FOG at Samfunnet

It was the time for trønder party and the atmosphere in the Bodega felt good. The chief of marketing suddenly stood up and proclaimed with great joy “There is a concert in Festsalen in 5 minutes!!”. Everyone in the Bodega now understood that they had to head upstairs.

Journalist: Simen Walbækken Tangen and Tord Kristian F. Andersen

Photographer: Simen Walbækken Tangen and Sander Huslende Alfredsen

Simen’s Recollections

FOG came on stage and the audience met them with cheerful applause. A group from Trondheim (who the band has known since they started) met at first row and danced against the fence. The air was filled with smoke, and it smelled of sodd after the sales in Rosehagen. Closest to the stage there was party dancing, of modern type, while further back in festsalen Swing was the preferred form of dancing. FOG mostly played music from their new album, to be released in December, but at the end they performed one of their old hits.

It was at this moment the editors came up with the idea that Tuntreet should interview FOG (or was it Fruits and Greens?). With a good mood and a camera, he gathered another editor and got to it:

FOG? Fruits and Greens?

After a successful concert we meet the band members Gaute, Henrik, David and Trym, backstage. The origin of the name Fruits and Greens comes from a ukulele owned by Gaute with FOG written on it. What does FOG mean? Fruits and Greens of course! When they were making a Spotify account they couldn’t decide whether they should use FOG or Fruits and Greens, so the result was FOG(Fruits and Greens).

Sources of Inspiration

The band is open about the fact that they gather inspiration from many sources. On their YouTube channel they are described as a “Post-punk band or a neo-punk band from Trondheim”, of which the band share a good laugh. “It’s all about breaking boundaries” Henrik tells about their musical style. Even if they might be a bit hesitant to describe themselves with only one genre, they are certain of one thing: they will not be making Trønder-rock á la The Kids.

A Long Career

Fruits and Greens has kept it going since secondary school. This has resulted in some funny incidents where they have been kicked out of places and denied entry both backstage and to concerts after having played, because they were younger than 18. Other than that they have been around on different backyard festivals. After some constellation changes they are now closer to the original line-up than they have been for a long time. How is it possible to be veterans and only 22 years of age? FOG has the answer.

Mafja?

Fruits and Greens are very proud of having established their own record company. Trondheim Mafia, umm, cough cough, Trondheim Mafja is the correct name. “Mafja is so much cooler!”. A funny story related to this name is when Henrik was going to the bank to open an account for this company. It went through, with some strange looks, considering how the “mafia” suddenly wanted to open a bank account. They are very proud of the fact that they now have everything in-house, and are confident that they can bring the non-compromising music further on without limitations.

New music, new album

Even though the band has given out several EPs and singles in the past, the upcoming album will be their first. The band is open about their wish to focus on making new music, and that they want to make a point out of live shows. A problem with the content on Spotify is how outdated it has become. That is why they are currently looking forward to releasing the album called “Trondhjem Tandoori”, which will be out sometime between the 27th and 30th of December, with 12 songs.

What could have been a chill Wednesday on November 10th, instead became a Trønder-mecca at Samfunnet, and Fruits and Greens brought the goods. So now the only thing to do is to pay attention to the band’s art project and what boundaries they will be breaking in the near future. You should all be excited for the release of the new album, and if you were one of those who missed out on the trønder party at Samfunnet, you can always check out FOG on Spotify and invite your collective to sodd and karsk.