As
the saying goes...all good things must come to an end. And so it is
that fans of one the greatest Rock 'n' Roll groups of recent years, The Soundtrack of Our Lives,
are still coming to terms with the news that the band have decided to
split up after their final shows at Stockholm's beautiful Södra Teatern at
the end of the year. Starting off on December 17th with their debut
"Welcome To The Infant Freebase", The Soundtrack of Our Lives will then
run through all six of their albums on consecutive nights, up to the
last stand on December 22nd, where there will be, no doubt an emotional,
run through of the latest, and the last, album "Throw It To The
Universe", and then that will be it...! The band will then fragment into
their various side projects, studio production work, solo albums and
movie soundtracks...so there will still be plenty for fans to look
forward to.
However,
one of the saddest things to come to terms with the band splitting up,
is the realisation that there will be no more of their now customary
gigs at the stunningly beautiful Slussens Pensionat.
The Soundtrack of Our Lives have turned these shows into a regular
annual tradition ever since they first played at The Pensionat over ten
years ago. And so it was that September 14th and 15th 2012 were fixed as
the last ever dates the band would play here. I must admit to feeling
quite sad about it, Slussens had become somewhere very special, so many
great experiences and friendships, and of course so much great music.
The band have always utilised the relaxed atmosphere to the maximum, and
it was often the chance to do something completely different from their
usual full-on tour dates.
Whether
it was a run through of an album in it's entirety, the chance to try
out brand new songs or an opportunity to plunder their immense back
catalogue to play B-sides, album tracks and rarities, the Slussens shows
were always a Fan's dream. Often playing three hour sets right on into
the small hours of the morning, the shows usually ended up with the
audience engulfing the band, joining in on tambourines and backing
vocals. Ebbot would, by that time have dispensed with the semi-acoustic
niceties, and be leaping across the tables, scattering beer bottles and
wine glasses in his wake. At the thrilling climax of a Slussens show, it
was often hard to imagine that a few hours earlier diners were sitting
peacefully, enjoying the wonderful food in the relaxed and friendly
restaurant.
The
band would appear through those famous red drapes, usually while food
was still being served, and take their places, Martin far left and the
others seated on bar stools crammed around Fredrik's drums. They would
start off with some laid back semi-acoustic run throughs of their more
quieter numbers. "Not Kinda Worried", "All For Sale", "Reality Show"
maybe, certainly songs that suited the mood. However, as the final
plates were being cleared and more (and more...) pints of Ebbot Ale were
consumed, tables were pushed back and the band and audience let loose.
Occasionally, over the years, I witnessed other unsuspecting Hotel
guests look on in consternation as this "Slussens fever" took hold and
they realised their quiet romantic dinner for two was quickly coming to
an end. Such was the growing reputation of these live extravaganzas that
Fans from many countries, including Norway, England, Scotland, America
and even as far afield as Chile, have made the pilgrimage to Slussens.
It
was great chance to hear those rarely played old favourites and
obscurities, to chat to the band, stock up on merchandise and meet other
like-minded music fans too. Back in 2004, the band even chose Slussens
Pensionat, and the beautiful surrounding countryside on Orust, as the
location for the filming of the superb mock documentary fantasy film, "Ebbot The Movie"
that was broadcast on Swedish TV. The film includes lots of footage
from those shows, and the Director did a great job in perfectly captured
the whole experience. So, we can live in hope that The Soundtrack of
Our Lives may just feel that emotional pull and one day decide to
reconvene at Slussens Pensionat once more... Photographer Paul Slattery
was invited by the band to document the last ever Slussens shows, and we
are delighted to be able to share some of his excellent and exclusive
photos on the Retro Man Blog. You can also see Paul's photos from the
last ever London show HERE.
The band with Robert Sohlberg of Slussens Pensionat |
All photos above copyright Paul Slattery 2012.
Both myself and Paul would like to sincerely thank Ebbot, Martin, Ian, Fredrik, Kalle and Mattias from The Soundtrack of Our Lives, Vibs and Robert Sohlberg from Slussens Pensionat, Hans Selander, Wayne Lundqvist-Ford, Anders Magnusson and Daniel Eriksson.
Both myself and Paul would like to sincerely thank Ebbot, Martin, Ian, Fredrik, Kalle and Mattias from The Soundtrack of Our Lives, Vibs and Robert Sohlberg from Slussens Pensionat, Hans Selander, Wayne Lundqvist-Ford, Anders Magnusson and Daniel Eriksson.
Ebbot with Photographer Paul Slattery - Photo by Hans Selander |
Typical Slussens Audience Participation - Photo by Nellie Selander |
Thanks to Hans and Nellie Selander for contributing the great Photos.
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