Apocalyptica in September, PAIN in October

As promised a few days ago, this post will be about the fourth and fifth concert this year. After the third concert, Priest in Linköping, a completely quiet summer followed. Then, in September 2024, we travelled once again to Sweden's capital Stockholm: Apocalyptica.

 

Photo Credit: Krista Sainio

 

It was actually during the planning phase for this concert that I started to consider going to concerts outside of Sweden instead, because first it was said that one small bag per person, with a "maximum size of an A4 paper", would be allowed, despite the nationwide "väskförbud" ["ban of bags"] in Sweden. Then, suddenly, there was talk of a "totalt väskförbud" ["total ban of bags"], before the whole thing was reversed again the day before the concert. In other words: Much ado about nothing, but definitely a stress factor. However, once we entered the venue "Kägelbanan" for the very first time, everything ran super smoothly, and you can read everything about the show on 21st September 2024 in the corresponding live review and also check out the photo gallery. And here are some audiovisual impressions of Apocalyptica and their tour support The Raven Age...

 

 

 

Basically, it was a night of premieres. It was our first time at "Kägelbanan", which is part of the larger venue "Södra Teatern". Later, after "Kägelbanan" had closed, we visited the impressive premises of "Södra Teatern" for the first time, and before heading to the party at "Kollektivet Livet" as planned, we made a spontaneous detour to "Mammut Bar" in the Gamla Stan district of Stockholm, because a friend of mine, who I had not seen in 10 years, was DJing there. "Mammut Bar" and "Kollektivet Livet" were also new venues for us. "Kollektivet Livet" (also known as "Stadsgårdsterminalen") opened in March 2023, and "Mammut Bar" opened in March 2024. The days when there was a wide range of rock and metal clubs in Stockholm are long gone, so it was all the nicer to have so much to choose from that night, and we obviously took advantage of everything. ♥ 

 

The next concert took place just two weeks later, in the Swedish city of Falun on 4th October 2024: PAIN.

 

Photo Credit: Krista Sainio

It was the kick-off show of their 2024 Nordic tour and also a kind of a home game for PAIN frontman Peter Tägtgren. You can read everything about the show at "Heymakers" in the corresponding live review and also check out the photo gallery. And here are some audiovisual impressions of PAIN and their tour support Metalite...

 

 

 

On the way to the venue, the city centre of Falun looked like a ghost town in the middle of the night, even though it was a Friday evening, and it looked exactly the same when we left the venue at around 1 AM (The venue closed at 1 AM), so it was a sharp contrast to the night after the Apocalyptica concert in Stockholm. But I ended up in a YouTube video published by PAIN... ;o)

 

 

 

Blind Channel in April, Priest in May

If you follow my work for Chaoszine (the easiest way to do this is to follow me on X / twitter), then you already know that the number of concerts I attended in 2024 is back to pre-pandemic levels. That's still only five concerts, which is a lot less than I'm used to and would like to attend, but the circumstances for attending concerts have become anything but easier in recent years. In Sweden, for example, a nationwide "väskförbud" ["ban of bags"] was introduced on 1st November 2023. Due to the increased risk of terror attacks in Sweden, one is no longer allowed to bring bags to bigger events. Some venues make exceptions, but even that doesn't always go smoothly. It seems that concert organisers and venues have to renegotiate the "väskförbud" with the authorities for each concert. Storing larger luggage in the paid cloakroom is usually not an option, as the authorities do not consider the cloakrooms to be suitable for this (jackets and the like are ok, though). While the security measure is understandable, in practice, it may be a stress factor that could deter some potential visitors from attending an event in the first place. I am one of those potential visitors. For example, I never attend events with a "totalt väskförbud" ["total ban of bags"], as a matter of principle, and I have also started to consider going to concerts outside of Sweden instead. If the "väskförbud" forces one to book a hotel room every time one attends a concert in Sweden, one might as well just travel to another country. 

As for the number of concerts I attended in 2024: There is still a month and a half to go before the year 2024 ends, so... Let's see. 

The first concert was Priest in Sweden's capital Stockholm in March 2024, where we celebrated our birthdays. The second concert was in April 2024, also in Stockholm: Blind Channel.

 

Photo Credit: Krista Sainio

 

It seems like a lifetime ago that Blind Channel finished in a glorious sixth place with "Dark Side" at the Eurovision Song Contest 2021, and, unfortunately, it took me just as long to finally catch a show of the "Backstreet Boys of the metal scene". Even more unfortunate is the fact that Blind Channel recently announced an indefinite hiatus, so it will be a while before I can see them live on stage again. Their show at "Nalen" on 23rd April 2024 was so intense and energetic... Definitely worth seeing live more than once. You can read everything about the show in the corresponding live review and also check out the photo gallery. And here are some audiovisual impressions of Blind Channel and their tour support Rock Band From Hell...

 

 

 

 

 

The third concert took place in May 2024: Priest's pre-release party for their 4th studio album "Dark Pulse" in the Swedish city of Linköping. 

This event was special in many ways. Amongst other things, I had never been to Linköping before. You can read everything about the pre-release party on 17th May 2024 in the corresponding live review. And here is an audiovisual impression of the event at "Centralbryggeriet"...

 

 

Apart from the show, I wasn't particularly active with the camera on this trip, but for the Swifties among you, I took the following snapshot when I was back in Stockholm... 

Taylor Swift had played three completely sold-out stadium shows in Stockholm on the same weekend, which resulted in high travel and accommodation costs in and around the capital of Sweden, so Priest's choice to host their pre-release party about 200 kilometres away from Stockholm can also be seen as a favour for many attendees. 

Soon, you can read more about the fourth and fifth concert on this blog... Stay tuned! 

 

Celebrating our birthdays with Priest in Stockholm

A post on this blog that is not a "Happy New Year" post? Yes, that's right! :o) After a few years of the corona pandemic, we are now more or less back to normal life, and for the first time since the beginning of the corona pandemic, our birthdays are celebrated at concerts again. 

As already mentioned in the previous blog post, one week before Christmas, on 16th December 2023, we attended Deathstars' home game in Sweden's capital Stockholm, with Liv Sin as opening act and Priest as main support. Or as I would say, especially in retrospect: Some nights are just magical. While working on the corresponding live review and photo gallery, I mainly listened to the songs from Priest's performance ("Neuromancer", "Obey", "The Pit"...). And when Priest started dropping hints a few days later via their facebook profile ("//STOCKHOLM// Tack för en fantastisk lördag på Slaktkyrkan - vi ses snart igen!" and "News coming soon.."), I wondered: "Could it be that...?" Could it be that Priest will play another show in Stockholm soon, maybe even on our birthday weekend? And on 11th January 2024, it turned out: Yes, that is exactly what Priest were going to do... What are the chances?!? So, I was pretty over the moon, and the birthday plans were fixed. 

Right before the concert, I could have even met Then Comes Silence, who had a DJ session in honour of their single release of "Ride Or Die" in Gamla Stan already from 5 PM. Unfortunately, I only found out about this event afterwards, despite thorough research on my part about what could have been done during that weekend. Oh well! 

The concert itself was great, and you can read everything about it in the corresponding live review and also check out the photo gallery.

Photo Credit: Krista Sainio 

 

Priest vocalist Mercury and I during the show (Photo Credit: Marisol Correa / musicstage.se)

 

Here is also an audiovisual impression of Priest's show at "Slaktkyrkan"... 

 

 

As can be read in the live review, by 10.30 PM, everyone was swept out of the club, due to a subsequent event that was never mentioned on the official website of the venue. That was definitely not cool. We thought that we would be at "Slaktkyrkan" until midnight, like last time. And the days when there was a wide range of rock and metal clubs in Stockholm are long gone. There is this one venue that was repeatedly suggested to us, where mostly cover bands play, including that night, but especially after seeing something original like Priest, I didn't feel like seeing a cover band. And so we had our own little party...

 

Our hotel room in Södermalm 

 

Lordi frontman Mr Lordi on TV 

 

My birthday cake 

 

The additional cake (or what's left of it in the picture): A pink leopard cake, baked by me 

 

Our birthday presents

 

 

 

The next concert we will attend is already in the pipeline, and it will be another show in Stockholm. One might think that all these events in Stockholm have something to do with my love for the capital of Sweden, but that's only partly true these days. Cancellations of concerts, tours and festival appearances, sometimes at the very last minute, have become common practice for musicians long before the corona pandemic, and there are currently also other risk factors such as strikes, which is why I continue to refrain from longer "gig trips". Within Sweden, the network of public transportation is not that well developed, and it has recently also become quite notorious for its unreliability. That's also why Stockholm is more or less the only option at the moment. Well, there are certainly worse things than being limited to Stockholm for a while... ;o)

 

 

Happy New Year 2024!

Happy New Year 2024, everyone! ♥ ♥ ♥

As in previous years, while it has been pretty quiet on this blog, my twitter account is all the more busy, not least thanks to my job at chaoszine.net where I mainly contribute to the news section and then share the corresponding links via twitter (or X, as twitter is supposed to be called these days). 

At the end of the year, however, there was a live review, written by me, about Deathstars' home game in Sweden's capital Stockholm. It took place one week before Christmas, on 16th December 2023, with Liv Sin as opening act and Priest as main support. It still seems surreal that this event actually took place. It was absolutely wonderful and definitely one of the highlights in 2023. The live review can be read here, and additional pictures of the event can be found in the photo gallery here. 

 

Photo Credit: Krista Sainio

 

The Deathstars show in Stockholm was one of two concerts that I attended in 2023. Yes, once again, it was very little. Of course, the wish is, as always, that there will be more in the new year, but as already mentioned in the live review, cancellations of concerts, tours and festival appearances, sometimes at the very last minute, have become common practice for musicians long before the corona pandemic, hence one has to plan carefully. 

If you want to know what I'm up to (or simply want to stay up to date in the world of rock, metal, goth and punk), feel free to follow me on twitter / X.

 

Happy New Year 2023!

If there is one thing one can count on on this blog, it is the annual "Happy New Year" post. ;o) So: Happy New Year 2023, everyone! ♥ ♥ ♥ 

Basically, I could really write the same thing here as last year: While it has been pretty quiet on this blog, my twitter account is all the more busy, not least thanks to my job at chaoszine.net where I mainly contribute to the news section and then share the corresponding links via twitter. If you want to know what I'm up to (or simply want to stay up to date in the world of rock, metal, goth and punk), feel free to follow me on twitter. 

New Year's Eve itself was relatively quiet, like the two times before, but we got to see a pretty decent fireworks display for the third year in a row. There was the possibility to go out afterwards, but times are what they are, and I wouldn't change a thing. We went out the next morning instead, for a very lovely New Year's Day brunch. 

2023 also marks the anniversary of a very special year in my life, and in the lives of many of my friends and acquaintances. Maybe that's why there is a little more optimism regarding the new year, despite what's currently happening in the world otherwise?

Happy New Year 2022!

Oh dear, it's been a while again... And I may be late a month, but: Happy New Year 2022, everyone! ♥ ♥ ♥ 

 

While it has been pretty quiet on this blog, my twitter account has become all the more busy. One reason for this is my job at chaoszine.net where I mainly contribute to the news section and then share the corresponding links via twitter. So if you want to know what I'm up to (or simply want to stay up to date in the world of rock, metal, goth and punk), feel free to follow me on twitter... ;o) 

Stay healthy!

Happy New Year 2021! | Rest in Peace, Alexi Laiho

Long time, no hear... Happy New Year 2021, everyone! ♥ ♥ ♥ 

Due to the ongoing corona pandemic, this New Year's Eve looked a little different than usual: No gig, no trip and certainly no "gig trip". Well, health comes first. Always. And so we actually spent the turn of the year 2020 / 2021 at home and watched all four seasons of "The Crown" that have been released so far. A positive surprise, I must say. I do have a few favourite series, but I'm not a fan of watching one series after another, and I'm particularly sceptical towards all of these "Original" productions...

... because there are sooo many and I just like to spend my time differently. More meaningfully. 

Then, at the end of November 2020, the fourth season of "The Crown" was released, featuring the love triangle between Charles, Diana and Camilla. I was curious and watched the first episode of season 4, positively surprised by the fact that "The Crown" is not a pure drama series solely revolving around the British royals. No, you also learn a lot about the politics of the time and about certain events in world history. So it's a mixture of entertainment and education, and if you have a certain affinity for the UK like I do, then the whole show is even more interesting to watch. In other words: I was sold. And so the decision to spend the turn of the year with popcorn and "The Crown" was made quickly. No regrets. 

 

Four days into the new year, news broke that Alexi "Wildchild" Laiho (Bodom After Midnight / Children Of Bodom / The Local Band / Sinergy) died aged 41. Exactly one week has passed since those news broke, and it's still hard to grasp. So young. So sudden. 

Now, I'm feeling even more gratitude to have travelled to Tampere / Finland in March 2018, in order to celebrate our birthdays with The Local Band. 

 

Once I even saw Children Of Bodom live, at least partially, at the Ankkarock festival 2010 in Vantaa / Finland. 

I still remember those green lights and that a plane from the nearby Helsinki-Vantaa airport flew over the festival area while Children Of Bodom were performing. Though, I had completely forgotten the amusing fact that there was also a group of singing Christians with huge crosses right outside the festival area, trying to save "lost souls" because of bands like Children Of Bodom. 

Rest in Peace, Alexi Laiho. 

 

Rest in Peace, Seppo Vesterinen

Screenshot of my twitter account

If it wasn't for him, I wouldn't have seen the record release show for HIM's fourth album "Love Metal" on 8th March 2003 in my native city Hamburg (Germany). It was a very exclusive event for which tickets couldn't be purchased, and it meant the world to me to be a part of it. Not long after, my interest in the band faded. Life went on. Much has happened since then. But such kind actions are NEVER forgotten. Thank you, Seppo Vesterinen. ♥

Another slightly bigger update

As promised a few days ago, now, I'm getting back to the three concerts which took place between the live events in March 2019 and the New Year's Eve show by The Hellacopters. 

The first two concerts both took place at "Dalhalla". Both in July 2019. 

One of the main ideas behind it was to explore something new again, and since "Dalhalla" is regularly represented in lists such as "The most beautiful concert venues from around the world"... Why not? 

"Dalhalla" is an open air theatre located in a former limestone quarry in Rättvik (Sweden), in the region of Dalarna. During summers, "Dalhalla" is used as a concert venue. With Iggy Pop, a suitable event was quickly found, but, later on, it turned out that New Order would play at "Dalhalla", too. Since it was hard to make a decision, we simply went to both events. 

Not least thanks to my activities as a music and culture journalist, I have been to so many concerts in my live, and never have I faced such huge transportation problems as it was the case with "Dalhalla". It was really difficult to organise. 

Getting to Rättvik by public transport is actually no problem at all. Getting from Rättvik to the venue "Dalhalla"... That's the challenge. "Dalhalla" is located in the deepest forest, roughly 10 km from the train station in Rättvik. And don't get me started on how to get anywhere from "Dalhalla" in the night when the concert is over. 

There are so-called "konsertbussar" [Swedish for: "concert buses"] which are operated by the venue / in collaboration with the venue. These concert buses operate between "Dalhalla" and some cities in Dalarna, including Rättvik. You have to book the ride with a concert bus in advance, those rides are significantly more expensive than public transport and, at the time of the Iggy Pop concert, booking a ride with a concert bus via the website of "Dalhalla" did not even work as there was an error in the booking system. We were not the only ones with this problem on the day of the Iggy Pop show, so this concert visit turned into quite an odyssey. In the end, we met some friendly concert visitors with cars who helped us. Things became really adventurous, and I think it's ultimately thanks to these nice people we met that this whole experience did not turn too sour. 

Yes, the concert was great and the venue is stunning, indeed, but arriving and leaving without a car shouldn't be that difficult, complicated and expensive. Especially not in the home country of probably the most famous climate activist worldwide at the moment, Greta Thunberg. 

Exactly three weeks later, we returned to "Dalhalla" for New Order. Shortly before, I contacted the venue so that the broken link on the website of "Dalhalla" would be repaired, making it possible to book a concert bus this time. It all worked out and, fortunately, we were spared another odyssey. 

However, you have to go back with the same concert bus that you arrived with. You cannot go to Rättvik by public transport, spend a nice day at Lake Siljan, then take the concert bus from Rättvik to the concert at "Dalhalla" and later on take another concert bus from "Dalhalla" to another city in Dalarna, in case you have an accommodation somewhere else than in Rättvik. Suggestions that have been made: Rent a car and / or book a hotel room in Rättvik. With most ticket prices starting at 800 SEK per person, a mere gig trip starts to turn into a short vacation, at least financially. 

In any case, we were spared another odyssey this time as we travelled with one of the concert buses. The downside of it was that we had to skip hanging out in Rättvik altogether, even though the day was absolutely perfect to hang out at Lake Siljan. Sunshine, blue sky and - if I remember correctly - a temperature of around 30°C. Hopefully, one day, we will catch up on that: A summer day in Rättvik at Lake Siljan. 

We have seen "Dalhalla". It is a stunning venue, indeed, and both events we attended there were great, too, but I think I will leave it at these two experiences. Travelling to and from "Dalhalla" without a car is simply too complicated, inflexible, expensive and also too time-consuming when planning the arrival to and the departure from the venue. 

Here are some visual impressions of Rättvik and Lake Siljan from the day of the Iggy Pop concert... 

... and here is an audiovisual impression of Iggy Pop performing "The Passenger" at "Dalhalla" on 3rd July 2019... 

Three weeks later, on 24th July 2019, Henric de la Cour performed amongst others "Two Against One" and "Arkham Supermarket" as a support act for New Order at "Dalhalla"...

... and New Order performed amongst others "Singularity", "She's Lost Control" [Joy Division cover], "Tutti Frutti", "Blue Monday" and "Love Will Tear Us Apart" [Joy Division cover] at "Dalhalla"...

Further snapshots of the New Order show can be found on "Sound Kitchen Archives": https://sound-kitchen-archives.blogspot.com/2020/03/photo-gallery-new-order-live-at.html. 

The third concert was comparatively unspectacular in terms of arrival and departure since The Mission frontman Wayne Hussey chose a club in the city centre of Sweden's capital Stockholm for his solo show on 8th November 2019, supported by Evi Vine... 

Further snapshots of Wayne Hussey (The Mission UK) and Evi Vine performing at "Nalen" can be found on "Sound Kitchen Archives": https://sound-kitchen-archives.blogspot.com/2020/03/photo-gallery-wayne-hussey-mission-uk.html. 

So, now, everything from the year 2019 is finally online. :o) 

Stay healthy! 

A slightly bigger update

Two months have passed since my previous blog post, so there is a slightly bigger update now. 

First, let's go back a year, to our birthdays in March 2019 which we celebrated at the "Klubb Död" event at "Nalen" in Sweden's capital Stockholm, with Then Comes Silence, TRAITRS, The Foreign Resort and The Flatfield. Audiovisual impressions of that wonderful evening were posted on this blog a month later. Further snapshots were published on "Sound Kitchen Archives" during the course of the year... 

The Flatfield: https://sound-kitchen-archives.blogspot.com/2019/04/photo-gallery-flatfield-live-in.html 

The Foreign Resort: https://sound-kitchen-archives.blogspot.com/2019/04/photo-gallery-foreign-resort-live-in.html 

TRAITRS: https://sound-kitchen-archives.blogspot.com/2019/09/photo-gallery-traitrs-live-in-stockholm.html 

Then Comes Silence: https://sound-kitchen-archives.blogspot.com/2019/11/photo-gallery-then-comes-silence-live.html. 

It was definitely not planned that the publication of these pictures would take so long, but it did, and maybe one day I will share the reasons for it with you. 

The same applies to the concert of Ville Valo & Agents on Viking Line's cruiseferry "Viking Grace" on 30th March 2019. Here is an audiovisual impression... 

... and further snapshots can be found on "Sound Kitchen Archives": https://sound-kitchen-archives.blogspot.com/2019/11/photo-gallery-ville-valo-agents-live-on.html. 

Between the live events in March 2019 and the New Year's Eve show by The Hellacopters at "Debaser Strand" in Stockholm, there were three more concerts, but I'll get back to those in a later blog post. We have also attended another concert after the New Year's Eve show by The Hellacopters. A concert where cream cakes and fish were thrown into the audience. Take a guess... ;o) 

Back to the New Year's Eve show by The Hellacopters, here is an audiovisual impression... 

... and further snapshots can be found on "Sound Kitchen Archives": https://sound-kitchen-archives.blogspot.com/2020/03/photo-gallery-hellacopters-live-in.html. 

I hope you enjoy these updates.

Stay healthy!