Anyone reading this is likely familiar with the astronomical contributions Sweden has made to modern pop music. Fewer, however, will realise how many of these Swedish superstars have connections to the city of Gothenburg – Sweden’s second-biggest city, located way out on the country’s west (remember those words) coast. 

With a population of just 600,000, over the decades Gothenburg has produced the likes of ABBA frontman Björn, synth-pop duo The Knife, trip-hop outfit Little Dragon and, most recently, the hub of a new post-pop underground sweeping the country. 

It’s against this rich background that three-day festival Way Out West touched down in the city for its 19th – and, for the first time, sold out – iteration. Taking place in various venues across the city, the festival welcomed both Swedish stars like Zara Larsson, Cobrah and Gothenburg native Raghd, as well as international names like Ninajirachi, Jane Remover and Jacob Alon onto its lineup.

Between catching a trance-inflected DJ set from Swedish-Iranian producer Mohajer, and accidentally stumbling in Jane Remover’s dressing room unannounced, photographer Imogens.jpgs was on hand to shoot portraits of the biggest names from the event. Check out her photos in the gallery above.