(By our Norwegian correspondent Jan Ronald Stange, text and photo. Video by Pekka Stokke) The release of the ‘Manners’ album by Bingo Crowd was celebrated with a concert at the Parkteatret scene in Oslo, May 3^rd, and what a treatment the audience got!

After entering the venue, chefs from the Michelin-starred restaurant Credo and Oslo Indre Matforedling started serving hors d’oeuvres of smoked salmon and beef tartar, followed by the band’s own creation: pork and lamb sausages. They completed the serving with a gourmet version of the traditional Norwegian potato dumpling, known by too many different names, depending on where in Norway you are – could be potetball, ball, klubb, kumle, komle, kompe or raspeball.

After eating, we got a three-song set by Hilma Nikolaisen, known from Serena-Maneesh and other bands, alone on stage with a guitar and a sampler, a very emotional performance.

Then Bingo Crowd opened with their unreleased cover version of Talk Talk’s ‘Ascension Day’, setting the tone for the rest of a mesmerizing gig. Not much action by the band on the stage, but the music paired with the hypnotizing visuals from Pekka Stokke made it an experience making us happy to be present.

Over several e-mails in the following weeks, the band’s vocalist Andreas Elvenes and Torgeir Lund from their record label sum up the experience.

Post-concert impressions and upcoming news

Side-Line: The concert, or rather the whole evening, hit the audience both in the gut and in the head – in several ways! Tell us about how you put together this event?

Andreas Elvenes: Kaja, our dear manager, is also a partner and friend of my girlfriend, Heidi, who runs both Credo restaurant and Vippa. She has been active for many years in areas completely different from music, but her approach, which can be outside the usual rules, has proven very effective and fruitful. She made a few phone calls, including to All Things Live, and they recommended Parkteatret after some listening sessions.

Magnus, who is Kaja’s boyfriend, runs Indre Oslo Matforedling and is also used to working with Heidi, and he produced the sausages together with the band.

Hilma is a friend of ours and has performed at both Vippa and Credo before. We were very happy when she said yes to being our special guest.

S-L: Almost a sold-out venue, and lots of Trondheim visitors present too in Oslo – how many attended?

AE: We don’t have exact numbers, but over 300 is likely. I met several people after the concert from different parts of the country, and some particularly happy ones had come on the bus from Trondheim that day.

S-L: The vinyl is a real beauty – and now I hear a rumour about a CD too?

AE: Torgeir probably has more updated info here, but yes, there will be a CD!

Torgeir Lund: The album is coming out on CD; we’ve primarily produced it for markets outside Norway. The LP and CD won’t be physically released in the UK/EU until the end of July, but we’ll likely sneak a few copies of the CD out here in Norway before that.

S-L: What’s next?

AE: Trondheim and Verkstedhallen on May 16th was the next concert after Oslo. Hilma joined us there too, along with Kirsti Huke.

Torgeir has more info on the release of the Talk Talk cover. We know it involves several delightful remixes, including from Van Rivers of Fever Ray, Andrew Fearn of Sleaford Mods etc.

TL: The ‘Ascension Day’ cover, which the guys have played live for over 10 years, is something we’re planning to release before the year is over as a classic remix 12″, featuring the band’s original version mixed by Alan Moulder, along with four or five remixes.

Enjoy the concert’s final song ‘Lightball System’, the track that first caught my attention 16-17 years ago:

Listen to the ‘Manners’ album via Spotify | Tidal | Deezer | Apple Music | YouTube Music | Amazon Music, or all the April releases in this playlist:

About Bingo Crowd (formerly known as BC)

The three members of Bingo Crowd – Andreas Elvenes, Svein Segtnan, and Eivind Brønstad – grew up in Snåsa, deep in the remote forests of Norway. In the late ’90s, what “rock” meant in Snåsa was straightforward: loud guitars and raw energy. That’s how the band began—originally as a guitar-driven power trio.

Based in Trondheim, they initially performed under the name Bitch Cassidy. Everything changed when guitarist Svein Segtnan discovered a piece of electronic music by Brian Eno. That moment sparked a shift. He began collecting analog synthesizers, and the band slowly evolved from rock roots into a darker, synth-infused sound.

They rebranded as BC and launched their own label, LUBE Records for digital releases, while Crispin Glover Records handled their physical releases. In November 2008, they released their debut album “Sinecure” – a brooding blend of synthrock and EBM that quickly earned them a cult following in Norway’s underground scene.

Today, the band goes by Bingo Crowd. Seventeen years after “Sinecure”, they’ve released the new album titled “Manners” April 28^th 2025.

jrstange

Sometimes – when I’m not cooking, biking, listening to music or attending concerts, I write stuff for Side-Line.com. Mostly about Norwegian bands, but it’s been some Swedish, English, American, Danish, German and others too… 😉

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(By our Norwegian correspondent Jan Ronald Stange) After three weeks of dropping singles, B-sides, and a remix, Bingo Crowd have officially crowned their comeback with the release of the full “Manners”‘ album. As observant readers will know by now, it was mixed by none other than Alan Moulder and mastered by Heba Kadry.

Personally, I was swept off my feet the first time I heard “Lightball System” more than 15 years ago. After buying and listening to the album “Sinecure” in just about every format available, I was left wanting more. Over the years, I managed to track down additional songs here and there — digitally, on compilation CDs, or on 7” singles from the band’s earlier days under their first moniker, Bitch Cassidy. I also got in touch with their manager and label head, Torgeir, who kindly kept me in the loop, occasionally sharing demos and snippets as the band evolved.

Now, the wait is finally over: the full album is here for everyone to dive into. And soon also on a limited edition colored vinyl – grab’em while available!

After sending a batch of questions to singer Andreas Elvenes, he brought them along to the band’s meeting the weekend after the release.

Bingo Crowd interview

Side-Line: First of all, congratulations on the new album! How has it been received so far among those fortunate enough to hear the promos, attend the listening parties, or listen online since the release?

Bingo Crows: It’s now been around 24 hours since the album was released, and so far, we’re a bit overwhelmed by the positive feedback.

S-L: It’s been in the works for many years now. How has this process been?

BC: Yes, it’s been quite a few years. We’ve worked continuously — listening, improving, and waiting for the album to find its manners.

S-L: When did you realize that you actually had a whole album ready?

BC: I believe it started to feel realistic when we sent the files over to Alan Moulder in England. And of course, it became even more real the day we received the pallet of vinyl records from the factory in the Netherlands.

S-L: The cover image suggests there’s a story behind it — do tell!

BC: The boxed silverware on the cover was a wedding gift received by Andreas’ great-grandfather at his wedding in 1920. This ties in thematically with the album title Manners and symbolizes the customs and traditions of the old days.

S-L: What can the audience expect when attending the release concert next week?

BC: Sausages. (https://iomat.no/)
(S-L editor’s note: Scroll down a bit on the page and you’ll see why! 😊)

The set will mainly feature songs from the new album, but also a couple of tracks that haven’t been released yet, along with one song that is only available digitally.

We’ve been working with the same creative team for more than 20 years. Pekka Stokke (3D video projections) and Steffen Telstad (lighting) have developed a cinematic lighting design that’s an integral part of our live shows. Our sound engineer has been Tor Breivik from Avon.

S-L: What’s next after the Oslo concert?

BC: Our next concert will be in Trondheim on the 16th of May at Verkstedhallen.

This autumn, you can also expect a remix 12-inch, among other releases.

Follow us on Instagram (@bingo.crowd / @crispingloverrecords) or Facebook (Bingo Crowd / Crispin Glover Records) for updates!

Listen via Spotify | Tidal | Deezer | Apple Music | YouTube Music | Amazon Music

… or just bookmark this playlist that’ll be increasing each week.

About Bingo Crowd (formerly known as BC)

The three members of Bingo Crowd – Andreas Elvenes, Svein Segtnan, and Eivind Brønstad – grew up in Snåsa, deep in the remote forests of Norway. In the late ’90s, what “rock” meant in Snåsa was straightforward: loud guitars and raw energy. That’s how the band began—originally as a guitar-driven power trio.

Based in Trondheim, they initially performed under the name Bitch Cassidy. Everything changed when guitarist Svein Segtnan discovered a piece of electronic music by Brian Eno. That moment sparked a shift. He began collecting analog synthesizers, and the band slowly evolved from rock roots into a darker, synth-infused sound.

They rebranded as BC and launched their own label, LUBE Records for digital releases, while Crispin Glover Records handled their physical releases. In November 2008, they released their debut album “Sinecure” – a brooding blend of synthrock and EBM that quickly earned them a cult following in Norway’s underground scene.

Today, the band goes by Bingo Crowd. Seventeen years after “Sinecure”, they’ve released the new album titled “Manners” April 28^th 2025.

The upcoming release will be celebrated with a concert at Parkteatret in Oslo on May 3^rd, 2025.

jrstange

Sometimes – when I’m not cooking, biking, listening to music or attending concerts, I write stuff for Side-Line.com. Mostly about Norwegian bands, but it’s been some Swedish, English, American, Danish, German and others too… 😉

www.facebook.com/jrstange

(By our Norwegian correspondent Jan Ronald Stange) In their third consecutive week of single releases, Bingo Crowd continues their comeback with ‘Nitro My Shield’, a smooth and tranquil ride, quite appropriate for this longest of Fridays. The track also appears on the upcoming album ‘Manners’, mixed by Alan Moulder and mastered by Heba Kadry.
The B-side and non-album track ‘K120’ was mixed by Kyrre Laastad and mastered by Morten Stendahl. ‘K120’ might sound strange to non-Norwegians, as it resembles a preacher thanking people helping him. I reached out to some of the guys involved, hoping to find out more about this.

Torgeir Lund (manager): Svein did some live recordings from a church, probably Betel, when he was living in downtown Trondheim. They had radio broadcasts from there. Some of the names mentioned have been distorted to keep them anonymous.

Andreas Elvenes (vocals): We’ve also done this before. As I remember it, one of us had been to an estate auction in Steinkjer and came back with a briefcase full of cassette tapes featuring recordings of various lay preachers from the 1980s. These were digitized and archived, only to sit untouched for a few years. We later used some of those samples on the track ‘Støv’ (‘Dust’) which appeared on a couple of compilations (‘Party Terror 3’ (LP) and ‘Sorgenfrie Øyeblikk Vol.1 (CD), both on Crispin Glover Records)

We were aiming for a certain mood on both ‘Støv’ and ‘K120’, and realised that parts of those recordings might help us get there. Kind of fever-dream logic, right in the intersection between icy, funny, and eerie.

Check back next Friday for the ‘Manners’ album release!

Listen via Spotify | Tidal | Deezer | Apple Music | YouTube Music | Amazon Music

… or just bookmark this playlist that’ll be increasing each week.

About Bingo Crowd (formerly known as BC)

The three members of Bingo Crowd – Andreas Elvenes, Svein Segtnan, and Eivind Brønstad – grew up in Snåsa, deep in the remote forests of Norway. In the late ’90s, what “rock” meant in Snåsa was straightforward: loud guitars and raw energy. That’s how the band began—originally as a guitar-driven power trio.

Based in Trondheim, they initially performed under the name Bitch Cassidy. Everything changed when guitarist Svein Segtnan discovered a piece of electronic music by Brian Eno. That moment sparked a shift. He began collecting analog synthesizers, and the band slowly evolved from rock roots into a darker, synth-infused sound.

They rebranded as BC and launched their own label, LUBE Records for digital releases, while Crispin Glover Records handled their physical releases. In November 2008, they released their debut album “Sinecure” – a brooding blend of synthrock and EBM that quickly earned them a cult following in Norway’s underground scene.

Today, the band goes by Bingo Crowd. Seventeen years after “Sinecure”, they’re set to release a new album titled “Manners” April 28^th 2025.

The upcoming release will be celebrated with a concert at Parkteatret in Oslo on May 3^rd, 2025.

jrstange

Sometimes – when I’m not cooking, biking, listening to music or attending concerts, I write stuff for Side-Line.com. Mostly about Norwegian bands, but it’s been some Swedish, English, American, Danish, German and others too… 😉

www.facebook.com/jrstange

(By our Norwegian correspondent Jan Ronald Stange) A week after Bingo Crowd (formerly known as BC) released their comeback single ‘Voloop’ they continue the return with not just one, but two releases this week. ‘Mapmaker’s Dream’ – with the B-side ‘Stack’ (non-album track) – is accompanied by ‘Voloop (Extnddntwrk Remix)’.

‘Mapmaker’s Dream’ was mixed by Alan Moulder and mastered by Heba Kadry, while ‘Stack’ was mastered by Kyrre Laastad. ‘Voloop (Extnddntwrk Remix)’ was mixed by Alan Moulder and mastered by Morten Nyberg Stendahl. The remixer, Extnddntwrk, is the alter ego of Andrew Fern from Sleaford Mods, and don’t be surprised if we hear more coming out of Nottingham regarding Bingo Crowd.

Stay tuned for yet another release next Friday!

Listen via Spotify | Tidal | Deezer | Apple Music | YouTube Music.

Listen via Spotify | Tidal | Deezer | Apple Music | YouTube Music.

… or just bookmark this playlist that’ll be increasing each week.

About Bingo Crowd (formerly known as BC)

The three members of Bingo Crowd – Andreas Elvenes, Svein Segtnan, and Eivind Brønstad – grew up in Snåsa, deep in the remote forests of Norway. In the late ’90s, what “rock” meant in Snåsa was straightforward: loud guitars and raw energy. That’s how the band began—originally as a guitar-driven power trio.

Based in Trondheim, they initially performed under the name Bitch Cassidy. Everything changed when guitarist Svein Segtnan discovered a piece of electronic music by Brian Eno. That moment sparked a shift. He began collecting analog synthesizers, and the band slowly evolved from rock roots into a darker, synth-infused sound.

They rebranded as BC and launched their own label, LUBE Records for digital releases, while Crispin Glover Records handled their physical releases. In November 2008, they released their debut album “Sinecure” – a brooding blend of synthrock and EBM that quickly earned them a cult following in Norway’s underground scene.

Today, the band goes by Bingo Crowd. Seventeen years after “Sinecure”, they’re set to release a new album titled “Manners” in April 2025.

The upcoming release will be celebrated with a concert at Parkteatret in Oslo on May 3, 2025.

jrstange

Sometimes – when I’m not cooking, biking, listening to music or attending concerts, I write stuff for Side-Line.com. Mostly about Norwegian bands, but it’s been some Swedish, English, American, Danish, German and others too… 😉

www.facebook.com/jrstange

(By our Norwegian correspondent Jan Ronald Stange) April 25th 2025 Crispin Glover Records will release “Manners”, the long-awaited sophomore album from the Norwegian act Bingo Crowd, formerly known as BC. We’ve known it’s been in the works for years, even wrote about in back in 2016, have heard some demos and snippets along the way, but finally there’s a definitive date set. And: to keep us on our toes drooling, Bingo Crowd will release several singles, B-sides and a remix in the upcoming weeks, starting today with the track “Voloop”.

Bingo Crowd (formerly known as BC) released their debut album “Sinecure” back in 2008. The band have been meticulously assembling the follow up over the last 17 years.  Teaming up with legendary producer Alan Moulder (Foo Fighters, U2, The Cure, The Killers, Nine Inch Nails, Beach House, Depeche Mode, Queens of the Stone Age, The Smashing Pumpkins and Wet Leg to name a few..) for the completion of the album that is “Manners”.

The result is ten tracks with an overall sound reminiscent of the early Mute/Factory Records records that we all loved or should have loved. Mixed by Alan Moulder, mastered by @heba_kadry. 

Listen at Spotify | Tidal

About Bingo Crowd (formerly known as BC)

The three members of Bingo Crowd – Andreas Elvenes, Svein Segtnan, and Eivind Brønstad – grew up in Snåsa, deep in the remote forests of Norway. In the late ’90s, what “rock” meant in Snåsa was straightforward: loud guitars and raw energy. That’s how the band began—originally as a guitar-driven power trio.

Based in Trondheim, they initially performed under the name Bitch Cassidy. Everything changed when guitarist Svein Segtnan discovered a piece of electronic music by Brian Eno. That moment sparked a shift. He began collecting analog synthesizers, and the band slowly evolved from rock roots into a darker, synth-infused sound.

They rebranded as BC and launched their own label, LUBE Records for digital releases, while Crispin Glover Records handled their physical releases. In November 2008, they released their debut album “Sinecure” – a brooding blend of synthrock and EBM that quickly earned them a cult following in Norway’s underground scene.

Today, the band goes by Bingo Crowd. Seventeen years after “Sinecure”, they’re set to release a new album titled “Manners” in April 2025.

The upcoming release will be celebrated with a concert at Parkteatret in Oslo on May 3, 2025.

jrstange

Sometimes – when I’m not cooking, biking, listening to music or attending concerts, I write stuff for Side-Line.com. Mostly about Norwegian bands, but it’s been some Swedish, English, American, Danish, German and others too… 😉

www.facebook.com/jrstange