– Some people think that if you wear black clothes and look a bit scary, that means you are scary. That’s not true at all, says Wig Wam guitarist Trond Holter. Holter has been in the glam metal band since 2001. He believes that the audience within harder music genres such as metal, hard rock and punk are among the kindest. – It really is a peaceful people who are there only for music, he adds. – Not as the prejudices should have it until the guitarist receives support from the researchers Glenn-Egil Torgersen and Ole Boe at the University of South-Eastern Norway (USN). In a study, they investigated whether some genres of music are more dangerous than others. – It is not as the prejudices might have it, namely that hard rock and punk can be more risky than other styles, says Torgersen. CRITICAL: Emergency preparedness researchers Glenn-Egil Torgersen and Ole Boe believe a supervisor from DSB harbors prejudices against certain genres of music. Critical of supervisor for organizers The two researchers react to a supervisor from the Directorate for Community Security and Preparedness (DSB). The guide is designed to help people who are responsible for large events. Parts of the guide are characterized by a perception that hard rock festivals pose a greater security risk than other types of music festivals, the researchers believe. MOSHPIT: At hard rock festivals it is not unusual to have a moshpit. Here from Tons of Rock this year. – If you have tattoos, black clothes and look like a punk, it is because you associate yourself with the music genre, says Boe and continues: – It does not mean that you are aggressive, engage in unwanted behavior or engage in violence. More risk at other types of festivals Boe and Torgersen believe there will be more challenges related to arguments among the audience at festivals with a wide range of genres than at hard rock festivals. It is because many are there more for the party than for the music, they say. The friends Ida Råen Nilsen and Clara Bigset-Berge at Slottsfjell in Tønsberg have not been involved in any bad atmosphere at the festival, but admit that they are there as much for the social as for the music. – We live in the local area, so it is natural to go, says Råen Nilsen. – It’s like a “meet-and-greet” here. You meet everyone you know, continues Bigset-Berge. AT THE FESTIVAL: Friends Clara Bigset-Berge and Ida Råen Nilsen encourage people to behave well at the Slottsfjell Festival. Photo: Rikke Lillelien / news Believes the guide feeds on prejudice The researchers are particularly critical of an example of a so-called audience profile in the DSB guide. They believe the examples used in it give indications that it is less dangerous at concerts where the artist’s message is “love and respect”, while there will be more risk if the artist’s lyrics are socially critical. – It provides some guidance for one to believe that music styles with fairly aggressive forms of expression automatically entail a higher risk. It’s not necessarily like that, says Boe. SUPERVISOR: This is an example of an audience profile that the researchers are skeptical about. Photo: Skjermbilde / DSB DSB: – Will look at the inputs Director of DSB, Elisabeth Sørbøe Aarsæther, says these are important inputs that they will look into more closely when the guide is to be revised. – But it is still quite important that the audience profile itself is part of the assessment made by the organisers. – Then it is not up to DSB to say anything about whether there is more aggression on hard rock than on Hakkebakkeskogen. The most important thing is that people are safe, says Sørbøe Aarsæther. WILL CONSIDER: Director of DSB, Elisabeth Sørbøe Aarsæther, says they will look at the input they have received. Photo: PT Torgersen hopes the guide will be revised soon. He fears it could scare organizers away from booking bands and artists within harder genres, as it stands now. – Then the consequences are that you don’t engage that type of band, and cultural life is reduced.
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Thinks DSB makes hard rock dangerous – news Culture and entertainment
