Nobody loves them Madrugada like the Greeks. That’s why the band from Norway never leaves the Greek audience complaining, which means that Sievert Hoyem and his company are rarely absent from the domestic concert program. We last saw them last September in Kallimarmaro and now they are preparing to return, this time as part of a busy program. Liberate Athens as they will be the headliners Sunday, June 25

In addition, for him Sievert Hoyem, the leader of the orchestra with a thoughtful voice, nothing like that “click” moment that makes him feel calm and strong at the same time on stage. He shared this on the other end of the video call, among other things, but he also explained what it’s like to be in a 30 year relationship with the rest of your group – which isn’t always the easiest thing in the world.

– It is difficult to plan, because when we come to big concerts, there is not much time. However, I definitely want to walk around the city and maybe go for a swim. Last time, before the Kallimarmaro concert, I visited the Acropolis Museum for the first time – many times I was at the monument, but not in the museum. But I like to walk without a definite plan. I can hardly tell you a favorite place, since I don’t distinguish between districts when I walk, I never know where I am.

I don’t have much of a secret. We broke up when Robert (Bouras, former Madrugada guitarist) died and reunited on the anniversary of ‘Industrial Silence’. For our group, things are not so smooth. Some bad decisions were made and there were also tragedies such as Robert’s death. But I think we were lucky that we found each other, stuck together. It took a long time to find our sound. But we were lucky that we had chemistry.

– Absolutely. For most people, relationships don’t last 30 years. But these people have been in my life since 1993, and the whole thing has definitely been intense. The thing is, now we have families, and we are together like Madrugada as long as it brings us satisfaction. I have a solo career, John also works as a concert promoter and Frode does other music and he has his own bars and restaurants. So we are together as long as we have fun and as long as people want us to do it. In that sense, the secret is that there is no more pressure, because before that was all we had, and if it didn’t work, we fought.

– As we have already said, this is something that develops. It definitely has a different meaning, because before there was something very tense between us, many times there was pressure, we teased each other, but in the end he worked it out in his own way. Over time you gain more experience and everything around you changes because gradually it becomes more professional. When we started, things weren’t that professional in the Norwegian music industry. For a long time we did not have regular management, it was chaotic. However, I still work on music every day, but now I have kids with whom I spend a lot of time.

– We tried for a while, but not because of this, but to find more inspiration. We lived in Berlin for a year, but that didn’t really suit us. Of course, I have always enjoyed living outside of Norway, I like to have a lot of time for myself. It’s not that I don’t like other people, but I like to be somewhere “nobody”, to be in a place with which I am not connected. I know Norway so well that it’s hard for me to find inspiration there, and sometimes in your country it’s hard to find the freedom you need to be creative.

– There were several times. The first one was with our debut “Industrial Silence” when the album was successful outside of Norway where we already had some hype. Then there was a very strong moment when during the summer tour in 2000 we played the Roskilde festival in Denmark, which has since become the main festival for Scandinavian children. It was packed and you could see people as far as the eye could see. We’ve never played in such a crowd before, that was the moment we said wow. Then around 2005, when we had radio hits with tracks like “The Kids Are On High Street”, that was a special time too.

– Now I just relax and immerse myself in the music, I feel calm and strong at the same time. There is a moment when it “clicks”, but it is difficult to define and explain. There definitely has to be a moment for the show to be good. I give myself on stage to everyone, shows are very important to me. There are always unforeseen factors, but that’s the beauty of it.

– It is very nice to meet other musicians who have been influenced by our music. We are a band that you won’t find in the big mainstream media, but we’re more talked about by word of mouth. Someone comes to listen to us and next time brings a friend with them. The fans love us passionately and start talking about us. We have also been influenced by other musicians, and the most important thing is to be part of this circle of inspiration.

For as long as I can remember, I have loved history. When I was little, I used to read history books, and before I started reading, I just looked at the pictures. So I would probably be in it, but not as a teacher, I wouldn’t be able to do it. Somehow else, perhaps an archaeologist. Of course, all people my age would probably tell you this because of Indiana Jones.

Madrugada will perform live at Release Athens and Platia Nerou on Sunday June 25th. They will be joined by Wet Leg and Baxter Dury, with other names expected to be announced. Read more about the day and the festival here.