Hawkraft
festival 2026
Blues & Country Festival – Saturday, August 1st
Experience a magical festival day in the beautiful, enclosed garden behind Hawkraft Kulturhotel, where blues and country tunes unfold under the open sky.
On stage, you can enjoy Loud Tiger Trio, Henrik Johannesen & The Roots, Nello & The Helping Hand Blues Band, as well as Rune Robert Friis & Built For Comfort.
Around the venue, you’ll find small food and drink stalls offering exquisite specialties from local suppliers – perfect for a day of music, community, and great taste. It will be warm, intimate, and wonderfully down to earth. 🍻🎸
– Consider buying your day ticket now to make sure you’re among the 400 guests on the day.
– Free camping area
Alternatively, a room can be rented at Hawkraft Kulturhotel here
The program
Saturday, August 1st
Loud Tiger Trio
Viktoria Siff, also known as LOUD TIGER, has spent the past 10 years living in England and the USA, working as a songwriter for artists such as Macy Gray, Alicia Keys, Social House, and others.
The beautifully singing Viktoria Siff also spent three years on a world tour with the world-famous Australian band 5 Seconds of Summer as a vocal coach.
Now Viktoria Siff is ready to take on Denmark and the rest of the world as LOUD TIGER.
A roar that will surely be heard!
Henrik Johannessen & The Root
An exciting Americana trio worth keeping an eye on.
Henrik Johannessen & The Roots have, since 2022, played numerous concerts across Denmark, been nominated for the Danish Music Awards Blues, and won Acoustical Performance Of The Year at Texas Sounds in the USA.
Henrik Johannessen released his critically acclaimed debut album Farm Sessions in 2021 (mastered by Grammy winner Pete Lyman in Nashville). After joining forces with double bassist Peter Pelle and string player Kevin Monie, the result is a powerful acoustic trio that, with its well-written songs (as well as select interpretations of Chris Stapleton, Tyler Childers, etc.) and traditional roots instruments (double bass, mandolin, lap steel, banjo, guitar, bass drum), swings brilliantly and sends the audience straight to Nashville.
Nello & The Helping Hand Blues Band
Get an outstanding blues and concert experience when Nello – Johnny Madsen’s bassist for more than 25 years – turns it up with some of Denmark’s very best blues musicians!
The band was nominated for the Danish Music Award for Blues Live Act of the Year in BOTH 2023 and 2024.
At the same time, the band is releasing a double live CD, “All The Goods – Live At Godset”, in September 2025.
Latest review – “MUSIKFANS”, Dexter Odense, 13/02/25
“After around 50 concerts, the band is a strong contender for the title of the country’s best, most credible, and coolest swinging interpreters of the 12 bars and blue notes…”
One thing is that the band oozed playing joy – another is that the four outstanding musicians all possess great soloistic strength. None of those present were in any doubt that they enjoyed playing with and for each other. It was a sublime pleasure to witness.
I would argue that after an evening in the company of Nelly & The Helping Hands, the light at the end of the tunnel is not an oncoming train, but the very light of life itself. The concert was precisely that alive, that positive in its very essence, and that life-giving, that it felt instantly uplifting against winter gloom and anything weighing even heavier.
Rune Robert Friis &
Built For Comfort
Together with the soulful and playful collective Built For Comfort, Rune brings his original blues to life.
Built For Comfort is built for comfort and pleasure, offering modern blues in new forms, including tracks from the album Vol. 1, as well as new songs that have yet to be recorded.
Built For Comfort exists in several variations, ranging from 5 to 8 members. The core lineup consists of vocalist Sarah Jana Westphal and her captivating voice, guitarist Jesper Heinz and his sharp finesse, keyboardist Jan Hansen and his powerful, sweeping organ and keyboard playing, Kristian Hoff and his excellent drumming, and not least solid bass from Rune himself.
In addition, the band has had the pleasure of being joined by, among others: Nils-Ole Poulin, Perry Stenbäck, Rasmus Stenholm, Chris Grey, Jesper Iversen, Lars Emil Riis, and others.