Lister

Af Esben Bjerre Hansen

On the stroke of 23.59, a black and red coffin rolls out of Coffin Camp. Studded with stroboscopic lights, fog horns and speakers, Coffin Blaster v. 2.0 captures camping West.

The 15 Norwegians behind Coffin Camp have between 300-400 people trailing them every night throughout the camping area. The tour ends around three in the morning with everyone dancing to Zorba the Greek.

Upgraded because of Mud

For the past three years, Coffin Blaster has been playing at Roskilde, but the mud bath in 2007 was too much for the system.

That is why Øystein Kvannejd decided that an upgrade was necessary. This year’s model Version 2.0 has a hydraulic system, built in stroboscopic lights and a fire extinguisher, and the rolling coffin is now a 40 horsepower party starter. This being said, maintaining and developing the system is no picnic.

”The problem arises when 400 partygoers trail the coffin, because the ones all the way in the back of the line can’t hear the music,” Øystein Kvannejd says, who therefore thinks that the Coffin Blaster has to be tuned at least one more time.

Smashing Details

In the camp, a red flag sporting the camp logo flaps in the wind. The camp is encircled by a red picket fence and below the pavilions Baby Coffin – a miniature version of the system that can be strapped on the back for when they are going for more beers.

One of the boys answering to the name Syntha throws the miniature coffin on his back. He then connects the rebuilt toy store keyboard and improvises Veto’s ”We Are Not Your Friends” – the camp theme song.

The camp members join in with a dance and in spite of the song’s title, the 15 Norwegians seem to have gotten a great deal of fans. People salute them, take pictures and dance along in the heat of the day.

All camp members have a t-shirt with a coffin logo and wear dog tags with name and alias – all in matching colours. And even though the clock shows noon, Coffin Blaster 2.0 is playing at max volume, and the whole camp dancing so energetically that their beer spills.

As they say:

”We just want to please the crowds.”