Hovedøen Social Club. Photo: Bård Henrik Mathisen
MAIN ISLAND SOCIAL CLUB
City Hall Square, Main Stage
August 14-16
TBA
– Norwegian pop singers in a polyrhythmic costume
For almost 20 years, Hovedøen Social Club has merged rhythms from Havana with older Norwegian pop gems, and the result has been surprising and danceable Cuban versions of Norwegian hits that have contributed to both twitching dance feet and extra smile wrinkles.
This somewhat unlikely musical fusion saw the light of day on Melafestivalen in 2007, but it was not until the album "¡Que viva Noruega!" that Hovedøen Social Club really broke through in the summer of 2008. The concert "Classics a la Cuba" in collaboration with KORK, was a great success in Latin America and is regularly played on Cuban TV, where bandleader Sverre Indris Joner enjoys cult status among fellow musicians. The music has also been performed to great acclaim with the Cuban Opera Orchestra, a recording that even won the Cuban Spellemannprisen CubaDisco 2025.
The main island Social CLub definitely doesn't play salsa, and the light-footed fusion is the result of high precision, great style knowledge and countless references to Caribbean music history. So just put on your dancing shoes to experience this gang on the stage where the salsa adventure began.
On stage:
Sverre Indris Joner – piano, band leader
Sergio Gonzalez – vocals
"Tony" Moreaux – timbales
Eduardo Cedeño – bongo
Ruben Pirela – congas
Ole Marius Melhuus – bass
Erik Eilertsen – trumpet
Even Skatrud – trombone
Håvard Fossum – baritone saxophone
