Hanne Hukkelberg & Ravens & Chimes played Mercury Lounge in NYC (pics) --- by:Larm kicks off Thursday in Norway

by Dominick Mastrangelo

One night after opening for The Watson Twins in Brooklyn, Norway's Hanne Hukkelberg headlined her own show (an early one) at the Mercury Lounge on Saturday (2/13). Hukkelberg's set consisted mostly of songs from last year's full-length, Blood From A Stone. Saturday's show - which was full but not sold out - was the second night of a short, four-show, two-city tour that wraps tonight (2/15) in Boston. Then it's back to Norway for the by:Larm Festival later this week.

Norway's ruling party celebrated its election victory in a rock venue; more than 20% of the population attends a music festival every year; and it's not unusual to find gigs taking place in a mausoleum. Oslo is the music-mad capital of this music-mad nation, and the city's modest population of 550,000 sustains numerous venues, outstanding record shops and countless festivals.

Annual events cater for a wide range of tastes including metal, jazz, folk, world and electronica, while the Øya rock festival puts most larger UK equivalents to shame when it comes to bands, organisation and environmental credentials. And while showcase industry events Folkelarm and by:Larm attract music business figures from around the world to check out the talent, Norway's social democratic principles ensure that the gigs are also open to the public. [Guardian]