A few years ago, there was a lot of talk in Norway about a wave coming in from Bergen, a city amidst seven mountains in the west. That wave is currently pummeling the Øya festival with awesome power and might.

Previously mentioned Lars Vaular was the first installment, but yesterday was really the day when absolutely everything was about Bergen. Punks Fjorden Baby! Started off the show yesterday without managing to become very memorable. Then Ungdomskulen (junior high) took the stage and lied to the audience saying it was the guitarist’s birthday and otherwise presented themselves as pretty awesome, with stage garb that’s beyond what anyone else has worn so far (except for perhaps Florence and the Machine, who continued the trend started earlier this June when Madonna and Lady GaGa visited Oslo. Female popstars don’t wear pants). And finished off the concert with telling us to wear condoms and not drink and ride.

All of that out of the way, the day belonged completely to a perfect John Olav Nilsen. He’s the guy whose parents suggested he become a taxi driver since he after all was so talented, but then decided that it was either music or death and has since been pouring his heart, soul, mind and whatever else his small body may contain to process a life that has seen countless disappointments, including at one point being banned from every pub and club in his native Bergen.

He takes the stage with six other bandmates who had to learn playing instruments to form his band, but the learning process is now officially over. They are a tight band. And John Olav is the best frontman in the world right now.

-I just have to collect myself for a second, and then we’ll play you an awesome song, he said, and blessed us with their breakout song Diamanter og Kirsebær, a song about utterly fooling oneself into believing that the good times you are having are gonna last, which, in John Olav’s case, the never do. They only have songs from one album that has yet to be released, but for all intents and purposes, that was plenty today. And sorry, non-Norwegians, but John Olav sings in Norwegian. Still, I don’t think that should prevent anyone from appreciating the intense nerve and honesty of his music. John Olav Nilsen will save music and usher us into a new decade even more honest, sincere and heartfelt than we thought possible. Pictures will have to tell the rest of the tale, I’m off to see more concerts.

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