The doors of the Öresundståg are closing as Einar and I make our
way to Copenhagen. He tries to distract me from writing, but does not
succeed. The Öresundståg is an ancient means of transportation: no
WIFI on board (yes, it’s 2018) and about as much space as in a
sardine tin can. Two charming ladies opposite of me are having lunch
as I am writing, and it is a miracle that we have enough space for
all of this. Autumn colours, the motorways of Göteborg and grey
clouds are flying past me. The direction of our journey is easy to
guess – both the train stewardess and the train stop announcer are
talking a light variant of skånska. It is quite cosy here. The train
is rolling ahead in the direction of Copenhagen, and the ambient hum
of rolling wheels, passenger chatter and acceleration is occasionally
interrupted by announcements, beeping doors or the whistle of the
train conductor.
Compared to driving a car, train rides are very peaceful and social.
The train window exposes plenty of animals – horses, sheep, cows -,
and since neither of us has to drive, we can use the time to solve
crossword puzzles or do creative work. A landmark right outside
Göteborg worth seeing is a Super Mario statue.
I am on my way to Huset KBH, a venue where four Danish electro
artists will perform tonight. Among them is one of the driving forces
behind the Odense and Copenhagen scene: Ras Bolding, a futurepop
artist with warm affection for the Commodore 64 and characteristic
Harlequinesque black-and-white outfits. At this year’s Bodyfest in
Stockholm, I picked up some matching black-and-white-squared tights,
to which I am wearing a black skirt and a white blouse. Another
souvenir from Bodyfest is placed on my blouse: an ”ae” broche
that stands for the Danish letter ae in Leaether Strip. Not even my
handbag is an ordinary handbag tonight, since I have exchanged my
usual violet cotton bag for a more elegant black cotton bag with the
three Covenant ”The Blinding Dark” intertwined eyes on the front.
Inside are three bags with chocolate, licorice and praliné cookies
for Ras and all the other artists. I will be working at the entrance,
and Einar has volunteered for work too, but his main focus will be
taking photos and videos of all performing bands and the guests.
This weekend, Skånetragiken stays true to its name again: there will
be no train traffic between Malmö and Copenhagen on the weekend –
which means travelling by bus instead. As a seasoned commuter, you
learn to take these minor inconveniences as they come and use the
unforeseen stop in Malmö to have a coffee break…
We booked a hotel in the city centre with free WiFi and breakfast for
an astonishingly low price – you only live once. If the night is
not too draining, I will go for a longjog tomorrow and enjoy the city
au courant.
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