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| Ebbot Lundberg & The Indigo Children - Photo copyright Retro Man Blog |
With a new single "Where Are You Now?" out now and a forthcoming album in the works, Ebbot Lundberg the ex-Soundtrack of Our Lives and Union Carbide Productions front-man is out on the road in Sweden with his current band The Indigo Children. We saw his show at the beautiful Stora Teatern in Gothenburg but nearly got caught out as there was no support band and Ebbot’s set started at the ridiculously early time of 7pm. Afterwards Ebbot told me the timings kind of threw him too but as usual he put everything into his performance despite the early start. Although there is no doubting the Stora Teatern is a stunning place, seated venues are not ideal for Ebbot as he thrives on contact and sometimes confrontation with the audience and it was frustrating having to sit down as the band stormed through powerful classics such as "Galaxy Gramophone" and "Mantra Slider". But at least we were treated to a superb two-hour show and still had plenty of time for drinks afterwards. Maybe early gigs are the way to go?
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| Ebbot Lundberg & The Indigo Children - Photo copyright Retro Man Blog |
So we took our seats at 7pm and a Native American appeared alone on stage and gave a speech in his own language and in English about the environment, nature and coincidence and proceeded to play some beautiful, haunting music on a flute. After the show, I spoke to this intriguing character and he told me his name was Tiokasin Ghosthorse, a pretty cool name if ever there was one. He asked me my name, "errr...Steve" I told him, hardly exotic in comparison…"Steve?" he replied slowly "I like that name" – yeah, right! He told me he was from the Lakota Sioux Nation and had been giving a speech at a Green Cross seminar in the city. Ebbot is now a Green Cross ambassador and that’s how the two got to know each other. He told me about the red cedar wood Lakota flute he used during the gig and that he runs a radio station dedicated to highlighting the causes and injustices of Indigenous people around the world. You can see why Ebbot is drawn towards Tiokasin Ghosthorse particularly in the subject matter of his more recent material on the "For The Ages To Come" album with it’s organic sound and ecological subject matter.
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| Tiokasin Ghosthorse at Stora Teatern - Photo copyright Retro Man Blog |
Ebbot and the band appear and treated us to a stunning set that really was a Soundtrack of Our Lives fan’s dream as it dipped into the back catalogue for early songs such as "Rest In Piece", "Four Ages" and "Gran Canaria". They even dusted down the beautiful "Ride Into The Next Sun" from the "Behind The Music" LP and delved further into Ebbot’s past for a blistering version of Union Carbide Productions "Chameleon Ride". Of course, it wasn’t just an exercise in nostalgia as we were treated to current Indigo Children material with the superb "Backdrop People" and "To Be Continued" both the equal of any song from Ebbot’s illustrious back catalogue. Ebbot’s debut LP with The Indigo Children "For The Ages To Come" was a return to the Psychedelic swirl of TSOOL’s second LP "Extended Revelations" (which happens to have just turned 20 years old) and this was evident tonight on songs such as "I Totally Agree" and "For The Ages To Come".
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| Ebbot Lundberg & The Indigo Children - Photo copyright Retro Man Blog |
However, it’s a surprising return to Ebbot’s Punk Rock roots which proves to be one of the highlights of the night and a storming brand new number "Planet Earth Through a Stethoscope" which may well go onto become a classic. One of the best things about Ebbot is that he can always counterbalance his raw and visceral side with moments of pure beauty and tonight this came with "I See Forever" which was made even more haunting by the return of Tiokasin Ghosthorse and his flute. We've waxed lyrical many times on the Blog about The Indigo Children and just how great they are - providing Ebbot with the perfect backing to indulge in wherever his mood takes him. Elias on keyboards, Hugo on drums, Joacim on bass with Billy and Oskar on guitars, each have their own distinct characters and handle the material with real expertise and passion. Of course, the TSOOL classics "Second Life Replay" and the crowd-pleasing singalong "The Passover" close the show to rapturous applause. It’s a great time to be seeing Ebbot with such a superb band backing him and with such a faultless back catalogue to pick from you can’t go wrong.
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| Ebbot Lundberg & The Indigo Children - Photo copyright Retro Man Blog |
Ebbot will be releasing a Mini LP "The Principle of Gender, Cause & Effect" to be followed by his second LP with the Indigo Children entitled "The Kybalion" very soon. We will keep you updated on news on the release date and further information but in the meantime please check out his official web-site here. Tiokasin Ghosthorse is the host of First Voices Indigenous Radio and The Indigo Children are also the superb band Side Effects. You can see more photos from the show at the Retro Man Blog Facebook page and videos from the show at our YouTube Channel here. Don't forget The Soundtrack of Our Lives Fan's Group on Facebook, it's not just an archive for memorabilia but we will keep you up-to-date on all the ex-members current solo and side projects too.
I regret i didn´t go there. Well written article and nice clips Steve.
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