Review - Social Distortion at Cirkus, Stockholm aug 7 2012

This review is about the first of the two night´s Social Distortion and guests performed at Cirkus in Stockholm, Aug 7 2012.



The Event

As Social Distortion´s frontman and singer Mike Ness point out during the concert. That this indoor gig was a most welcome break in the summer festival circuit. It seems like Social Distortion preferred the old wooden building before rain leaking festival tents. As support act they got one Swedish punk legend and one young Swedish band on the rise.
After Rancid´s and Street Dogs fabulous concerts this summer it seems like unfair for the band´s to compete with that. But they had to. That is one of the thing Rock n Roll is about, to convince the crowd that they are the best.

The Location

Cirkus was built in 1890ies to host the circus companies in the Stockholm city. Since then it have been an atmospheric stage for artist like Bob Dylan,  As well as Tv Shows.

With the retro style that Social Distortion often play around with, it seems like the perfect location for Social Distortion to perform. As a crowd you get pretty close to the band anywhere you are placed.

But there is a bit of problem with that arrangement, the seats on the grandstand makes people sit and watch more than to be partying. For an acoustic set it would be great. For a rock n roll band with its roots in punk it isn´t optimal.

The bars however were pretty fast in serving beer thirsty visitors.

The Crowd

Social D have always been a tattoo studio music in Sweden. This night it was too obvious, I can´t imagine one open tattoo studio in the whole country this Tuesday. Everyone must been traveling to Cirkus. All look like they came straight out of LA Ink Tv show or something or the gym. Possibly too cool and macho to join a mosh pit or sing along? I mean there are plenty of easy sung chorus to sing along to in SD´s music.

It is the bad thing tonight, the crowd. The party mood I was in was slowly decaying with the sit as statue mood ruled the seated section. My Godess, what I wish I got a front row ticket. But there wasn´t much of movement there as well. A few tried however. Mike crowned the Sweden the best Rock n Roll country in Europe, “But Rock n Roll isn’t about the head, he said, it´s about moving your hips. Mikes irony seem to pass way over the most of the crowd. I can spell it out for you if you didn´t got it, Start to fucking dance you lot! (my note).  

As an art school buddy I run into in the bar, nowday´s a tattoo artist, point out (no kidding), there are some tough guys in the audience tonight, bikers and people that are into vintage American cars. Possibly all of them with a kevlar west under their Soc D and De Palma T-shirts and jackets (my note). You can call it a new breed of Raggare, not hostile to punks like the older ones, but still with that stiff kind of macho manner. Not really punks but still into it a bit.

The Bands

Alonzo & Fas 3

Alonzo & Fas 3. Micke Alonzo was one of two singers in one of Sweden´s first punk bands, KSMB. One of two bands that even got pretty big in the main stream as well. With his second band Stockholms Negrer he challanged the racists and the white power movment. Micke himself told me once that those day´s where crazy. 2012 saw the birth of his new support band Fas 3, something like a Swedish Punk All Star Team or something. With members from The Hellacopters and International Noise Conspiracy.

Before their set I spoke briefly with Alonzo about how he felt about it. And I learned that you never get the answer you think you will get from him. Micke was worried about his voice, would it last for two nights in a row? Micke is no singer, never was, he yells and screams and almost growls with anger through the classic KSMB and Stockholms Negrer´s songs.

The voice was no problem this first night. Possible did he left some voice for the following night. The band was accompanied with Nicke Hellacopter that was missing when I saw them at Gothenburg´s West Coast Riot. And Nicke Andersson did secure the sound qualliry. It might sound´s a bit rediculous but I think with Nicke in the band it has a better sound. Unfortionately the set was too short and they push three new songs proving that Alonzo isn´t in it for the nostalgia. The new songs like “Dansa som en fjäril”and “Jag vill ha ett meningsfullt liv” are good, but they can´t give me the chill like the older KSMB songs do. There are so many memories associated with KSMB. From the years when I was as well as the punk itself was young. When you have to watch out for hostile Raggare (50ies style rockers) on your way to the punk concerts.

“Tidens tempo”, “Atomreggae” (Aka Harrisburg) and “Klockan 8” was the KSMB songs performed. And I wouldn’t mind some more KSMB and I think the rest of the crowd wouldn´t mind some more of it as well.



Royal Republic

Royal Republic are much younger than Alonzo. And to be honest, I planned to sneak down to the bar during their set, but was kept there by curiosity. And what I saw wasn´t bad, tight and competent. much more raw and heavy than on record. I am no fan of their “Tommy Gun” song. After a few of their songs the was an certain urge for a beer. I better give them a better chance another time.

Social Distortion

I´ve been waiting a long time to see the So-Cal band.
To say that Social Distortion play´s punk isn´t correct, they got their roots in punk, just like The Clash had. Maybe to remind us about that, clash was the music they played while we were waiting for them to come on stage. Today SD are more like a regular Rock n Roll band with both some Country, Blues, Gospel and Folk music as inspiration. Still it is their punk songs that are the best, “Far Behind”, “Reach for the sky”, “Mummy´s little Monster” and “So far away” are classics. Over all, they surprised me a bit with playing a much harder and punkier set than I expected, “Cold Feelings” was one of the highlights. The Crowd seems to like “Story of My life” a lot. I knew there wasn´t going to be any “You can´t take it with you” when there wasn´t any black girls on stage, the great backing singers that he brought on last year European tour. But “Bakersfield” from the same last record “Hard Time and Nursery Rhymes”  was a perfect piss pause song, it´s not one of their best, so I sneaked away for a leak.

It is possible that I´ve seen a bit too many good concerts lately and that may be the cause that I don´t get the chill through their regular set. It is perfect but it doesn´t touch me. In the encores however “Reach For the Sky” semi acoustic gave me a bit of a shiver down my spine. And the closing Johnny Cash cover “Ring of Fire” was brilliant as expected. A bit disappointed that I didn´t got to hear the Hank Williams cover “Alone and Forsaken”.

As a last word I must say that the back drop was one of the coolest I ever seen, so Social Distortion, so right. The lightning was beautifully applied on their set.


Worth the money? 450Skr=45 Euros is OK, I wouldn´t missed it for anything in the world, but if it had been cheaper I would seen them the two dates I Stockholm.