‘A Scandinavian pixie dream’: Photos from Way Out West fest

Festival line-ups were especially hot this summer, with a handful of recurring pop players making their way across Europe. No different was Way Out West, which took over the usually tranquil grounds of Gothenburg’s Slottsskogen park for three days in August, with a stacked line-up spanning The Cure, Lorde, Oklou, Zara Larsson, Blood Orange.

As fans descended on the festival’s rolling green fields, photographer Imogen described the setting as “a Scandinavian pixie dream”. Set among Slottsskogen’s emerald parkland, the main festival unfolded between forest areas, lakes and open fields, before spilling out into venues across the city for after-dark programming.

Beyond shooting portraits of artists like Zara Larsson, COBRAH, James K and Ninajirachi for Dazed, she also turned her focus to the different subcultures making up the festival’s underbelly. “In my work I am drawn to queerness and uniqueness,” she says. “I wanted to capture the underground side of the festival that is perhaps less visible at a more mainstream festival like Way Out West.”

The photos capture the “love, chaos and elation” of the crowds, from friends resting side-by-side on the grass to fans mid-scream at the barrier and even one festival-goer dressed as a shark. That high energy ran as an undercurrent across the festival, thrown straight back at them from the stage. Between taking photos, Imogen joined thousands of Swedes dancing to Zara Larsson’s Midnight Sun – “literally the summer anthem”. Among the standout performances was Sweden-born singer-producer COBRAH, whose “unbelievably sexy and queer-coded” hometown performance was a highlight for Imogen. “She is literally MOTHER,” the photographer tells Dazed.

The festival continued after dark with Stay Out West, an after-hours programme spread across venues in Gothenburg and home to some of the weekend’s more underground bookings. Here, Imogen caught sets from Jane Remover and Ninajirachi, alongside fans packed into sweaty, roaring pits.

Some of the weekend’s best moments, though, came away from the main stages. Hidden among the trees, the photographer stumbled across a smoking area housed inside a caravan and packed with lesbians, quickly christened the “lesbian smoking caravan” by her friends. Here, she photographed festival-goers in an unofficial uniform of tank tops, slogan tees and scarves and studded belts slung around waists. She concludes, “It’s unexpected moments like this of connecting with my community at a festival that make the whole experience so special and really fuel my creativity.”