Eurosonic 2013: Deep Fried In Groningen

Auntie Ella keeps a kindly lookout over De Spieghel

The things we do for England (and Finland)… Yes, we’re in the charming but a little rainy Dutch city of Groningen for the 2013 Eurosonic festival, even though the powers that be did their best to keep us away by cancelling our train from Amsterdam. Still, there’s nothing like a travel crisis to keep you on your toes.

There’ll be a full review in the days following the end of the festival, but in the meanwhile, feast your eyes on a select crop of jealousy-inducing pictures from Day 1.

First, the European Border Breakers Awards (EBBAs), where we get to see previous winners Alphabeat…

…and tiny Katie Melua. And yes, this is the closest (thing) to Katie we have ever been.

2013 EBBA winners French Films fling their finest Twee-sus & Mary Chain shapes all over the shop

Icelandic twins Pascal Pinon charm several socks off, complete with unashamed Walkman backing track

Day 1, and already some festival-goers are finding it all a little too much…

…meanwhile, the streets are so full of cyclists it’s a regular gamble-with-our-lives to switch venues on foot

Bastille‘s first show quickly becomes a one-in, one-out affair, although we can’t quite discern why

There’s no fighting to the front for Finnish space-bluesmakers Death Hawks…

…no such issues for their Krautrock-pummelling compatriots Siinai, who mesmerise a bafflingly emptying space

Phantom twist Bon Iver’s ‘Skinny Love’ into doomy electro-flecked new shapes

If you haven’t eaten at least one deep-fried breadcrumb-covered item by midnight you turn into a cheeseburger

Words by Charlie Ivens, photographs by Sebastien Dehesdin