Dark Season Blues in Longyearbyen on Svalbard: Photos, Video

Wednesday night started this year’s Dark Season Blues in Longyearbyen on Svalbard. The spirits of Espen Helgesen, Gry Sneltvedt (pictured) and the other five members of the board of Longyearbyen Bluesklubb have organized a festival with a total of more than 30 individual concerts on big and small stages around Longyearbyen. (Photo: Hans Andenæs).

This year’s blues party in the polar bear realm is underway
Espen Helgesen and Gry Sneltvedt.

The board of Longyearbyen Bluesklubb has spent a long year of preparation, and this week may for the seventeenth time welcome guests from far and near. Several of the artists were already in place on Wednesday, and then of course it was late evening jam at the bar with the sounding name “Svalbar”. And cool it is – almost 10 minus and with a lovely thin and chalky white cover of dry snow all over the city and the majestic terrain all around.

Mr. Notodden Blues, Jostein Forsberg, hosted the jam where the first out was Brazilian Igor Prado & Just Groove. This is a very good band with their own style, and when they brought Earl Thomas on vocals it really took off at the cool bar. Suddenly Earl climbed over the gear boxes that were stored next to the stage and began singing duets with a lady among the audience. It sounded incredibly good. It turned out to be Danielle Nicole! Not long after, the former Trampled Under Foot singer had picked up her bass, brought along Monster Mike Welch and several others. Together they created a euphoric mood.

Over an hour later, Danielle was still competing on the bass while Dave Fields played piano, Jostein Forsberg played harmonica and Jan Tore Lauritsen with several songs. It all was a fantastic start to this year’s festival.

When we walk out into the dark blue Svalbard night and are greeted by a fantastic northern light over the mountains, suddenly comes a majestic reindeer antelope walking along the main road below the center. He pauses for a moment, wondering what is going on up there at the bar, before lounging quietly on.

This promises well for this year’s Dark Season Blues on Svalbard. New of the year is that they will also have a concert in Ny Ålesund. JT Lauritsen & friends are playing in Kings Bay.