Manu Chao live at Stockholm (Concert Review)

 

The Event, Place and Crowd

A Manu Chao concert was a concert I waited for a long time to see. And Friday Aug 15 was the date it came to be.
But the weeks works have drained all of my energy so I wasn´t sure that I was going until I decided that I will regret it if I didn´t went for a long time.
To make things worse the sky opened itself and both Thor and Zeus and all their fellow thungergods was working on the the dark clouds with flash and thunder and a pouring rain.
This was an outdoor concert just outside the Royal Operahouse of Stockholm. The crowd was a mixture of all origins and social classes in the society. And they were there to party with Manu Chao.


The Concert
Anyway I want downtown to see if there was going to be any gig. A half an hour late the Spannish singing frenchman entered the stage with his band and the crowd went beserk from the first bar. The moshpit was as the size that Rancid had in the West Cost Riot two years ago, through the whole set. This could been the concert of concerts if the soundmen didn´t had a word in it. The sound was lousy from the start to finish. And that was a pity. On the other side, the crowd sang every song loud like they written it themself. Manu projected energy to the big crowd, and it bounced back from the happy dancing, singing audience to the stage and increased the energy. The rain didn´t bother anyone, the lousy sound was no problem, just joy. The songs was long and often played as medleys. Often did it started slow to end up in a fast D-beat ska or something….you know the way Manu Chao does it. Most of the times the band let the crowd be a part of the songs with Whohu chanting passages in the medleys.

Over all it was great but not that great. Besides the bad sound and the rain there was one more thing that made it less great than i could been. The short versions of the older classic songs like Bongo Bong for instance.

Worth the effort? (The concert was free of entrance, paid by us taxpayers)? Yes, this is what I think my taxmoney could be spent on, not corrupt politicians.

 

…

3rd annual Ultrahuset celebration at Kafé 44, Tredje Könet, Klägg and Gonzo Morales live review

The Venue (and a background)

For the second generation of Stockholm punks Ultrahuset was a second home. Basically it was a family house in a suburbian middleclass area that for some reason was turned into an anarchy punk place (why I didn´t know then and I still don´t). The concerts where held in the living room that was turned into a riot pad. The place was an exception in the well planned capital of Sweden, Stockholm.
An exception that became a role model for other places such as Pinkruset and  Vita Huset in Täby. But Ultra Huset in Handen was the #1 stage of both new  and older punkbands. Ebba Grön,  KSMB, Black Flag (Henry Rollins edition) and Dave Grohls Scream did play there.
The authorities and neighbors did manage to close it down in 1987-88. And as a symbolic act, some punks thought it was a good Idea to torch the place and burn it down instead of hand it over to the enemies.  With it, a wild and crazy part of Swedish punk history died.

Swedish punk didn´t. And so did not did the activities that moved to different places. Kafé 44 at the innercity island of Södermalm was the most notable extension of the activities of Ultra.

Since 3 years now Ante and Frölis have organized an annual celebration of Ultrahuset with bands that where there when it happened. This year Tredje Könet and Klägg was the main event.

The music and punk scene in all its glory, what as most famous with Ultra was the buns that Tompa Eken baked, and still does at Kafé 44, or 44an as most people say. The best buns I ever tasted!
I didn´t get any last naight Buhu. I guess I didn´t paid enough attention or something.

With both Tredje Könet and Klägg on stage you will have the background to DERBY STHLM that roams the Stockholm stages today. Before I dive into that I will say there were two more acts this night. The first was Billey Shamrock which I missed. And the Danes Gonzo Morales which had nothing to do with Ultrahuset and whose music was a bit apart from the nostalgia punk that was going on.

The Bands

Gonzo Morales

Apart from that they did a smashing good concert. The sound was excellent and their concept that might have been silly with its distorted vocals and tremolo guitars was a blast, hypnotic and catching. I wished they have had the opportunity to play on their conditions, not squeezed in between Klägg and Tredje Könet. Definitely will I listen more to them because they were quite good.
Together with a band like Nej they would have made a great lineup.

Klägg

I never heard Klägg back in the days, (which is weird because I hung out with Turbos brother Tommy). It was something that you read written on the wall in punk style graffiti.
I did a review of their DIY album this spring.
Live they were good. They were as aggressive and hard as I like to remember the bands from the old age. The agitating singer that where all over the place trying to wind up the not so young audience to the guitars with its Clashy hooks, tight drums and the bass players insane manners (the same as in DERBY STHLM) made it a good concert even with today´s standards. It might have been a nostalgia night but their performance and songs seemed surprisingly fresh.

Tredje Könet

Tredje Könet had their days in the mid 80ies. With its catchy pop punk I will say they were procursors to both trallpunk and the catchy rock punk that copy Rancid today. They got very strong melodies in all their numbers, but, the crowd where there to hear their two minor hits, “Spindlar” and “Godismannen”.  “Spindlar” covered by the French band Sans Sursis as well as DERBY STHLM frequently cover “Godismannen”. But  “Människor I nöd”, “En neger” and “Jag vill inte” is still real good punk rock songs that hold its banner high.
 It must been like home to Leffe when he last night was in a different band than DERBY STHLM, but still got a bass player in the center of the stage jumping up and down like a madman, or should I use madwoman instead. Ylva was one of those females that back in the days seems to refuse to be nice and quiet or just be pretty. Was it the whole rock star number onstage?
Still even if she leaves the tits covered nowdays as Leffe points out, she is all over not wanting to leave the stage clean for guitar playing male egos. The mocking between Leffe and Ylva onstage as well as between the band and the crowd was a part of the entertainment. Tredje Könets EP “4 hits” was one of my first buys when I moved to Stockholm in the mid 80ies and it is with a certain sadness I realize that this was a, one time only, event. I wish they continued because I felt I want that, I realized I missed them.

However the essence of the night is spelled DERBY STHLM. Whatever the two main acts did back then is refined in DERBY STHLM, and it was fun to see where the hell they came from so clearly.

I should mention the spontaneous 2 number gig Psykbryt and DERBY STHLM (named by the crowd as Derby Psykbryt) did in two KSMB numbers rather improvised, just like it could be back then.

The crowd

The crowd was mostly the regulars at Punk venues as well as some others. And because of the Ultra connection to the gig the average age was past 40. Pogoing there was to a certain point, but mostly it was more the Stockholm style of standing like statues kind of crowd. However the crowd grabbing the mikes in the chorus was more like it was back then at Ultra, where the was no real stage and the crowd was more or less standing in the band area, just like it should be.  Especially during the covers.

Covers like “Ronka”, “Jag vill dö” and “Pervers politiker”

And so

Worth the money? 100 SeK, Yes. But that price was an capitalistic outrage compared to Ultrahuset standards. Times have changed, that is clear.

Stiff Little Fingers, Alonzo & Fas 3 and Bitch Boys at Debaser Medis (Live Review)

Stiff Little Fingers, Alonzo & Fas 3 and Bitch Boys at Debaser Medis 

April 5 2013

(Pictures will come later)

You could almost touch the tension in front of the stage before Stiff entered. A positive loaded tension built up of expectation, a feeling of pure held back joyful energy. Some did some pogoing before any chord been played others like me chanted “Gotta Getaway”. The Stiff entered the stage, then all hell were breaking lose…

But first let´s back down a few hours, we take it from the start.


The Place

Debaser, Medis is from my point of view a real good place to see bands, both because it takes up to 800 or 900 people. It feels narrow, most people get a good view of the bands (I don´t know if people in wheelchairs agree on that) and the sound are often very good. The only negative I can say about it, is the bars have a tendency to get a bit too crowded and the service then get a bit slow.


The Crowd

It was sold out long time ago. The majority of the crowd was mostly old original punks in their 50ies. For us SLF was the band who was the big punk band (sorry Clash) just after Sex Pistols and before Oi! came along. Grey hair, baldness and hard earned beer bellies everywhere. And ad to that more girls (mostly fake blond ladies) than at a regular punk concert. A few mohawk punks and skinheads found their way to Debaser Medis last night. The heavy weighted punk veterans didn´t feared to die of heart attacks in the mosh pit. No one did die, but If someone did it hadn´t been a sad thing, it would have been pure happiness to meet you makers that way. SLF and Alonzo was more than pleased with the crowd response. In fact I think SLF was a bit shaken by it, at least did they told us so.

The Bands

Bitch Boys

Bitch Boys wasn´t the biggest or the most skilled band back in the seventies and eighties. Even if they learned to play it proper nowdays, this forum wasn`t theirs. They got good tunes, heavy sound and Frobbe is a witty front man. But they were the opening support act this night, which I don´t think did them any right. As I see it it became more of a limitation to them than an opportunity.

Alonzo and Fas 3

I said hi to Micke Alonzo before the concert, and to Steppan (the other original KSMB singer). It didn´t strike me then that Steppan would be on stage…Infact I didn´t recognize him as one of my teenage heroes.  But with him onstage it was a blast to see the other original KSMB singer do the “Polsk Schlager” and “Atomreggae” (aka Harrisburg). I went emotional for the first time last night, not the last. I admit there were a shitload of nostalgia hidden in my response to it but also IT IS godlike good tunes. During “Tänker på dig” (Thinking Of You) Micke and I think Steppan as well wen´t emotional, you could tell. Mickes voice stopped being loud and it looked like he was fighting his tears. I guess he was thinking of his dead Brother “Totte” (that was the drummer in their band Stockholm Negrer) which was one of the people they dedicated the song to.

From a source I gotten, the news last week that “Dadde” from Asta Kask was going to do the drumming, it pleased me a lot. Then I knew that Alonzo was in it for real. Dudde is a very fast and dynamic drummer. Onstage they also got it right by switching one of the two Telecasters to an Epiphone Les Paul with its Humbucker pick ups (like Rancid, Topper and other well sounding punk bands). The Fas 3 sound where good last night. It looked like the band played with a big bucket of confidence. Micke didn´t have to worry about if this was fair enough. From the Opening with the world class tune “602” to the end there was just hits. They´re delivering both their new Fas 3 songs “Dansa som en fjäril”, “Jag vill ha ett meningsfullt liv” as well as a Stockholms Negrer song “Det förlovade landet” (introduced as his old mans every day rants) to KSMB classics as “ABAB”, “Tidens tempo”, “Atomreaggae”,

After that I was ready to go home, I joked. No one laughed, but all agreed. Alonzo and Fas 3 proved themselves as a headline band, not just a support act. And from the Swedish punk folklore I remembered when Ebba Grön and Dag Vag as support acts to Elvis Costello took over the stage and blew everybody out of their minds, left poor Costello almost alone at the place- Because the crowd just got so pleased by the Swedish bands that no one cared about poor Costello. That was not going to happen last night. People ware there to see the Stiff Little Fingers for the first time in Stockholm in 30 years.

Stiff Little Fingers

I f there even was a shadow of a doubt, it wasn´t at any good at all. We didn´t got disappointed. From the opening number “At the Edge” to the last, 2^nd encore, “Alternative Ulster” it was a ball. Mosh pitting pogoing, sing a longs and just a hell of a time in front of the stage. The rather stable edition of SLF with two members from the classic line up, Jake Burns and Ali McMordie and the other two from the 90ies. The 2^nd guitarists, Ian McCallum, have been in the band since the early nineties. It is tight and focused not least with the drummer, Steve Grantley that ad some extra energy to it. The sound was good, a bit too much treble I think. On the other hand, that was always the Stiff sound. ”Suspect Device”, “Fly the Flag”, “Tin Soldiers”, “Alternative Ulster”, “At the Edge” and “Nobody´s Hero” is a part of the Punk history that never can be taken away from them, Stiffs. We got them, as well as “Roots Radicals Rockers and Reggae”, “Barbed Wire Love” and “Strummerville” thrown at us as it was fresh meat thrown at a lion pit. As well as a peculiar new yet unpublished song about the new law in the USA that gives the cops right to stop you just because of your looks (just like the Stockholm police got criticism for doing) sounded like the nicked it from Strebers or Dia Psalma or something, peculiar anyway. The new songs were as always a bit harder to take to your heart than the older classics, otherwise this was a hit parade. Even more resent songs like “Strummerville” were crowd pleasers. In the end, the tunes from the two first studio albums were the ones that blew me to, wherever I went.

Singer Jake Burns went on in between the songs to tell why he wrote them, and you could tell he wasn´t in it for the fame. He was the real thing then and I think still is. The looks in his eyes while playing the Rule Britania passage in “Fly The Flag” was indescribable, Just that look was worth all the money to get in. I believed for a moment he wasn´t a punk rocker entertaining us on stage, it was far beyond that.  I believe we could get a glimpse on what was going on in his mind. You could easily write a book about it like it was a Vermeer painting or something.

Then it was time to get real emotional, at least in my case, for the second time that night, during the encores and especially during “Tin Soldiers”.
I can´t help thinking of my father that fled a hard labor life in the woods, to become a soldier at the age 16.

As a second encore they finished with "Alternative Ulster" with, by then, mandatory sing a longs. What a fucking night it was!

.


After
Afterwards I changed a few words with the company I came here with but there wasn´t much to say, word didn´t cover it, just silly smiles all over our faces especially a certain Topper singer I think had the biggest smile on the whole Södermalm that night. Continue drinking beer and trying to have a good time was pointless. The Stiffs and Alonzos music had sent me to a place where just pure joy and happiness existed. The process to get a new beer and pretend that the world was the same without their performances was bound to fail, so I went home, and so did many others.

Worth the money?
Alonzo and Fas 3 was already fulfilling the fee of ??? Skr (I don´t remembered what I paid). When SLF entered the stage it was like being payed.
Jake Burnes told us about a depression he just gotten rid off, my way of not get into one is to go to concerts like this, this is soul food for your soul, hanx mates!

Derby STHLM, Topper and Psykbryt at ROQ, (Concert review)

Pictures will be posted later. Please be patient.

Derby STHLM, Topper and Psykbryt at ROQ Odenplan, Stockholm.
March 16 2013

Weeks before I warned that you shouldn´t miss this, and still you did. A three bands night like this should count in thousands of screaming, rampaging fans. But it didn´t.

The Place

The last night concert at the Pool hall ROQ was an odd break in the usual , Snövit, Broder Tuck and Kafé 44 at the Södermalm punk scene in the Vasastan part of the City. Once in a while ROQ have rock and punk concerts in the pool hall. It isn’t as primitive as it sounds, because they both have a stage, light rig and mixer/DJ booth. And the sound is quite good, but, the pool table landscape in next to the concert area is huge and makes the narrow punk club feeling isn´t really there. On the Other side, how often can you play pool while waiting for the stage mayhem to happen. My former band Lap Dogs challenged Ligisterna in some fine game of Billiards. With a humiliating defeat for Lap Dogs. I blame it on the DJ that played so much fine punk of my favorite bands that I wasn´t too focused on the pool.

 It wasn’t optimal that such a fine band as Ligisterna played pool this night and wasn´t on stage, then the night would have been even greater.

The Crowd

I am upset! If you have some of this citys best band on stage for free and there isn´t a line of waiting people to March outside, then there is something wrong. It was a decent crowd I think, but far from what this bands deserve.  Hey you, stop sitting and feeling sorry for yourself over beer and being misunderstood. Start watching all these good bands that play all over the city right now! Visit Snövit, KGB, Kafé 44 and ROQ for some quality time.

You might know by now that I say the Stockholm crowd is a bit stiff. Yes we are. Some, however did some spontaneous dancing here and there, but this bands deserve a total wreck less mayhem in front. Shame on me, as well. I blame it on the fact I tried to film it, what is your excuse?

The Bands

The bands are in some parts similar, but in most parts not. Together they in their lyrics pretty much cover the whole situation in this country right now, with Ligisterna this picture would be perfect. And they are three main act bands. No support acts here.

Psykbryt

Psykbryt

First out was the youngsters in Psykbryt, which I think scared the shit out of the others. They are young, fast and furious and set the pace for the night. The old men in Topper and Derby STHLM then had to keep up.
Psykbryt was razor sharp! At their finest, witty and sarcastic and full of the arrogance of young bastards in a band as well as some humble doubt in it . They took no prisoners last night, it was a clean cut operation, search and destroy. Their own songs as well the KSMB covers . I think they are an important band, because of the age of the members in the Stockholm punk scene isn´t very young. Psykbryt are young and keep it very basic and simple just what I love with punk. The rhythm section plays well, tha bass lines giving the rather simple music some depth. The drumers talent doesn´t pass unnoticed. Tonight he is all over the drum set (not all over the stage). As I just wrote, I think they are an important band, for other young punks, because they show how easy it is to make good punk, even if it is an illusion because there are plenty of skills, will power and practice to master it like this.  Best song? I am a sucker for “Åk hem till Täby” but I couldn´t find any weak spots.

Topper

Topper

Topper must be shitting bricks backstage while Psykbryt shell shocked the crowd. You could tell there was no way that the 4 man group Topper would be looking old and with an “best before” date stamped into their foreheads. Their music, melodic SLF/The Clash style of punk, isn´t as fast as Psykbryts. But there is no need to it. But they really tried to be, I think. Haha. Where the Psykbryt drummer is fast and furious, Topper is heavy and hard hitting, the whole rhythm section (Bass and Drums) made the whole sound very professional, then add the intensity of the singer and the beautiful lead Steve Jones type of guitar playing you got a world class performance. Once again I was standing in a small club thinking “that this should be on a much bigger stage, in front of much more people”. This particular night they also did a Stiff Little Fingers cover, “Suspect Device” with a guest singer, really brilliant. In the end it was “Suburbs”, “Once a Punk” and “Off She goes” that was the highlights. Really well written songs, performed with a lot of heart, sweat and a good rock n roll feeling.  

In between Topper presented a two man act (I didn´t pay enough attention to hear what they were presented as) Guitar and Drums. Not bad at all, in fact quite cool.

Derby STHLM

Derby STHLM

Here I might be feeling sorry for Derby STHLM if I didn´t knew that they are not any ordinary band. I guess they are in their own little world not disturbed by the fact that the some of this years (to date) best concerts just been on the same stage. Such detail seems like just a thing in the background, even if they just as Topper cheered Psykbryt.
Derby STHLM seemed not to have any intention to let anyone down. The sound was perfect as their timing. They hurried into the next song thru the set, that was played fast so they won´t look old next to Psykbryt. The drums were both fast, hard hitting and effective.  The Bass player is all over the stage in his typical Pete Townsend manner orchestrating the crowds heartbeat. The vocals and chorus giving the band such a depth and professional sound. The only negative about the set is that it is hard to hear the keyboards.

Covers? Yes, Both Ebba Grön, Köttgrottorna and Tredje könets “Godismannen” sung by the original text writer.  When the sound of the vocals were as good as it was, then their own tunes stand out really well. Best song? Hard to say but I pick the covers “Godismannen” and “Vildjdjuret” mostly of nostalgic reasons. But all the songs are good.


Finally, it is a shame that this concert wasn´t attended by thousands. I could easily pay a couple of hundred Swedish Kronor, to see this. Now it was free of charge, Thank you ROQ!

Topper at Snövit jan 26 2013, Not far from Divine!

A bit of explanation of the Suburbs of Sweden, to understand the full mening of the Topper song We live in the suburbs.. After the WW2 when the European cities got their town centres bombed to peaces, the architects decided to spread out the cities in smaller towns in satelite towns. I live in what is considered as the Suburbia masterpiece, Vällingby that was built in the mid fifties, A town that stood as model for many suburbs in both Sweden and the world. During the 60ies and 70ies Sweden built 1milion new apartements which went under the name Miljonprogrammet (Now you know what the title of Ligisternas CD "Miljonprogrammet" means). Building in such speed for a country of just 8 milions was not without problems.
At the same time unemployment struck the country as well as the drugs found its way to sweden, as well as the imigration increased not always without problems. Suburbia wasn´t that paradise that was the intention, in fact Swedes tend to call them Ghettos.

It is in the suburbs swedish punk, metal and hip hop scenes got started.

Being from the Suburbs is for many middle class, inner city, people the same as being a total failure.

Some suburbia songs to check out;

Ebba Grön - Only in it for the drugs pt1
Topper - We live in the suburbs
The Dräpers - Råby
Kasta Katt - Full, Fet och Fattig
Hårda Tider - Området & Packet

Now onto the review....



The event and the crowd

The night before I and the bassplayer from Utanförskapet, Björn, was chatting about that it might be a good idea to get bands from different genres to play the same night to get more people to the concerts. Bad idea, proved by this Saturday in the cellar club of Snövit. Lets say, the punks were in minority in this punk club. Hippies ala 70ies, leftist 70ies progg* rockers as well as bikers populated the packed club. As did the bands on stage, with a horrible result. Björn, hear me, it was a bad idea! The Stockholm syndrome of stay as a statue and not stir up a mosh pit was well practiced in absurdum. I did a try with no use at all.

The Bands

The Highway Men and Pizda...Forget about them on to the good stuff...

Topper are a Stockholm band that like Rancid have the Clash as role model which is not a bad thing.
In another place or universe Topper might been a huge band touring the world like Rancid. But they don´t, which I find most peculiar. They are no youngsters and beginners and know whats make good punk within their genre. The band are tight, catchy and very well sounding, especially the carismatic singer that seems to put his whole soul in every word sung/screamed. I cant believe I see such a great performance so close to the band. They out score Dropkick Murphys great performance on the much bigger stage with a much bigger crowd earlier this week big times. There are shivers running down my spine when I realize that I am experience this. However, they didn´t played or pushed their new digital single "Dårar" where they sing in Swedish. But we got their classic tunes "Once a Punk...", "Off She Goes" and the World class tune "We live in the Suburbs". The "We live in the Suburbs" made me burst into tears that only really good concerts do. I couldn´t belive my ears and eyes how good such good performance a bunch of old men from the suburbs could put on. I wrote last summer I saw the light at the Rancids performance in Gothenburg, this was something like it.


Worth the money? Are you kidding me? I payed 80SKr (8 Euros) for three bands, which I could spend the 80SKr on not listening to the two pretentious hippie and progg/prog bands. I could pay 800Skr for seeing Topper in such shape.




*Progg spelled with gg is a Swedish leftist genre that evolved from prog rock, protests songs, Marxism, Jazz and Hippie psychadelia, often with Swedish folk music and blues influences.

Review - Street Dogs, Greta Kassler, Spotlicks and Twopointeight

Saturday July 7, two concerts roughly at the same time.
At Broder Tuck was the line up Spotlicks, Greta Kassler and STYGG
At Debaser Medis was the line up Two point eight and Street Dogs (US)

STYGG didn´t get any review because I missed them because of Street Dogs.

The Places

Broder Tuck

The Broder Tuck Restaurant is rather big, the concert room in the basement are small, very small.
The contrast between the gangster look´a´like door men, their general clientel on the ground level and the Anarchists, Metal Heads and Punks in the basement are striking. The sound is mostly terrible, and loud. Very loud.

Debaser Slussen
Debaser Slussen togheter with Debaser Medis, Strand and Rocks the only decent rock clubs in Stockholm City. Debaser Slussen and Medis are mainly built up around concerts. The Stage a Debaser Slussen are however a photographers nightmare because most of the light are pointed towards you, not at the band. But the sound are generally much better than most of the clubs and stages in the City. Debaser in general attracts mostly a rock audience, not necessary a punk crowd. Tonight there are a lot of punk fans in the bulding, along with rock n rollers.


The Crowds

Broder Tuck

If you consider that Street Dogs are giving a free concert two subway stops away and most people are away on vacation it´s amazingly much people at Broder Tuck this particular night. As I written before, Broder Tuck got a horrible little basement as their concert room. And the bands seem pleased that so many showed up.

Debaser

Not only were we blessed this last days with high air humidity, which isn´t too common in Stockholm, the Debaser Slussen club was packed and hot as well. When I arrived more than halfway through Twopointeight´s gig there were like an wall of warm sweaty air to team up with me when I enter. It was packed so I can´t say I have a very good place to see the end of their gig from.

When it comes to the Street Dogs I got a perfect spot just outside the moshpit, and If I been in better shape I would most certainly been in the middle of it. Even the Boston lads in Street Dogs complain about the heat. Where I stood there were a fan blowing so it was OK, but still I got a sweat soaked T-shirt after the gig.


The Gigs

Broder Tuck


Spotlicks

First out this lovely, warm summer night was Spotlicks. A three man band, or should I write two men and one woman band, a woman that  was the main singer even if all of them were on vocals. The style of their punk is mostly based in early Swedish 78 punk. The songs are built up around power chord riffing and Swedish lyrics. The sound was really bad and didn’t gave the band the chance they deserved, but got a bit better toward the end, it is a bit pity that the sound was bad in the beginning, the band was better than the sound. And it was mostly a loud treble that reach my ears. The song that stayed in my mind was about you are good as you are (Fatta att du duger) But the songs were good, they played it like I like it. No noncense here, no arty stuff, just riffs pretty fast and vocals and Clash and Ebba Grön style of drumming. I liked it and a better sound would been better, at least to more clearly hear the vocals.


Greta Kassler

Greta Kassler mix D-beat and Trall Punk. They played fast. Live that night they did it convincingly even if the sound wasn´t the best, but loud as the sound waves moved me physically a cm or something. Much better than the sound Spotlick´s had to cope with though. It was fast and tight and the two singers different voices gave the music a different feeling even if the speed was mainly D-beat. And they sang it, not shouted, not chanted or growling it. It´s political and angry. Tonight they convinced. Too bad I couldn´t stay for the last band ST. But then I had to hurry to even get in to see the Street Dogs. I didn´t have time to say goodbye to the people there.

Worth the money, 100Skr (10 Pounds)? Yes, but this came to be in the shadow of what the Street Dogs did.


Debaser Slussen

Twopointeight

There are a certain hype around Twopointeight, mostly because their commercial, radio friendly rock heavy influenced by the Clash and Rancid. And that´s what is bothering me with the band, it´s a bit to mainstream and radio friendly for my taste. Not only me BTW, other just hates themfor other reasons. They are trying too hard to be the Swedish Rancid so they lose any originality. On record the smart productions lack the energy or punk. With Greta Kassler still ringing in my ears, TPE are way too slow. OK, it´s unfair to compare a part of a gig with a full gig but tonight Greta Kassler wins, not because better voices or better tunes, but because Greta is fast and full of energy, Twopointeight was slow and seems to be too cool to get dirty, that and the total lack of energy was a let down on me, others seems to like it. Not even their best song, Red Eyes, worked for me that night. Gubbrock (Old Mans Rock) is a word they are dangerously close to it. But it seems like I am not in phase with the crowd next to the stage.


Street Dogs

It is a bit surreal to be seeing a class act as Street Dogs for free. The former Dropkick Murphys singer Michael McColgan quit the Murphys to fulfill his dream to become a fire fighter just as Dropkick broke in the punk scene. Since then he is a  Street Dog. It stood clear last night what Mc Colgan brought to the Dropkick Murphys debut record Do or Die (which is my favorite DKM record). The speed, the energy and the punk. Street Dogs lacks most of the Gaelic stuff that DKM based their career around, it´s more just punk.
First I have to take a deep breath before I go on and tell you about it, because the memory itself gives me shivers. And point out that sometimes you feel that you are in the right place at the right time. This gig was one of those moments. So seem the band feel about it as well.
I feel sorry for those suckers that ware at the Roskilde that night to see Bruce Springsteen, when it was at Debaser it was happening.

From the beginning the band showed that this was for real. The best sound all night, Loud but not as loud as during Greta Kassler. Fast and hard and mercy less! Most of their known songs, as well as a few covers and DKM songs. The two songs I missed was Power in the Union and Skinhead on MBTA (Will I ever hear my favorite song live?) but that didn´t matter tonight. Tight, heavy and fast (not D-beat fast but fast.) and with all the energy TPE didn´t showed.  
The best was the Dropkick songs near the end with old “Do or Die”  and “Get up”, the DKM songs and covers. Especially the song Do or Die (for a moment my eyes met Mikes as we were chanting out the lyrics as he pointed at me and I answered with a raised fist).

Wow, is the only word that describes it all. The Crowd did go absolutely mental from the first song. The band and the crowd ripped the place apart totally, I saw a bar table go wasted and the Gods only know what else broke, the blood was pouring down people foreheads, smashed bloody in the euphoria this night gave us. Energy, mosh pitting, sing a longs, stage diving, you name it, The good singer himself was crowd surfing as well. This was everything a punk rock concert should be about, it was there! The band seem to enjoy themselves, loving the crowd, the crowd loved the Dogs onstage. Some fans loved the Dogs onstage and was welcomed by a friendly band.
The band assured us that this moment will stay a long time in their hearts. I It will in my as well.

When the band as the second song in the encore burst out in Sham 69´s Bostal Breakout sung as Boston Breakout, then I thought both me and the whole place should explode. And so it went on throught the rather generous encore. What a night!. We all need a little Punk Rock n Roll.

It was pointless continuing drinking beer or chatting with old friends after. Because all I could think of was how blessed I´ve been to be there. So I went home rather quickly.

I went home with the worst Tinnitus in a long time, a big smile and a memory of seeing the light.
A light lit by some Street Dogs, Working class punk from Massachusetts.

Worth the money?……It didn´t cost anything, but let´s say this was one of the best concerts I´ve seen.      
Next chance for me to catch them is at West Coast Riot in Gothenburg July 26.

Concert Review - Dropkick Murphy´s at Gröna Lund

Dropkick Murphy´s at (the amusment park) Gröna Lund in Stockholm

The Place

Dropkick Murphy´s said they were proud that so many people showed up to see them on this particulary stage at Gröna Lund. Proud to be performing at the stage that been hosting performances from acts as Runaways, The Sweet, The Clash, The Who, The Eagles,AC/DC, Bob Marley, Iggy Pop, PIL and more (my note), Many of those band in their prime or in the early stages of their career. Bob Marley made one of his best concerts ever when he broke the attendance record in 1980. Murphy´s pointed out The Who, the Clash and Eagles as their heroes on that stage.

But that doesn’t tell the whole story. The fact that that stage been a place where those band been doing pretty lame or weak performances. Iggy Pop Ive seen way under his normal level, as same goes for The Ramones, Soundtrack of our Lifes and more. Beck did a completely disasterous dull performance there. So as well as proud they really should be alert.
after all, Gröna Lund is a rollercoaster, merry go round amusement park in the first place.

To make things ever worse. At the same time, a few hundred meters away, there was a Live broadcasting of one of Swedens most popular TV shows. A sing a long music show, “Allsång på Skansen”. It is possible that that made them play at a disturbingly low volume at first. But they fixed it a bit after half the show. Anyway the overall sound was far from perfect. Everybody knows what too low volume on the guitars does to punk rock.

Besides that most other things were great.

The Crowd

The Crowd was great and huge. The regular tourist visitors were by far outnumbered by Murphy´s fans, punks and rockers in general. Me and girlfriend spoke to some Murphy fans that seems to be from all over this part of the country. From places like Västerås and towns like that. And possible why the crowd was so jolly. If you read what I written before, you might remember that I whine a bit about the Stockholm crows tendency to be standing silence like statues at concerts. Here was the crowd loud, handclapping, fists in the air, dancing and mosh pitting all in a turmoil. The singalong factor was almost as high as it probably was at the singalong Tv show next to us. And the response from the audience seems to fuel up the Murphy´s. Because they managed, despise the low sound, the dull stage put on a high energy show.

The Songs

They played most of their well known songs as well as two new ones, "Tattoo Rose" and a song don´t know the name of.yet, except “ For Boston”, “Wicked and Sensitive Crew” and “Skinhead on the MBTA”. The last mentioned, possibly because that the park security didn´t allowed the crowd to go onstage as usual during that song. A fact that made the bass playing singer Ken Casey go into the crowd singing "Kiss me I´m Shitfaced". Sometimes sitting on some ones shoulders, sometimes drowned in the crowd, sometimes crowd surfing, a peak of the performance. Its Celtic, its working class and punk all in the same. Florence Reece old “Which side are you on” are on their repertoire as well as the lyrics of Woody Guthrie on "Shipping Up to Boston". It´s traditional Irish and it´s sentimental more than it is angry. It´s hard to get feeling of a dirty factory in the lovely summer evening, but that doesn´t matter, because they do it with a heart and it affect the people in the crowd a lot, And that turn it into a big summer party. The true qualities this night comes from the way they use their chanting choruses, that they master to an Oi! perfection. However as my brother pointed out, they could left AC/DCs “TNT” at home, because they can´t reach their own level doing a bad cover on a good song. They got enough good songs themselves to keep it up the whole concert. So many songs that they could change them a bit. The fast song, "Citizen CIA" was played as a mellow slow beat, acoustic version. My personal favorite this Nordic sun light June night was “Sunday Hardcore Matinee, it sounded just as it should.

Was it worth the money?

Was it worth the money? Yes. I payed 200 SKr (20 Euro, 28 USD). But it´s even better than that because from that I got a card that give me free access to concerts with Iggy and the Stooges, Jimmy Cliff, Lenny Kravitz, Opeth and more at Gröna Lund this summer. Or just free entrence to the park any day.

It was a great perfomance, if it was held somwhere else it would been a great concert. Or as my brother put it, "If they have got louder volume somewhere else they would have tore the place apart".