In five words
More than Hans Christian Andersen!
Sound of the city
These days Odense is both constructions and a lot of beautiful green spaces and waterways. This recording is at the old public slaughterhouse, which is to be made into student apartments, and also by the fjord near the harbour.
Everyone’s tuning into …
Denmark’s new Facebook stars Adam & Noah comment on everything with irony and humour. They always record their act while walking around.
They often comment on issues related to race and ethnicity. In this sketch they don’t want to be called “a lucky potato” (a saying in Danish that means that you are lucky – “heldig kartoffel”). Why? In some areas of Denmark white people are nicknamed “potatoes”.
Best venue?
Bobz is a local concert venue and night club. They call themselves “the underground club with the highest location in Denmark” due to their position on top of a multi-storey car park, which is accessed through an industrial entrance.
Here you can hear everything from death metal to reggae. The concerts are cheap and diverse and it’s a good place to find upcoming music and alternative events.
Who’s top of the playlist?
Slaugther Beach are all from Odense. They haven’t made a full album or EP yet, but their singles are promising. They play like a wall of sound, even though they are only three of them.
Their music, with its indie vibe, synth, great voices and distorted guitar resembles some of The Raveonettes’ more melodic songs.
Best local artist
Jens Galschiøt opened his combined studio and sculpture park in 1985. He is best known for the Pillar of Shame, but his park and studio is full of great pieces. And it is free to visit.
Right now Galschiøt is preparing a sculpture called Unbearable. It will be displayed during COP21, the United Nations conference on climate change which is to be held in Paris this December. It shows a polar bear hanging five metres above the ground lifted by a graph showing the cumulative global fossil-fuel CO2 emisions. It’s a strong statement concerning climate change.
What’s the look on the street?
Street style can be classic coats combined with a personal twist or it can be black or grey loose sport pants. Denmark is a small country, so fashion travels fast from Copenhagen to Odense, and the other way around. Nordic brands such as Swedish Acne and Danish Bruuns Bazaar are often seen in town.
Everyone’s talking about …
One of the roads with the heaviest traffic in the centre of the city was recently closed. The idea is to build a whole new part of town with a new music hall, apartments and pedestrian zones.
The road was established in the 1960s and was hated from the start, because it divided parts of the old city centre and at the same time brought heavy traffic to the inner city.
There have been plans to close the road since the 1990s, so it was a big deal for the city to actually do it. Opponents still argue that fewer people will come to the centre because it is now hard to reach by car, while supporters see the project as a sign of development.
Best cultural Instagram
MitOdense has a new guest blogger each week who shows his or her favourite places in the city. It can be bars, sculptures, companies, people or beautiful green spots. It’s in Danish, but with the pictures and Google Translate, you get a great, more personal version of Odense.
What Odense does better than anywhere else
Serving great local beers with pride and knowledge without being snobbish. Carlsens Kvarter and Christian 4tal are the places to go.
Comedy gold
Razi Irawani is a young comedian and actor from an area of the city called Vollsmose. He does a lot of small online sketches and he makes a fantastic imitation of a llama. Yes, you read it correctly.
Moment from history
In 1994 the local football team OB beat Real Madrid to qualify for the Uefa Cup quarter-finals. It’s probably the team’s most memorable victory. A lot of people in the city remember the match, especially if they see OB’s old away yellow and black jersey.
Fans welcomed the players home with music and chants. It was just two years after the Danish national team had won the European Championships, so people believed that the “underdogs” from Denmark could make it all the way one more time. They lost the quarter finals.
Best street art
Artist ROA has just created a huge painting at the harbour of a tuna fish and a cormorant. It’s big, beautiful and well worth seeing.
ROA lives in London, but was born in Ghent, Belgium. He’s known for his paintings of wild and urban animals. Odense’s harbour is changing from industry to apartments and cultural venues, and ROA’s piece brings a bit of a metropolitan vibe to the city.
From me
Thomas is editor of the local newspaper, Vollsmose Avisen, as well as a father and husband.
