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.

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. 

The Vanjas at Sticky Fingers Gothenburg , Sweden January 30th by Wayne Lundqvist-Ford

The Vanjas by Wayne Lundqvist-Ford

Mention Sweden to anyone these days and the first thing they think of is Ikea, well here is another package from Sweden, but this time there are no screws missing! The Vanjas hail from Stockholm on the east coast of Sweden and consist of singer Vanja Lo, Bass payer Bon Ton, Guitarist Mr Magnatone and drummer Swingin' Zack. They serve up a good, honest dish of Rock 'N' Roll in the form of RnB, not that faux style of RnB that you see a generic version of each Saturday night on TV "talent" shows, this is Maximum RnB! The three guys in the band take the stage sporting matching red suits, Chelsea boots, white shirts and black ties, looking sharp, smart and as if they mean business, which they clearly do. They fire up with an instrumental before being joined on stage by singer Vanja Lo, Vanja is also looking very sharp in a late 50's early 60's style cut dress, she later tells me that she "struggles to look sharp," pointing to a ladder in her tights which had probably occurred when climbing over the stage barriers to dance with a young man whilst singing the band's new single "No Tomorrow Boy." However, her neat styled hair, again in a 50's/60s style, along with her dress, would suggest otherwise, she is positively stylish and sharp. On stage the band put on a show, a real show, not just an audible experience but a fantastic visual experience too. Mr Magnatone and Bon Ton are all over the stage, pointing their guitars at the sky and towards the audience in a well co-ordinated, synchronised unison, using as much of the stage as they can, which on the small stage at Sticky Fingers is no mean feat. In fact, Mr Magnatone also leaves the stage and plays guitar in amongst the audience who are all wearing broad smiles on their faces, one guy looks across at me and nods and smiles in acknowledgement that we are both witnessing something special. 

The Vanjas by Wayne Lundqvist-Ford

Throughout all of this at the back of the stage Swingin' Zack is providing a tight beat, pounding the skins. Vanja is of course keeping command over the audience with an attitude and style that is not frequently seen, when she tells the audience to listen, they listen! The band play most of the songs from their album "The Vanjas Sings and Plays Rock 'N' Roll" with songs like "Friday Twist" making even the reserved crowd at the back of the venue start shuffling around, they are also smiling like Cheshire cats and edging more into the crowd with each song, this band could win over even the toughest of audiences and get them moving, why would you not want to join this party? Talking to the band after the show, I asked about musical influences and there is no surprise when the Blues, Rock 'N' Roll, Soul and Punk are mentioned, The Vanjas encapsulate all of those styles and fire them at you at a million miles per hour. When I ask about their style, and they are as I said, very stylish, they tell me how they were chatting in the car on the 5 hour drive from Stockholm to Gothenburg and they had agreed that with the outfits and the stage names they were like a cartoon, which immediately made me think of the Ramones, a band whose name came up in later conversation. 

The Vanjas by Wayne Lundqvist-Ford

It is fair to say that the qualities between the two bands are very similar, whilst the visual styling of the bands are different, the result is the same, fucking amazing! I bid my farewells to the band who are still bright eyed and looking sharp, with the exception of the ladder in Vanja's tights, which isn't really bothering her. I exit the venue into the rainy night/morning, sheltering my newly acquired slice of of vinyl inside my jacket, my beaming grin still firmly fixed in place on my face and head home safe the knowledge that everything I could have wanted from seeing a band live had been checked off and also exceeded. In short, go and see this band, book this band, this isn't the next new thing, this is good old fashioned Rock 'N' Roll, an institution of what is great about music and we should embrace it because The Vanjas aren't going to let us forget it and amen to that.

With many thanks to Wayne Lundqvist-Ford for the review and photos. Wayne also does the excellent Ice Cream Man Radio Show on Radio Andra and you can check out the archive of past episodes at his Podomatic web-site here. You can check out our Retrosonic Podcast Episode from a couple of years ago when I spoke to Wayne in Sweden and we played his pick of some of the best International Power Pop bands that had been submitted to his Ice Cream Man Radio Show.

Retrosonic Podcast with The Soundtrack of Our Lives ex-band mates Ian Person & Fredrik Sandsten on their new projects

In this special edition Retrosonic Podcast, Steve from Retro Man Blog talks to ex-Soundtrack of Our Lives band-mates Ian Person and Fredrik Sandsten about their forthcoming collaboration with Jerry Williams. The album “Ghost Rider” sees the 72 year old Swedish Rock and Roll legend, backed by a band including Ian, Fredrik and Kalle Gustafsson Jerneholm, covering songs by acts such as Suicide, The Stooges and Danzig. The Podcast also coincides with the start of a Pledge Music campaign to launch Ian’s debut solo album and he explains the details behind this and the various options on offer. With Fredrik now working as a cultural ambassador for Gothenburg, we discuss the city’s undoubted influence on their lives and music. Along the way we cover such topics as the importance of Svenska Grammofon Studion, the documentary about the IFK Göteborg football team “Fotbollens Sista Proletärer” and the recent music-related TV drama “Viva Hate”, all based in the city. 

Fredrik, Kalle & Ian photographed by Paul Slattery

As well as discovering the concept behind the new Jerry Williams album, we chat about some other collaborations such as working with the Scandinavian super-star Håkan Hellström and Nina Persson from The Cardigans. Fredrik and Ian also talk frankly about the reasons behind The Soundtrack of Our Lives split and the effect it had on both of them. Generously sound-tracked by a selection of great music, including some exclusive tasters from “Ghost Rider”, the Podcast is now available to listen to and download from our Retrosonic Soundcloud site or via iTunes.   

Soundtrack of Our Lives fans might also enjoy these four special edition Retrosonic Podcasts with Ian Person, Mattias Bärjed, Mattias Hellberg and the “Fotbollens Sista Proletärer” special, where we interview the movie’s director and writer and ex-IFK and Liverpool FC legend Glenn Hysén. All are available to download for free in our Soundcloud archive or at the iTunes store.

Fredrik Sandsten photographed at Slussens Pensionat by Paul Slattery

With many thanks to Ian and Fredrik. Colour photos copyright Paul Slattery.

Spiders at The Borderline London May 06th

Spiders at London Borderline - Photo by Steve Worrall

Swedish melodic rock band Spiders finally made their long-awaited return to the U.K. last week, something I have been looking forward to very much ever since first seeing them back in December 2012 as support to Graveyard. I was so impressed with the band's stunning live show and I don't think I have ever seen an opening act get such a great reaction from a crowd, especially a London one. This time round, the only slight disappointment was that the band were here as a support act again, this time to Canadian band Blood Ceremony on their lengthy European tour. I was really hoping the band might have been venturing out as headliners especially since the many glowing reviews of their faultless debut album "Flash Point", but at least a support slot such as this should introduce them to an even bigger International audience.

Ann-Sofie of Spiders - Photo by Steve Worrall

The band hit the stage of The Borderline, Ann-Sofie resplendent in a shining gold cape and sequined top, a blaze of colour and energy and they blast off with a new song "Mad Dog". In fact the band take the somewhat brave step of following up with another unreleased song "Control", well it would be brave if the new songs weren't any good, but no need to worry, they are both excellent and fit in seamlessly with their more familiar numbers. Guitarist John Hoyles peers out from behind a straggly fringe, and with his inventive Bluesy riffing, steeped in late Sixties and early Seventies Rock, I'm reminded of Led Zeppelin. Spiders have that little bit of soul to them, there's a groove that's missing from many of their contemporaries. I discussed this side of their music with bassist Matteo Gambacorta last time they were in London and I was a bit disappointed to see that Matteo could not make this tour as he is a great bass player. Luckily his replacement, Olle proved a more than able stand-in, and complete with black Rickenbacker, he did an excellent job. 

Bassist Olle - Photo by Steve Worrall

His rhythm section partner Ricard Harryson is not a visually flamboyant drummer, he keeps a low profile with his trucker's cap pulled down low, but there's no doubting his immensely powerful and effective playing. A great version of the powerful "Loss & Trouble" leads into the title track of their forthcoming second album, "Shake Electric" which has a crunching guitar intro from John. It's another perfectly formed melodic masterpiece with a stunning harmonica break from Ann-Sofie, and I can really imagine this making a great new single in the build up to the new album.

Spiders (L/R) John, Ann-Sofie, Ricard & Olle - Photo by Steve Worrall

John plays a nice meandering riff before the mighty Motorhead-heavy "Hang Man" slams into the crowd with superb drumming from Ricard. "Nothing Like You" with it's inventive twists and turns gives way to the thunderous intro to the excellent "Rules of The Game", one of my favourite Spiders tracks. Another new song entitled "Only Your Skin" follows and it becomes clear that the next album is shaping up to be very promising indeed. "Above The Sky" slows the pace a bit and allows Ann-Sofie to show off her considerable skills on the harmonica, it's a great song that reminds me of late Sixties Jefferson Airplane and it highlights the diversity that makes Spiders stand out for me.

John and Ann-Sofie of Spiders - Photo by Steve Worrall

"Love Me" sees Ann-Sofie bashing a tambourine, shaking her hair and the crowd respond and start clapping along. She really is a great focal point for the band with a natural charisma and a ready smile, not to mention one of the best female voices around at the moment. "Fraction" is a great slice of flash Runaways Rock 'n' Roll and is a perfect way to bring the set to a close and the band leave the stage to rapturous applause and calls for more but that's the end to an excellent set, it's all over unfortunately. Let's hope we don't have to wait too long for the Spiders' return.

Spiders at The Borderline - Photo by Steve Worrall

John Hoyles of Spiders - Photo by Steve Worrall

I met up with Spiders vocalist Ann-Sofie and guitarist John before their set and we chat about the Gothenburg music scene, the first 7" singles they ever bought, touring Europe in a camper van and of course the new album. It turns out that earlier that afternoon they had been in advanced discussions with Universal Music about releasing their next album "Shake Electric" so, if all works out well hopefully that Spiders headlining tour might not be too far away..! 

Spiders at The Borderline - Photo by Steve Worrall

You can hear our chat in a future episode of Retrosonic Podcast, so please keep a check on the Soundcloud page or sign-up, register, like and follow the various Retro Man Blog social media sites such as Facebook or Twitter for news on when that will be available. You can listen to my previous chat with Ann-Sofie in our Retrosonic special on the Swedish music scene and hear a selection of great Spiders tracks too. Please note this is an archive episode from 2012.

You can read our report on Spiders first U.K. show featuring exclusive Paul Slattery photos here and some excellent photos by Josefine Larsson of the band at Sweden Rock Festival here. For more photos of the Borderline show please head on over to the Retro Man Blog Facebook page and hit "Like" for access to the exclusive photo album...

John & Ann-Sofie - Photo by Steve Worrall

With many thanks to John and Ann-Sofie, Ricard, Olle and Peter from the excellent Crusher Records.

The Movements "Like Elephants 1" New Album Released on Crusher Records October 25th

One of the Blog's favourite bands, the excellent Gothenburg based The Movements, will be releasing their brand new album "Like Elephants 1" on October 25th on Crusher Records, home to the equally excellent Gothenburg band Spiders. The band are moving away from their rawer sound and have opened the gates to the expansive world of Psychedelic Rock. "Like Elephants 1" is a very exciting project because, as the title suggests, it is only the first disc of two and it's follow-up "Like Elephants 2" is scheduled for release in early 2014. Working out two albums into a unique whole has been innovative, challenging and inspiring for The Movements. What is special about these two albums is that they not only stand strong individually but also create a whole, a kind of continuity, together. The Movements distance themselves from today’s fast-food consumption of songs pulled out of their context and instead dare to demand a greater commitment by the listener who, in return, gets to experience a collection of songs in their intended sequence.

"Like Elephants 1" offers swirling psychedelia in "Great Deceiver", catchy rock riffs with "All The Lost", choral psychedelia through "Like Elephants 1" and folk-rock in "It Takes A Spark". The album consists of ten well-worked songs of high quality and has for the most part been recorded at Music-A-Matic in Gothenburg and was produced by The Movements and Michael Nilsson. Here's a taster from the new album, the video to the new single "The Death of John Hall D.Y."...

The Movements possess great stage and songwriting skills and have over the years toured most European countries. The Movements’ upcoming album, "Like Elephants 1", is being released on October 25th on Crusher Records and will be followed by gigs around Sweden and Europe. Please check out their official web-site for further news on venues and tour dates.

The Movements - Photo by Anders Bergstedt

You can listen to our Retrosonic Podcast special episode with The Movements here - Steve from Retro Man Blog talks to Thomas and David from one of Sweden's best psychedelic-garage-space-rock bands. Thomas and David take us on a trip through the band's story which includes chapters as diverse as writing a theme song for a German football team, to being the first band that legendary Union Carbide and Soundtrack of Our Lives guitarist Björn Olsson produced. From rehearsing songs in a hospital ward while singer David recovered from cancer they ended up being the first band to have their very own Space Rock album taken to Outer Space by Swedish astronaut Christer Fuglesang! Generously sound-tracked by loads of great Movements songs, you can find out more in this fascinating special edition podcast!

 

With thanks to Thomas and Peter from Crusher Records. Podcast cover photo by Josefine Larsson.

Retrosonic Podcast Movie Special - "IFK Göteborg, Football's Last Proletarians" with Directors Martin Jönsson & Carl Pontus Hjorthén and ex-IFK & Liverpool legend Glenn Hysén. Music by Ian Person

The superb documentary movie about IFK Gothenburg entitled,  "Football's Last Proletarians" (Fotbollens Sista Proletärer), had it's very first London screening as part of the "Kicking & Screening" event, at the Everyman Cinema Baker Street recently. After their busy day talking to Sky Sports and Talksport Radio, Retro Man Blog got the very pleasant opportunity to relax and have a couple of beers with Directors, Martin Jönsson and Carl Pontus Hjorthén along with one of the stars of the team, and of course the movie itself, ex-IFK, Liverpool and Fiorentina defender, Glenn Hysén. The movie is a fascinating look back at IFK Gothenburg's 1980's European adventures under the management of Sven-Göran Eriksson. However, it is far more than just a film about football, it's a classic and extremely well told story of David against Goliath - how a team of part-time footballers took on, and beat, some of European football's top outfits on their way to UEFA Cup success.  The movie also puts the football into historical and social context, as we see how the politics of the time, along with the atmosphere of the working class dock city of Gothenburg, helped to shape such an unlikely yet successful team.

Martin Jönsson, Carl Pontus Hjorthén & Glenn Hysén

I would go so far as to say this is the best film to be made about football so far, as the highs, lows and crushing sense of injustice that permeate the movie, are familiar to every die-hard football fan, no matter where they are from or what team they happen to support.  The original soundtrack music is provided by Ian Person, long time IFK fan and guitarist with The Soundtrack of Our Lives. Ian spoke to me about how he got involved with the movie on our Special Edition Retrosonic Podcast, which you can listen to and download here. You can also read the previous Blog feature on the movie, with an interview with Ian and a track-by-track guide to to the movie soundtrack here.

However, in this Episode of Retrosonic Podcast, Martin and Carl Pontus tell us how they got the idea for the movie and how they believe that it will hopefully appeal to British and Scottish football fans in particular. They discuss the importance of the social and political times in Gothenburg around the team and how they got to work with Ian Person from The Soundtrack of Our Lives for the film's music. Glenn discusses some of the unsung heroes of the team and what it was like working under the management of Sven-Göran Eriksson and he then talks about his time with Liverpool FC and Fiorentina. I also finally uncover the mystery of the ubiquitous Ramones style "Glenn" T-shirts that you see all over the city...  

With many thanks indeed to Martin Jönsson, Carl Pontus Hjorthén and Glenn Hysén for sparing time from their busy schedule to chat to me and for their generosity...my turn to get the beers! Many thanks also to Ian Person from The Soundtrack of Our Lives. The English version DVD is available soon from all major outlets and is thoroughly recommended.

Photo of Martin Jönsson, Carl Pontus Hjorthén & Glenn Hysén Copyright Steve Worrall 2012.