Broiler sell out 25k-cap Norway arena in minutes

Organisers of Broiler’s concert at Oslo’s Unity Arena have hailed “a big day for Norwegian music” after the electronic music duo made history by selling out the 25,000-cap show in less than eight minutes.

Broiler performed at the venue on 1 March in a gig staged by Oslo and Fredrikstad-based independent music management, record label and promoter Sky Agency.

The agency’s co-founder Trond Opsahl has represented the Drammen-hailing pair since the early 2010s, growing the act from club shows to festival headliners.

“We put a tour on sale last year and sold out around Norway,” Opsahl tells IQ. “Then we sold out Oslo Spektrum – 10,000 tickets – so we decided to put on a big show in Unity Arena and they sold 25,000 tickets in less than eight minutes.

“It was a big day for Norwegian music. No domestic artist had completely sold out the venue before and even international artists aren’t used to selling it out – especially not in eight minutes. We were hoping for it, of course, but we can’t say that we expected it.”

A record producer and DJ duo comprising Mikkel Christiansen and Simen Auke, Broiler achieved international recognition with their 2014 track Wild Eyes and 2015 remix of the Imagine Dragons hit, Shots. They have also played slots at prestigious European festivals such as Belgium’s Tomorrowland and Sweden’s Summerburst.

“Broiler have been around for a long time and mean a lot to their generation, but we can also see that we are building new fans”

“In the last few years, we’ve focused on the Norwegian market and have released local language music,” explains Opsahl. “Broiler have been around for a long time and mean a lot to their generation, but we can also see that we are building new fans. Their audience is from 16 to 30-plus, and they deliver an amazing live show. The venue even said that it was one of the most successful events they held.

“We’re taking some time to digest and smile about what was basically a dream come true, but we want to keep exploring opportunities. After the show, quite a few promoters have been reaching out to us about wanting to work with the act, and now we’re just lining up what we should do outside of Norway as well, so it’s pretty exciting.”

Opsahl, who works alongside former Live Nation and Global Live touring executive Sam Bush at Sky Agency, also shares his high hopes for another of their clients, rising Norwegian hip-hop trio Roc Boyz.

“They are really popular in Sweden and Norway and are now selling out big club shows,” he says. “We have quite a few festival plays this summer, both in Sweden and Norway, so they’re our next big project.”

Sky Agency also promotes and co-promotes domestic festivals such as Stavern, Idyll, Festningen, Utopia, Feelings, Rakettnatt, Sommerfest and Bykalas.

“I think the Norwegian market is picking a little bit up,” adds Opsahl. “It’s still a tough market for festivals, but people are definitely interested in seeing shows.”

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