The Soundtrack of Our Lives - Second Life Reunion: The long awaited return of the Swedish legends, Way Out West Festival, Gothenburg - Photos by Daniel Eriksson

It feels pretty surreal to find myself here at the Way Out West Festival in the middle of the huge Slottsskogen Park in Gothenburg, eagerly awaiting the return of The Soundtrack of Our Lives, some eleven long years since they bowed out with a six-night stand at Stockholm’s prestigious Södra Teatern. By coincidence, twenty years ago I was in this very same park visiting the Natural History Museum for some TSOOL related sightseeing with friends that I’d met through the band. We were hunting down the ‘pickled’ babies and stuffed lion that featured on the cover of their debut album “Welcome To The Infant Freebase” – yes, I’d already been lured into that kind of obsession by this unpredictable, non-conformist Swedish Psychedelic Rock outfit comprising six individual yet equally vital characters who, it’s no understatement to say, would put my life on an unexpected course. It’s understandable to be obsessed by a band when you’re a teenager - but as an adult, well that's not what I was expecting. As a kid I was heavily inspired by The Clash and Joe Strummer’s positive message, The Jam and Paul Weller’s socially aware lyrics, The Beat, The Specials and 2-Tone Records multi-cultural outlook, The Undertones and Buzzcocks for their unashamed melodic Pop Punk classics and The Stranglers - or most importantly, JJ Burnel’s snarling bass sound - that made me pick up a bass and start my very first band.

 

Then you go on a voyage of discovery – delving into the past and the music that inspired your heroes, in my case it was checking out The Stooges, The Doors, Love, Sixties Garage Rock nuggets and much more. Over the years, there were of course contemporary bands that I was blown away by, the best were often those that I saw by chance – Pixies supporting Throwing Muses, Discharge at the 100 Club, Black Flag with The Damned at The Lyceum, not forgetting bands such as The Prisoners and The Playn Jayn at the much-missed Clarendon. But none would have quite the same impact that my first experience of The Soundtrack of Our Lives had on me. I was an adult about to become as obsessed by a band again as if I was a teenager. After all, seeing The Soundtrack of Our Lives play for the first time they absolutely blew my mind as they seemed to channel all of the best parts of all of my favourite bands into their own explosive live show and sound. I don’t seem to be alone in this, as guitarist Andy Ruff had a similar story as he shares here along with his impressions of the Way Out West reunion show…

“I feel like a fan and not a fellow musician around TSOOL, ever since I first saw them at the original Concorde in Brighton in early ’97 when they were one of the support bands, that was my ‘Eureka’ moment. I was hooked. I must admit the song that did it that night was “Firmament Vacation” and when they played it at Way Out West, it was quite emotional. Helen dragged me to the front (which I never usually do) and when they played it, I immediately thought ‘I’ve made it’ as at one time, health wise I didn’t think I would be there. It was a great set but not long enough, and as Ebbot said, the guys should have headlined the show on one of the days. What a trip, it was great meeting up with the band (well 50%) again after all this time, I had an emotional meet up with Mattias, Ian and Ebbot. Although I keep in touch on and off with them via messages, it really meant so much seeing them all again, the band has been a big part of my life for 26 years, from the early days when I saw them support Kula Shaker, Gene and a few others before they started to get their own shows. We are all getting older, but the love is still there. Amazing band and people, even seeing people like Chicago, who I recognised, not forgetting all the Soundtrack followers in the VIP bar, what a great bunch of people” - Andy Ruff (Andy’s band Psychobabble supported TSOOL during their 2005 UK tour)

The Soundtrack of Our Lives appearance at Way Out West was the second of three highly anticipated official reunion shows, sandwiched between Spain’s Azkena Festival and the Øyafestivalen in Oslo. They did play a couple of warm-up shows – a ‘secret’ friends and family show at Pustervik in Gothenburg and then a low-key appearance at the arts venue Garageprojektet Hammenhög, in Skåne, Southern Sweden. Both of these were ecstatically received, and the set-lists were out of this world. Albert Lorenz, who played with Ebbot in The Indigo Children was at The Pustervik show and he compares this with the Way Out West appearance here…

“About TSOOL, I honestly have no idea! I think they were probably great, but this gig was so unique in the way I personally experienced it. The (secret warm-up) show at Pustervik in June I enjoyed for myself, and greatly so. It was mega, a hell of a show, and it felt like everything had finally come together in the most perfect way, an "I can die happy now" feeling. But this time at Way Out West, I was just so happy for them to get such a homecoming, and also for all the fans to have the opportunity again. A friend from Barcelona came to see them just like you, other friends I'd got into the band tagged along, many acquaintances were looking forward to it... I was just hoping everything went well and everyone, band and audience, would thoroughly enjoy it. Which I'd like to think is what happened. Musically, yeah of course I can't not be biased, and I was ecstatic, but nothing compared to seeing Ebbot put his arm around Ian as I had my arm around friends in the crowd. The experience overshadowed the music, in my case” – Albert Lorenz

So, I’m at the Way Out West festival but it’s so difficult to concentrate, it’s like I’m having an out of body experience looking down on myself as I wonder what the hell it will be like to see the band again after all these years. It’s difficult not to be distracted even though I’m meeting people who I’ve known for over twenty years – some of whom have become very close friends, people who I’ve shared many TSOOL related adventures with. There are acquaintances I’ve met at Soundtrack of Our Lives or other related shows and there are people I’m meeting for the first time that I only know through the website. Of course, it’s great to be with my fellow TSOOL Admins, Daniel and Hasse – it’s so much like old times that the surreal feeling gets even stronger as the time approaches for the band to take the stage and I see myself talking to Adam Wladis and Henrik Rylander from Union Carbide Productions, singer songwriter Martin McFaul and Wallander actor and theatre director Lars Melin. There are brief hellos to photographer, former member of Psychotic Youth and curator of the excellent Kållereds Ramones museum, Roine Lundström, who’s with Troublemakers singer Christer Blomgren and there’s Elias Jungqvist, once in Ebbot’s Indigo Children, now in the brilliant Viagra Boys. It reminds me when Soundtrack played in London at their peak and their shows were always well attended by other admiring musicians from bands such as Oasis, Doves, Primal Scream and Razorlight among others. There are also fans from Stockholm and other parts of Sweden, not forgetting those that travelled from America, the U.K. and Italy such as Gianluca Torelli…

“So, let’s start, this was my third time in Gothenburg after 10 years, after the COVID restrictions and so on and this was my second TSOOL concert in total, the first time was in Bern in 2011. Then I had a couple of meetings with Ebbot in Gothenburg, thanks to Marcel Tuores and then a couple of Ebbot solo gigs with Indigo Children, first at Liseberg and then in a small and (sadly) almost empty club in Frankfurt. And in between, there was a Free Fall gig also at Liseberg during my first Swedish trip. I’ve never been to Way Out West before, this was my first time ever, and I experienced a good mood in general, a huge space and a really good festival. The band seemed in very good shape, especially Mattias, and he rocked like no other, just like in the good old days, he even threw a guitar in mid-air like a real rocker. It was such an emotional journey to listen to them live and be there in the front row, to hear songs like “Instant Repeater ‘99” and I got tears in my eyes and became emotional during “Second Life Replay”, a song that really means something to me. Hoping this was not the only gig after this unexpected and surprising reunion” - Gianluca Torelli, Abruzzo region of Italy

I feel a palpable sense of excitement fizz through the crowd as the band take the stage to the exotic strains of “Mantra Slider” and charismatic frontman Ebbot Lundberg appears, resplendent in a black and gold kaftan emblazoned with the mystical OEOC “as above, so below” symbol. The first thing that hits me is that the band all look great, and with the song’s snaking Arabic atmosphere it’s like a magic carpet ride back in time as it’s soon clear they’ve lost none of their trademark onstage energy. Guitarists Ian Person and Mattias Bärjed leap and pirouette, spitting out those familiar killer riffs to a psyched-out “Galaxy Gramophone” and a blistering “Big Time”. Martin Hederos plays his keyboards like a lead guitarist, long fringe swiping across his keys as he gets totally lost in the music. Not to be outdone, the brilliant Fredrik Sandsten twirls his drumsticks and on “Grand Canaria” in particular, proves why he is one of the best contemporary drummers around while bassist Kalle Gustafsson Jerneholm anchors it all together with consummate coolness. What we get is a perfect festival greatest hits set concentrating on their debut “Welcome To The Infant Freebase” and breakthrough third album “Behind The Music” including of course, the timeless “Sister Surround”. But of course, us diehard fans always want more as Andreas Åhs and Andreas Hedberg both admit…

“It was good to finally see TSOOL again after all these years of abstinence. They had great energy and sounded really good throughout a greatest hits set that didn’t leave anyone disappointed. As a huge fan since the ‘90’s I would have loved to have heard one or two unexpected gems, but I guess a large festival as Way out West isn’t the time and place for that. Hopefully, they’ll return soon to bring that sweat soaked, guitar throwing Rock ’n’ Roll goodness to smaller venues!” - Andreas Åhs

“Seeing the band take the stage again after eleven years was magical, suddenly I was going back in time. Just witnessing “Mantra Slider” and the characteristic intro as these unique band members entered the stage was worth the ticket. It's very crowded, seagulls hover in the air, expectations vibrate, it feels like a very special evening. Ebbot opens his arms to welcome us to the special atmosphere that this genius band can create. I thought the setlist was great but too short of course although I could watch them for hours. I missed ”Dow Jones Syndrome”, “Black Star” and “Jehovah Sunrise” but which songs would they substitute? I loved that they played “Broken Imaginary Time” and jumped my legs off to “Confrontation Camp”. It was a top concert in my opinion, the first time I saw them was on ZTV live from Hultsfred in early 2000, it was really cool, so I bought the “Behind the Music” record and I was sold. My first live experience with the band was in Lund at Mejeriet in 2002/03 something. I remember watching them perform “Sister Surround” on Letterman on YouTube and Mattias was dressed in the Union Jack jacket, doing cool moves with the guitar. “Ebbot the Movie” recorded live at Slussens Pensionat really got me, I loved it, I had it on VHS tape and saw it many times. I’m so glad I took the train to Gothenburg to watch my favourite band of all time, it was a fantastic evening. Ebbot says thanks to the audience for existing in Way Out West but thank you TSOOL for existing, you’ll always be my safe point to return to!” - Andreas Hedberg

There’s an undeniable chemistry back in the band, “Nevermore” and “Broken Imaginary Time” sounding as fresh as ever and there are smiles all round from band and audience alike, the frustrations and issues that led to them splitting up in December 2012 seem to have been buried. I think the first signs a reunion could be on the cards actually came from the terribly sad news of Bruce Emms passing in 2022. Bruce was the hugely popular and likeable owner of Musik Utan Gränser (MUG) music store in Gothenburg, a loss that was felt not just by all in the City’s music community but I’m sure from all touring musicians and visitors to the shop too. There was a tribute show arranged at Pustervik which featured Soundtrack of Our Lives (Ebbot, Ian, Kalle and Fredrik) making their very first live appearance since the split and at the end Ebbot and Ian hugged, which many saw as a kind of public reconciliation. I’d like to think it could have been this moment that paved the way for the reunion. I interviewed Bruce for Retrosonic Podcast some time ago, like me he was also British, a bass player and was hugely enthusiastic about the Gothenburg scene, in particular praising one of my favourite singer songwriters Mattias Hellberg like only a true fan could. I once popped into MUG to say hello after TSOOL split up and he lamented the fact that the band had called it a day and it’s very sad he couldn’t be around to see the band’s triumphant return in the city he called his home. Musik Utan Gränser means ‘music without borders’ – a sentiment that I certainly promote with Retro Man Blog, and it can be applied to the far reaching international appeal of The Soundtrack of Our Lives too – as can be seen from the U.K. based Helen Ruff’s experiences…

“I’d waited so long to see the guys back again… and on their home turf was spectacular. The Soundtrack of Our Lives were the first band I was ever ‘into’ as an adult… the lyrics and the melodies resonate so deeply it gives me goosebumps whenever I hear them. Seeing them live after such a long hiatus was amazing. They don’t sound like they have aged at all! Ebbot’s voice was on point! And Ian’s guitar work was sublime. I just hope they will tour…. Their sound, their lyrics, their vibe needs to be heard. I hope the band will give us more. Meeting TSOOL stalwart fans was epic! The band need to know that their faithful are with them. Always” – Helen Ruff

During Sweden’s alternative national anthem, “Instant Repeater ‘99”, the crowd are going wild all around me, arms aloft and this fervour only increases with the incendiary Glam Rock stomp of “Confrontation Camp”. The set draws to a close sadly all too quickly with the emotional singalong “The Passover” and feel a lump in my throat as I look around and see the crowd joining in – there are all ages too, families, couples, friends all caught in the moment. Liselott Selander also felt the same…

“They delivered exactly as I expected, and it was fun to see that many who were probably not even born when the band were at their peak knew the lyrics" - Liselott Selander

Long-time fan Per Kristiansson, who I first encountered at one of Soundtrack’s now legendary shows at the stunning Slussens Pensionat waterside venue on the beautiful island of Orust, explains just what the Way Out West reunion show meant to him.

“The first time I saw TSOOL live was, I believe, in 1997, about a year after I’d been listening to their knockout debut album over and over again. Since then, I must have enjoyed around 30-40 gigs, perhaps ten were at Slussens Pensionat and others at various venues. Most of the time, the band were amazing and beyond, so with this history and a true love for the band, I had quite mixed emotions as I walked through the entrance to Way Out West. How would it be to see them back together once again? Do they still have the mojo...? Well, T-minus 30 minutes, standing in the front row and just watching them do the soundcheck, I knew this was going to be an unforgettable and awesome evening. And so, they went on stage… Fredrik started the drumstick intro of "Mantra Slider," and I just screamed out loud! They opened with one of my absolute favourites and totally nailed it, just like back in the day! Next up was "Firmament Vacation", followed by "Galaxy Gramophone" and I felt like I had been sent back in time. The rest is history. The lucky souls who attended got to witness the best band in the world back on stage! Looking forward to the next 30-40 gigs!” - Per Kristiansson

I can only hope that the heartfelt reaction and huge smiles on the band’s faces as they take a well-deserved curtain call, paves the way for more of their stunning live shows in the future and of course, being greedy now, the hope of new material too. Now that really would be something special. Well, I guess it’s fitting that I leave the final words to Daniel Eriksson, after all, Daniel ran the original Soundtrack of Our Lives web-site, forum and Mega Society fan-club and was the catalyst for introducing me to many other TSOOL fans around the world from not only the U.K. and Sweden but as far afield as Peru, Italy, Scotland, Norway, Finland, America and more… Daniel had the vision of taking the band’s music out into the International stratosphere, truly a case of music without borders.  

“A present from the past… Everyone was there... The whole of Soundtrack of course, but also families, friends, stage workers and hang-arounds from the past. The fans that were there from the beginning, but also a whole new generation... It was like they’re bigger than they’ve ever been before?! The desire for this Rock and Roll machine is a fact. They sound at least as good as they always did. 11 years have passed, but it’s as if time has stood still. Everyone just got a little bit older. With all dignity intact, they delivered eleven explosions, a ballad and finished with a sing-along. In hindsight it feels a bit surreal, did all this happen? They came, they won... But what happens now? Everyone wonders, not least themselves. At least one thing is certain, if there is more, there is a great embrace of love from the outside world that wants to embrace the magic that these six gentlemen can create together. We hope for more because this is Second Life Replay ‘Yeah, I feel alive. Cause I came back stronger than I’ve ever been before…’ " – Daniel Eriksson

Daniel Eriksson is also the official Way Out West photographer so I have him to thank for contributing the superb photos you can see in this feature. With sincere thanks to Hasse and Liselott, Mattias Bärjed, Georgios at Livenation and of course all the fans who kindly contributed their experiences and words to this feature. The offcial TSOOL Facebook page is here. For news on all the band member’s solo music, collaborations, other bands and side projects, TV and soundtrack scores, upcoming gigs and record releases please follow, like, subscribe to Retro Man Blog here or at Facebook and Instagram. Subscribe to Retrosonic Podcast for free at Spotify, Soundcloud or iTunes/Apple Podcasts as we have lots of interview specials with various TSOOL band members and other Swedish bands and musicians that may be of interest, all still available in the archives. We also have a YouTube channel with loads of related live videos. You can also join the TSOOL fan’s Facebook group here to communicate with other fans around the world, to share your own memories, experiences, photos and videos and to be kept up to date with all that is happening with the various band members music. Plus, you never know, one day there might well be news of more Soundtrack of Our Lives activities… we can but hope!

All photos copyright Daniel Eriksson at Rock My Lens.

Ebbot Lundberg & The Indigo Children at Slussens Pensionat and a Reflection on the Importance of the Stunning Venue

Ebbot Lundberg & The Indigo Children at Slussens Pensionat

When Sweden's Psych-Rock legends The Soundtrack of Our Lives sadly called it a day in December 2012 there were many things I was dreading losing out on. It goes without saying that I would miss the music and their incendiary live shows but there was also the travel, the social life with the great friends and acquaintances that I had made along the way since I first saw the band. It’s not overstating things to say that TSOOL pretty much changed my life, or at the very least, set it on a different course. After all, they re-energised my passion for music and inspired me to recreate my old-school 1980’s cut and paste fanzine "Out of Step" which I renamed "Retro Man" after my favourite TSOOL song. However, it was the thought that there would no longer be any more gigs at the beautiful Slussens Pensionat that most filled me with regret. TSOOL first started playing at the stunning waterside location run by the lovely couple Vibs and Robert Sohlberg on the island of Orust in 2001 and word quickly spread that these were gigs and a music venue like no other. 

Slussens Pensionat by Paul Slattery

Ebbot at Slussens Pensionat with The Soundtrack of Our Lives by Paul Slattery

The band used these shows at Slussens Pensionat as a kind of summer break for themselves; you could sense they were a release from what was possibly a very stressful time. Their profile was getting higher internationally due to the breakthrough album “Behind The Music” and they had to deal with all the pressures that success can bring - major record labels, PR, management and such like. The Slussens Pensionat shows stripped away all the corporate bullshit and just allowed the band to relax and enjoy themselves. I was to get my first taste back in August 2003 and was immediately hooked, travelling over as many times as I could after that initial mind-blowing experience. It was a fan's dream. The band played sprawling sets that could last over three hours stretching into the early hours of the morning. They would play obscure album tracks, B-sides, cover versions and try out brand new, often unfinished songs alongside their more familiar numbers. Sometimes, they played whole LPs in their entirety, such as the Winter Lucia show in December 2008 promoting the release of “Communion” where we were treated to each song in sequence. 

Ebbot at Slussens Pensionat with The Soundtrack of Our Lives by Paul Slattery

Slussens Pensionat by Paul Slattery

The Slussens shows usually started rather sedately, with the audience enjoying dinner while the band sat on stools playing acoustic guitars. However, the nights would inevitably end in drunken chaos with tables moved out of the way and the crowd getting up to dance. Vocalist Ebbot Lundberg would climb over tables, sending drinks, bottles, glasses (and sometimes people!) flying all over the place. Microphone leads would often get wrapped around people’s legs and necks and mic stands went crashing all over the place. It was always great fun. One year I was there, they were filming the fantasy/documentary “Ebbot the Movie” and I make a fleeting appearance in it. It’s a great film that really captures the true essence of the Slussens Pensionat experience, as well as highlighting some rather suspect acting from the band members themselves. Another year, Ebbot invited my Retro Man Blog colleague photographer Paul Slattery along and he documented the proceedings with some superb photos, which you can see in the archive here. I met other TSOOL fans from all over the world, not just from Sweden or England but also from Norway, America, Scotland and as far away as Peru. I even met the actor Lars Melin, who appeared in one of my favourite Swedish TV shows, “Wallander” and he seemed a bit surprised that his fame had spread over to the U.K. There are many other great memories, for example, I saw Ebbot duetting with the fantastic singer songwriter Martin McFaul and on separate occasions interviewed both Ebbot and Ian Person for Retrosonic Podcast on the terrace overlooking the beautiful Orust scenery. 

TSOOL with Robert from Slussens Pensionat by Paul Slattery

The last photo of TSOOL together at Slussens Pensionat by Paul Slattery

Yes, indeed, when TSOOL split up you can probably now understand why I was so sad at the thought that I might never get the opportunity to return. However, the good news is that Ebbot has continued the tradition and has since returned to play at Slussens Pensionat for his own TV show “Ebbot’s Ark” as well as with his current band The Indigo Children. Therefore, in August I found myself once again returning to what had almost become my spiritual home and the weather was thankfully perfect, it was so great to be back. Since TSOOL split up, Ebbot has become a bit of a TV celebrity in Sweden, appearing in the popular music show “Så Mycket Bättre” and his own show “Ebbot’s Ark”, as well as various daytime programmes and cooking/travel shows and the audience demographic on the night probably reflected this somewhat. Ebbot appears and is in a cheerful and suitably summery mood, wearing a brightly striped nightshirt, shorts, crocs and a Hawaiian flower garland around his neck. 

Albert, Billy & Ebbot of The Indigo Children by Retro Man Blog

Anton of The Indigo Children by Retro Man Blog

There has been a slight change in The Indigo Children line-up again, following last year’s shift from the members of Side Effects to members of fellow Stockholm based band, EKEN. There are some familiar faces from my Retro Man Blog night for Ebbot & The Indigo Children in London last October - Oskar Nylén and Billy Cervin on guitars, Alfred Holmgren on bass and the powerhouse drummer Anton Fernandez. Then, there is the latest recruit, newcomer Albert Lorenz on keyboards. We have already featured the incredible story of Billy Cervin, who was barely in his teens when he started taking guitar lessons off a neighbour who just happened to be TSOOL’s Mattias Bärjed. Under Mattias’ tutelage, Billy quickly graduated to forming his own band, Side Effects (named like this Blog, after a TSOOL song) and this led to him standing in for Mattias at some TSOOL live shows to eventually teaming up with Ebbot in the Indigo Children. Billy was also recruited into the Union Carbide Productions line-up for their amazing reunion gigs last year and has proven himself to be the perfect foil and ally to Ebbot and his musical adventures. 

Ebbot, Billy Cervin (guitar) & Albert Lorenz (keyboards) by Retro Man Blog

Albert Lorenz of The Indigo Children by Retro Man Blog

But back to the new keyboard player Albert, who has a similar fairy-tale story to Billy. A few years ago, I met up for a beer with him at Pustervik in Gothenburg; he was a big TSOOL fan from Spain who had just landed a dream job at ex-TSOOL bassist Kalle’s Svenska Grammofonstudion, now Sweden’s most sought after recording studio. We also went along to see Ebbot at Slussens Pensionat and one of my lasting impressions was of Albert, a few beers down, enthusiastically joining in on backing vocals after an impromptu ‘stage’ invasion! This could have been an early audition and I think Albert was as surprised as me to find out he would end up as an official member of The Indigo Children. Albert admitted to me that he was a bit concerned about following in the footsteps of previous keyboard player Elias, but he did just fine. He brought an energetic stage presence, encouraging people to join in and clap their hands, wading into the audience with his tambourine. 

Alfred & Oskar of The Indigo Children by Retro Man Blog

EKEN by Retro Man Blog

Although I was nervous when I found out that the Indigo Children line-up had changed literally days before my show with the band in London last year – the new recruits did a superb job at such short notice. Thanks in main to Billy’s organisation, they did not let me, Ebbot or the London crowd down and I was really looking forward to seeing them again. However, let’s get back to the Ebbot’s Slussens Pensionat gig, and what followed was a mammoth set crammed full of The Soundtrack of Our Lives songs, yes, this was definitely a night for all TSOOL fans. Ebbot always throws in a few TSOOL numbers into in his solo sets but I don’t think he has ever played so many of their songs at one gig and I am transported back to all those great TSOOL Slussens shows over the years. For example, there’s the classic “Galaxy Gramophone” from the “Homo Habilis Blues” EP along with “Rest In Piece” and “Century Child” and songs cherry picked from every TSOOL LP.

Billy & Ebbot of The Indigo Children by Retro Man Blog

Anton & Alfred of The Indigo Children by Retro Man Blog

Tonight though, there is just the one new unreleased song “Comfort Zone” from the forthcoming Indigo Children LP, it’s pretty much the good old familiar favourites all the way. There is a break half way through and Eken come on and play two excellent songs, I love this band and played a track in an early Retrosonic Podcast episode about my favourite Swedish music at the time. After this nice unexpected bonus, Ebbot then appears on his own with an acoustic guitar and runs through a long story, humorous apparently to those that can understand Swedish! He plays his first solo single “Wishing Well” and we all join in on the Burt Bacharach style-backing vocals. There’s Union Carbide Productions “Can’t Slow Down” and great versions of The Beatles’ “Day In The Life” and Bowie’s “Five Years”. The band come back and run through another set packed full of great songs from all aspects of Ebbot’s career that include the cover versions “Don’t Blow Your Mind” and “Calling From Heaven” which the band have made their own. Of course, there’s the stunning singles “To Be Continued” and “Backdrop People” that all feature on the excellent debut Indigo Children LP “For The Ages To Come”. The set draws to a close with raucous attacks on “Bigtime” and “Mantra Slider” and despite the clock approaching 2am, they still come back for more. The encores are a blur, Ebbot climbs over me to stand on the table, I do remember “Sister Surround”, “Firmament Vacation” and what must surely be Sweden’s unofficial national anthem, “Instant Repeater ‘99”. The show finally draws to a close with an emotional and moving singalong of “The Passover” and it proved to be a truly memorable night that lived up to all those old classic Soundtrack of Our Lives shows at Slussens Pensionat. If you ever get chance to visit this magical venue then please don’t hesitate, you might end up like me, hooked for life.
 

Ebbot Lundberg & The Indigo Children by Retro Man Blog

Ebbot has been busy provided vocals once again for the ‘super-group’ 5 Billion In Diamonds who will be releasing their second alum early next year. The band is masterminded by Garbage drummer and Nirvana producer Butch Vig, James Grillo and Andy Jenks and features Damian O’Neill from The Undertones, David Schelzel, Damon Reece and Helen White among other special guests. Ebbot also spearheaded the Union Carbide Productions reunion last year with Billy joining original band members Patrick Caganis, Per Helm, Adam Wladis and Henrik Rylander and we were lucky enough to see a stunning show in Gothenburg which you can read about in the Blog archive here. There’s also good news that a documentary on the band is currently in production. The other members of TSOOL have been equally as busy. Following one superb album of classic Rock with the band Free Fall, Mattias Bärjed has become a critically acclaimed movie and TV soundtrack composer and has combined this with touring with Refused. Along with Martin Hederos, he got Nymphet Noodlers back with original members Mattias Hellberg, Jesper Karlsson and Jan Martens, who has also recently released his own debut solo LP “Voices”. Martin Hederos has also just simultaneously released two brand new albums, one of piano music “Era Spår” under his own name and another “Master of Fog” with Tonbruket. Ian Person is currently in the excellent Punk Rock band Pablo Matisse with Per from Division of Laura Lee and has also been working on a TV soundtrack with Kalle. Ian also produced and played on the “Ghostrider” album by Swedish Rock ‘n’ Roll legend Jerry Williams along with TSOOL’s drummer Fredrik Sandsten.

The Soundtrack of Our Lives at Slussens Pensionat by Paul Slattery

So, there is plenty of great new music from all the ex-TSOOL members to fill that void left since the band finished. With sincere thanks to Hasse & Liselott, Vibs & Robert and best regards to Ebbot, Albert, Billy, Anton, Alfred and Oskar. You can check out the Retro Man Blog Facebook page for more photos of the show and there are also videos up on our YouTube channel here. Check the Blog archive for loads of Soundtrack of Our Lives related features including the band’s last ever London and Slussens shows. There’s features on the Nymphet Noodlers and Union Carbide Productions reunions and don’t forget our Retrosonic Podcast special editions featuring interviews with Ebbot, Ian Person, Fredrik Sandsten, Mattias Barjed and Mattias Hellberg and much more. Thank you to Paul Slattery for his photos, copyright Paul Slattery or Retro Man Blog where stated.

Union Carbide Productions - Reunion Show at Stora Teatern, Gothenburg November 9th 2018

Union Carbide Productions, Stora Teatern Gothenburg, Photo Retro Man Blog

Earlier this year came the exciting news that Union Carbide Productions, the legendary Swedish Psychedelic Punk band who were to evolve into The Soundtrack of Our Lives, were getting back together to promote the release of the “Live At CBGB’s New York 1988” album. They played two high profile summer outdoor shows at the Liseberg and Gröna Lund amusement parks in Gothenburg and Stockholm respectively. I was gutted that I had to miss these, even more so when I heard reports about how great they were afterwards. However, following the success of these two gigs there came the sudden announcement of three more quick-fire dates in Malmö, Stockholm and Gothenburg. I could only make the Gothenburg show and the initial excitement was dampened somewhat when I saw that the venue would be the Stora Teatern. Now I like this place, it is a beautiful building right on the canal side at Kungsparken but it is a proper all-seater theatre with balconies and boxes and all that. When we saw Ebbot & The Indigo Children there earlier this year, we nearly got caught out as the gig started promptly at 7pm. Surely, it couldn’t be the same for Union Carbide Productions, one of Sweden’s most outrageous and confrontational bands? 

Union Carbide Productions, Stora Teatern Gothenburg, Photo Retro Man Blog

However, there were clues that it was going to be an early night as we saw advertisements that Ebbot was playing another solo gig in the city at 10pm. Friends speculated that sometimes the Stora held gigs at the back of the venue and that was all standing so we might be in luck. Unfortunately not. We entered the venue into the seated auditorium. Suddenly, the house lights dimmed and the band appeared on stage promptly and crashed straight into the classic “Financial Declaration” with Ebbot screaming the songs central theme “I want more!” as we were still trying to find our seats. There were photos of people stagediving at the Stockholm gig the night before and I saw videos from the Liseberg after-show party where the band played an intense, highly charged set at a smaller venue. Even Ebbot stage-dived at that show, much to the consternation of those in the front row I can imagine. That was more of what I was expecting and looking forward to but there was no chance of Ebbot stagediving at the Stora Teatern, that’s for sure! It is quite difficult to explain the feeling when you are watching a band like UCP sitting down, you want to get up and jump about and go crazy but everyone remained seated throughout the whole show and it was a surreal experience. It must have been a bit weird for the band too, after all Ebbot in particular thrives on interaction and often confrontation with an audience but they channelled any restrictions they must have felt into the music and they sounded amazing. It reminded me of seeing The Brian Jonestown Massacre last month where I had seats at the front row of the balcony at a reasonably large venue. 

Union Carbide Productions, Stora Teatern Gothenburg, Photo Retro Man Blog

Now that Anton Newcombe has managed to curb his more confrontational behaviour and people are no longer turning up at gigs trying to goad him into violence, you are left to concentrate on the performance, and most importantly, the music. This is where I can have no complaints with the Union Carbide Productions show. In fact, just like the BJM, once you take away the unpredictable, chaotic and dangerous elements of each band you just have to appreciate and marvel at the sheer quality of the song writing. It was something that certainly shone through in this environment and proved what a superb back catalogue and musical legacy they have left behind. The Stooges were an obvious influence on early UCP but Ebbot didn’t just take Iggy’s primal howl as his vocal inspiration – he took on his crooning baritone too. I can understand why Ebbot also loves early Misfits with Glenn Danzig’s impressive voice floating over their primitive Punk music. It’s what our good friends The Fallen Leaves spoke about in their Retrosonic Podcast special episode – that juxtaposition of Rob Green’s ‘proper’ singing against the discordant angular guitar of Rob Symmons, it’s a special chemistry. However, Union Carbide Productions also absorbed The Stooges sax driven Free-Form Jazz stylings too and tonight the addition of the excellent Lisen Rylander on Sax and Keyboards was a really nice touch, allowing the songs to develop just like on the records. 

Union Carbide Productions, Stora Teatern Gothenburg, Photo Retro Man Blog

For example the slow and hypnotic “Career Opportunities” which is based on a great repetitive bass riff and Ebbot sings “I'm waiting for change, for a different song" as it segues into the instrumental psych wig-out “Down on the Beach”. One of my highlights of the night is “San Francisco Boogie” which again is built around a snaking bass riff and is shot through with an exotic Eastern feel. In fact they were to record a sitar version and it’s certainly a distinct precursor to The Soundtrack of Our Lives classic “Mantra Slider”. There is so much going on in my head when I listen to UCP, from the Stones swagger to touches of the abstract Post-Punk of bands such as Pere Ubu and the challenging, thought-provoking music of Captain Beefheart. Take the classic “Born in The ‘60’s” which at first sounds just like a straight ahead storming Rock’n’Roll number but then you realise that the drumming is totally off the wall, the time signature is mind-bendingly weird and that is down to Henrik Rylander’s brilliance as a drummer. It also reminds me that there must have been some influence of Krautrock bands such as Can and Neu! in UCP’s relentless groove. The tribal, almost Glam Rock drum pattern that kicks off the immense “Glad To Have You Back” is a reminder that Ebbot has been lucky enough to work with some truly fantastic drummers over the years such as Henrik, Fredrik Sandsten in TSOOL and then with Hugo Mårtensson and Anton Fernandez in The Indigo Children. The rhythm section is completed not by one but two bassists. 

Union Carbide Productions, Stora Teatern Gothenburg, Photo Retro Man Blog

There’s original member Per Helm, who played on the first two LP’s and his replacement Adam Wladis, who despite appearing at the infamous CBGB’s show and the subsequent live album (which, after all was the initial reason for the reunion) didn’t get to record in the studio with the band as far as I know. Rather than take turns on songs they play the whole set simultaneously, both looking cool dressed in black and flanking Henrik’s drum kit. At first, I was a bit sceptical about the two basses but it worked really well, it wasn’t as bombastic as I was expecting, they built a nicely menacing wall of sound. The machine gun staccato attack of “Three Mile Eyes” is counterbalanced by the brooding “Down On The Farm” with Ebbot sounding like Jim Morrison as he draws out the “beautiful friend” line. Patrick Caganis is an undoubted genius on the guitar and I was so pleased to finally get to see him play live. Looking good with his blonde hair and mirror shades, he channels all the best of Ron Asheton and James Williamson into his stinging guitar riffs and as the songs whizz past I’m getting flashes of Denis Tez, Fred ‘Sonic’ Smith and Wayne Kramer all swirling round in the mix. He also sings the main vocals on “Got My Eyes On You” a rare excursion to the third album “From Influence To Ignorance”.  I think everyone was hoping for an appearance by Patrick’s original guitar partner Björn Olsson, even if it was just for the encore, but sadly, it was not to be. It would have made this home-coming show even more special, after all the band are forever tied to Gothenburg and you can even hear it in Björn’s solo music, which is heavily influenced by the stunning local Bohuslän coastline. In recent years, he has shunned the limelight and concentrated his attention on song writing and production work with some high profile Swedish acts such as Mando Diao and Håkan Hellström and has rarely, if ever performed live since he left TSOOL in 1997. 

Union Carbide Productions, Stora Teatern Gothenburg, Photo Retro Man Blog

Björn’s place in the current line-up has been taken by the talented Billy Cervin from Side Effects who has been used to playing some of the old UCP songs with Ebbot & The Indigo Children over the past couple of years. He has already proved himself a mighty fine deputy, having previously stood in for Mattias Bärjed in TSOOL on a few occasions. Billy single-handedly rescued our recent Retro Man Blog gig for Ebbot in London by drafting in equally talented musicians for a new Indigo Children line-up at very short notice and it was great to see him again and chat about the London show. Talking of guitarists…I’m also left wondering if further reunions will see an expanding of the set-list to take in more songs from their last two LP’s and if so will we see appearances by Ian Person who is currently busy with his new band Pablo Matisse, now that really would be something really special. Anyway back to the music, a quite remarkable “Maximum Dogbreath” is another personal highlight, the set draws to a close with the classic swaggering “Be Myself Again”, and finally we can stand up and show our appreciation. The well-deserved encore sees a raucous run though of the early Punk favourites “Cartoon Animal” and “Ring My Bell” from the first album and the band are even coaxed out for a second curtain call and a crunching “So Long”. So despite my initial reservations, Union Carbide Productions triumphed against the odds and I feel emotionally drained from finally having witnessed such a superb show from a band I never thought I would get to see play live. 

Ebbot & The New Places Orchestra at Nefertiti, Gothenburg

As everything was finished by 9:15pm it meant there was plenty of time to enjoy the after show party which took place at the excellent Nefertiti venue and saw Ebbot fronting the impressive 20 piece New Places Orchestra. It was great to hear Jazz takes on some TSOOL songs such as “Galaxy Gramophone”, “You Are The Beginning” and “Second Life Replay” along with Ebbot’s debut solo single “(Drowning In A) Wishing Well” and UCP’s “Glad To Have You Back”. There were also surprising covers of The Misfits, The Residents and a bit of “Pipeline” thrown in for good measure and all highlighted Ebbot’s excellent vocals. It was great fun and nice to catch up with Kalle & Fredrik from The Soundtrack of Our Lives and the music journalist and long-time TSOOL supporter, Andrew Perry. A perfect ending to a superb night’s entertainment.

Union Carbide Productions have another confirmed gig in Oslo in February and there is some more exciting news as it has just been officially announced that the filmmaker Hans-Erik Therus and Producer Hjalmar Palmgren are working on a documentary about the band. It started out as a documentary about Björn Olsson but the idea soon grew to incorporate the complete UCP story. The film is currently under production and there is a start-up Facebook page here where you can get more news on the movie’s progress. For more photos from the Stora Teatern show please check out the Retro Man Blog Facebook page here and there are some videos at our YouTube channel here. Ebbot discussed the reunion and “Live at CBGBs” album in our recent interview in the build up to his Retro Man Blog London show last month and you can check it out in the Blog archive here. You might also be interested in the story of Nymphet Noodlers; the other great pre-TSOOL band in the archive here. For the full story on Union Carbide Productions, you cannot better the immense feature in issue 16 of Mike Stax’s superb “Ugly Things” magazine. 

Ebbot Lundberg & The Indigo Children with The Galileo 7 - Paul Slattery Photos from the Retro Man Blog Night at The Half Moon Putney October 13th

Ebbot Lundberg & The Indigo Childen at The Half Moon Putney - photo copyright Paul Slattery

I'd like to say a huge thank you to all those that came along to our last Retro Man Blog Night at The Half Moon Putney on October 13th which saw the return of Ebbot Lundberg & The Indigo Children. Despite the usual engineering works that cripple our capital city on most weekends there was a really great turn-out and we really appreciate all the various trials and tribulations that went into getting to the venue. It was also great to see that so many people had travelled over from Sweden too including the original webmaster of The Soundtrack of Our Lives, Daniel, and fellow moderator Hans. Long-time TSOOL video crew Matz and Chicago were there along with photographer Katarina Hansson, who took the great photos for our gig poster. Thanks also to staff at The Half Moon and of course to our Special Guests The Galileo 7 who opened the show and treated us to a superb set which included some very promising new songs.

The Galileo 7 at The Half Moon Putney - photo copyright Paul Slattery

The Galileo 7 at The Half Moon Putney - photo copyright Paul Slattery

The Galileo 7 at The Half Moon Putney - photo copyright Paul Slattery

The Galileo 7 at The Half Moon Putney - photo copyright Paul Slattery

The Galileo 7 at The Half Moon Putney - photo copyright Paul Slattery

Ebbot and a new-look Indigo Children, who included recent additions Alfred on bass, Stina on keyboards and Anton on drums along with Ebbot's regular guitarists Billy and Oskar, put in a mind-blowing performance that nearly took the roof off the packed out Half Moon. The set included "Golden Age" by Ebbot's first, and recently reunited band, Union Carbide Production and some Soundtrack of Our Lives favourites such as "Rest In Piece", a blistering "Galaxy Gramophone" and a rapturously received encore of the classic "Mantra Slider". A pick of songs from his debut Indigo Children album were also played alongside two new numbers, the atmospheric opener "Comfort Zone" and the raucous Punk Rock of "Planet Earth Through a Stethoscope". 

Ebbot Lundberg & The Indigo Childen at The Half Moon Putney - photo copyright Paul Slattery

Ebbot Lundberg & The Indigo Childen at The Half Moon Putney - photo copyright Paul Slattery

Ebbot Lundberg & The Indigo Childen at The Half Moon Putney - photo copyright Paul Slattery

Ebbot Lundberg & The Indigo Childen at The Half Moon Putney - photo copyright Paul Slattery

Thanks to Ebbot, Billy and The Indigo Children, The Galileo 7, Nina and staff at The Half Moon, Katarina Hansson and all those who helped to promote the show and of course to Paul Slattery for the excellent photos. Union Carbide Productions will play three reunion shows in November, first of all at Malmo on the 7th, Stockholm on the 8th and Gothenburg on the 9th and for more information on ticket and venues check out the UCP Facebook page here. Retro Man Blog will be at the UCP Gothenburg show so expect a full report and photos to follow on our return. 

Ebbot Lundberg & The Indigo Childen at The Half Moon Putney - photo copyright Paul Slattery

For more info on Ebbot & The Indigo Children check out their web-site here. For more photos of the show please head on over to the Retro Man Blog Facebook page here and hit "Like" (if you are not already following) to access the photo album. Some videos filmed at the gig can also be found at our Retro Man Bog YouTube channel here.