Words by Luke Murphy
Every year in a tiny village at the end of a fjord, halfway up the country of Norway, three to four-hundred indie-pop aficionados and Sunnmøre locals gather for what is possibly the best festival in the world.
On almost every scale it wouldn’t rate particularly highly on any objective scoring for a festival. The lineup is likely made up of bands you have never heard of from across Europe, and occasionally, the world. There’s no big main stage with amazing sound, instead the attendees cram into a community hall about a 20 minute walk from the centre of the village up a steep hill. If you want a beer, and haven’t stopped off in the supermarket before coming to the festival site, you’ll have to sit on a boat, which only has music for 2 hours across the whole festival. And your accommodation options are port-a-cabin-style hostel (not cheap), or limited camping at the old village school. Oh, and it’s about a four-hour drive from the nearest ‘major’ airport.
However, all of these things, weirdly, add to the charm of Indiefjord rather than detract.
I’ve been attending Indiefjord (and DJing the Saturday night as part of the duo Early Doors Disco) since 2016, and the amount of amazing musical acts it’s introduced me to is unrivalled for any other festival I’ve been to. From the lush dream pop of Feivel, Agent Blå, and Jouska, to the indie-punk greatness of The Tuts, Trust Fund, PAWS, or TeenCanteen, to the folkier side with Lowpines, The Little Hands of Asphalt, Egil Olsen, Simen Mitlid or Benedikt, to the pure twee of bands like Red Shoe Diaries, Sassyhiya, Pink Opaque, Mark Mononne, Tugboat Captain or The Natvral. I’m probably forgetting loads here already, but the point is that every year I walk away with a new favourite (although nobody will ever top the batshit industrial Artpop of Tryst Pike). Also, there have been a handful of moments where I’ve got to see some of my favourites grace the stage of a small community hall, including The Burning Hell, Darren Hanlon, Elva (the Making Marks and Allo Darlin side project), Randolph’s Leap, and Kid Canaveral, which have been truly magical.
Indiefjord started back in 2014 by Silja Haddal-Mork, who used to be part of the DJ and promoter collective, Librarians Wanted, when she moved to London from Norway. Missing the music scene of London after moving back to her home country, and inspired by festivals like Indietracks (RIP), she thought it might be fun to invite some indie-pop bands over to her family’s tiny 100-person village, nestled between mountains at the end of Hjorundfjord. Two things happened - every year since 2016 the festival has all-but sold out, with a mixture of local folks from around the region who have no idea what music is playing, as well as indie-pop fans who travel from places including Italy, Germany, the UK, the US and New Zealand to experience it. Secondly, her entire family (and a lot of the village) all fully embraced the festival, jumping on board to help by opening pop-up coffee shops, stalls, manning the sound desk, opening their homes and businesses to bands, driving people around and whatever else needed doing. The long-standing team of volunteers who make Indiefjord happen pour so much love, care, and positivity into the festival to keep it running.
And then there’s the location… To say that Bjørke is stunning is the understatement of a lifetime. Nestled at the end of Hjorundfjorden and surrounded by the Sunnmørealpene mountains, this quaint little village is the epitome of stunning. It’s possibly one of the quietest places I’ve been to, with the only noise coming from fish jumping out of the water and the streams and rivers coming down from the mountains. Each location at Indiefjord brings its own charm, as well. Haukly, the aforementioned community hall that sits up a hill, is a cute little community hall nestled in a little tree-filled enclave. Go out the back though, and you have a beautiful view out over the fjord. Polestar, the boat that most folks who fly into the festival will travel to the festival on, and doubles up as one of the accommodation options, as well as the bar, is an old Polar explorer ship, and is docked at the quiet pier in the middle of the village for the whole festival. Notanaustet, the site of the Saturday acoustic sets, is a boathouse that has been standing on the site for hundreds (possibly close to a thousand?) years. It’s a wooden shell that backs directly onto the fjords, and provides the perfect backdrop. Bakketunet, the site of the Sunday acoustic sets, is a 20 minute hike up behind Bjørke, is a 16th century farm with art installations, historic exhibitions, tea, cake and pizza, with acts performing on a pergola at the edge of a hill, with the whole of Bjørke laid out behind them. And then there’s Bjørke Church, a 17th century wooden church that hosts the Sunday morning concert, and gives Midsommar in the best possible way. There’s no part of the festival that isn’t stunning, and my heart aches every time I have to leave.
And then there’s the vibe of the entire festival. All those things I mentioned at the start actually end up being selling points. The BYOB nature mean that generally people get merry, but not shitfaced. And if you run out, there’s usually someone who can spot you a glug of whatever you need (steer clear of the Aquavit). The tinyness of the festival also means that you’re likely to hang out with A LOT of people, bands included. It means there’s a general attitude of ‘we’re all in this together in a beautiful environment, how great is life’. The locals are all lovely people, and there’s always something weird and wonderful going on, whether it’s Silja’s dad hosting a waterfall hike, an impromptu beer tasting session, the ‘indie pool’, featuring the coldest water you’ve ever been in direct from the mountains, impromptu acoustic concerts around the village, or the random food stalls that pop up all around the place.
I’m now completely biased, as I joined the official team as a booker for the music this year, but even if that wasn’t the case, I’d still be extolling the virtues of this little enclave of Scandi happiness. Please God, take me back to the fjords.
Indiefjord is happening in Bjørke, Norway on July 11-12, 2026. This year, Gaffa Tape Sandy, Soot Sprite, Marie Løvas, Muttering, Roller Derby, Lande Hekt and more are playing. More details at indiefjord.com.
