Concert pushes the party to a climax (Fairy Tale/Photo)
I now live in a small town in southern Sweden with a population of about 10,000.
Compared with the metropolises of Beijing, Tokyo, and London, which have a population of tens of millions, life in small towns is too simple. Shops here close at 6 p.m., and the streets are already empty on neon nights when they should be blooming in neon lights; and there are options that can be counted on five fingers: four supermarkets, five restaurants, a cinema, a swimming pool — a configuration that is perfectly sufficient for the elderly, who make up more than half of the population, and the other half of the residents, especially those between the ages of 15 and 25, whose exuberant restlessness can only be unleashed outside the town.
From the town where I live, it's a half-hour drive to another town with a population of only a pitiful 155. There are several houses, large expanses of off-the-beaten-track forests, and a large wooden bungalow in the color of coffee. In the dim winter light, the large bungalow looks more like a warehouse, exuding a do-not-disturb lonely atmosphere.
Path to B.H. (Fairy Tale/Photo)
But it is in this ordinary house deep in the forest that six concerts are held every year from September to April, and from the 1930s onwards, it has contracted all the indulgences of all the young people of the town within a 100-kilometer radius. The place, called Balders Hage (B.H.), is draped in many slashes and provides a meeting place for companies and private individuals, as well as a place for young people to party. To borrow the vocabulary of the big city, B.H. is a comprehensive entertainment venue that integrates banquet halls, bars and discotheques.
B.H. has been in business for many years and has a good reputation, so concerts can always invite singers who are quite famous in Northern Europe. It is said that the famous American band The Machine has also visited. The singer who came to the show is from the southern Norwegian city, the stage name is Ringnes-Ronny, who is also an internet celebrity and has more than 30,000 followers on Instagram. In addition to singing, his biggest feature is that he must appear in a mask. He said that wearing masks is to protect privacy, and even if you show your true face on weekdays, you can enter and exit public places like ordinary people. However, he is very tall, and with a long curly blond hair, he is easily recognizable when not wearing a mask.
Young Norwegian singer single-handedly hosting a concert (Fairy Tale/Photo)
The Norwegian big boy's musical style is country party music, mixed with electronic music elements and a bit of traditional Norwegian music. He says his creations are inspired by a Norwegian high school graduation tradition, where seniors start in April for a full month of partying, with vans and buses rented as different themed party venues, carrying buzzing music around. Six years ago, he decided to push the songs he created to these high school students to a party and upload Spotify. In less than three years, his music has reached the top 30 of the Norwegian local charts.
But even if there is popularity, the performance has to be self-indulgent. He rented a bus and driver and drove six hours from the Norwegian capital Oslo to the town. It is possible to sleep on the bus, but there is no toilet, and the road can only be stopped on the side of the road to solve. His DJ and stage manager are good friends he grew up with, and like him are around 26-year-old lads, they deal with the venue staff and are not timid at all.
Young people waiting to enter the venue (Fairy Tale/Photo)
The singer was still preparing backstage, and the young people off the field couldn't wait to get in. Most Swedish bars have age restrictions, with at least 18 years of age allowed to enter. B.H. is a rare place where teenagers as young as 15 years old are allowed to come to the wilderness, and the ground floor is reserved for these little adults who still have childish faces. The basement floor belongs to young adults who can buy alcoholic beverages here. Alcohol is strictly monitored in Sweden, and if alcohol is found to be sold to minors, the relevant authorities will have their business license revoked. Therefore, the two passages leading to the first floor of the lower floor are guarded by police and staff, and the people and documents are checked one by one before they are allowed to pass.
Young people at a party (Fairy Tale/Photo)
Venues usually open at 9 p.m., and young people release hormones they've been saving up for a long time with the music. At 12 o'clock was the climax of the night, and the singer was about to play. Young people had long been crowded in the first floor of the ballroom, and as soon as Ringnes-Ronny appeared, the dance hall suddenly became hilarious, and everyone raised their hands and danced and sang to the sound.
After the performance, many young people stayed behind to continue dancing. I saw that many people were already unsteady in their tracks, and I witnessed several small-scale brawls, but the overall order was still very orderly. In order to prevent young people from taking drugs, a large number of police and security guards have been arranged inside and outside the venue, and if drug addicts are found, they will be immediately evicted. Listen to the staff here, only in this way can we ensure the long-term operation of the venue.
Staff at the entrance of the first basement floor (Fairy Tale/Photo)
At 1:30 a.m., the staff began to clear the scene. The Norwegian singer and his team came in to pack up the sound props, and they slept on the bus at night and drove back to Norway the next day.
I left Balders Hage with a tired body. As soon as the sun comes out the next day, it will once again be hidden deep in the deserted forest. The hustle and bustle that happened at midnight, like a dream, remained in the night forever.
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