic again, and seeing Underworld live for the first time was mind-blowing. Spleen United are at least half electronic and it was so good to hear them again. Farveblind were an explosion of mad awesome energy and deserve a late night spot next time. I love Lydmor but couldn’t make it to her show because of scheduling conflicts with Underworld. I also had so much fun being on the Orange Stage with Danish reggae/dancehall band Bikstok.
Once again I had the honour and pleasure to make pictures for Roskilde Festival Marketing department alongside my friend Kim Matthäi Leland. I love that gig, and working with Kim, we make a good team. It was as wonderful as ever to work in the press center. These 4 days, working alongside friends who are the most kick ass music photographers and share the passion is just really magic. Some of these people I only see once a year, at Roskilde so it’s a special reunion.
When you love music, when you are totally addicted to music and to photographing music, then Roskilde is a smorgasbord. Frustrating, tough, mad, incredible, too much, not enough, insane, fantastic, mind blowing. A total music photography drug. There is nothing quite like it.
…and yeah I brought some extra cameras, but this post is about the love of music and music photography, the passion and obsession. Gear talk is for another day, another story. Instead, grab a drink, put on some loud music and scroll through my favourite pictures from #RF19.
Roskilde Festival 2019 Gallery

MØ was an explosion of energy as always and giving the photographers lots to work with. I never got in a position to make anything as good as I made in 2016 nor get a great angle on this shot. Love the hair though.

MØ played in constant rain and still it was packed and people danced in the rain and it was quite a special feeling, the Orange stage going crazy in mad rain (and a cold feeling too, but worth it)

Jon Hopkins, my man crush numero uno, played the Avalon stage and it was insanely awesome. Totally brilliant Jon.

Jon Hopkins added two dancers with lightsabers since I last saw him in Copenhagen last year. His podium is so tall I am standing on my toes with the camera over my head to fit his head in the composition. Man crush!

Hans Philip solo. It was good but…I am a huge huge fan of Hælervarer and Neonlys albums from Ukendt Kunstner, and I am not so much a fan of this softer rnb stuff.

Wu-Tang Clan are legends but were truly horrible. The Orange Stage looked great on this non-rainy Friday night though.

Underworld! UNDERWORLD!!!!! Another one of my highlights. Been a fan for 2 decades. Finally caught them live. Oh and lasers!!!!

The Arena tent is so huge it is mindboggling. Holds something like 17,000 people + probably 3-4000 people hanging around outside here at the Underworld concert. Looked totally mad.

Saturday I had the huge pleasure of following Bikstok onto the Orange Stage and it was such a blast, what a great concert.

The advantage of documenting a whole show with full access. You get to document these moments when Bikstok met the crowd up close!

One of the maddest and coolest things on the Orange stage this year – every single person swinging a t-shirt or jacket over their head. Looked incredible, like a mad twirling ocean of fabric.

Not that Robert Smith and The Cure are that exciting to photograph actually, it is more that I am a huge fan and it was such a pleasure to make some pictures up close. Oh and “Bad wolf”, someone is a Doctor Who fan.
Thank you Roskilde Festival 2019. I hope to see you for the 50 year anniversary next year!
THE END
…well except for…

Yours truly, tired but a happy music photographer! In the photopit at the Orange Stage on the last night with The Cure. Photo by Kim Matthäi Leland.
Now it is the end!
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2 Comments on “Roskilde Festival 2019: Pictures of You”
What’s interesting is that I don’t know a single one of those bands outside of The Cure but it looks like a blast. Except for the freezing rain. I would have cried and just given up. I even like seeing some “old people” in the crowd. Gives me hope.
The rain sucked. I threw a hissyfit and demanded a heated artist trailer with never ending supply of Lotaburgers and Inca Cola! Loads of old people at Roskilde, you would fit in amigo! Heck, Bob Dylan played and he is, what, 167 years old now!