Ebbot Lundberg & The Indigo Children - The Soundtrack of Our Lives and Union Carbide Productions Front-man on Blistering Form at Stora Teatern Gothenburg 13th April

Ebbot Lundberg & The Indigo Children - Photo copyright Retro Man Blog

With a new single "Where Are You Now?" out now and a forthcoming album in the works, Ebbot Lundberg the ex-Soundtrack of Our Lives and Union Carbide Productions front-man is out on the road in Sweden with his current band The Indigo Children. We saw his show at the beautiful Stora Teatern in Gothenburg but nearly got caught out as there was no support band and Ebbot’s set started at the ridiculously early time of 7pm. Afterwards Ebbot told me the timings kind of threw him too but as usual he put everything into his performance despite the early start. Although there is no doubting the Stora Teatern is a stunning place, seated venues are not ideal for Ebbot as he thrives on contact and sometimes confrontation with the audience and it was frustrating having to sit down as the band stormed through powerful classics such as "Galaxy Gramophone" and "Mantra Slider". But at least we were treated to a superb two-hour show and still had plenty of time for drinks afterwards. Maybe early gigs are the way to go? 

Ebbot Lundberg & The Indigo Children - Photo copyright Retro Man Blog

So we took our seats at 7pm and a Native American appeared alone on stage and gave a speech in his own language and in English about the environment, nature and coincidence and proceeded to play some beautiful, haunting music on a flute. After the show, I spoke to this intriguing character and he told me his name was Tiokasin Ghosthorse, a pretty cool name if ever there was one. He asked me my name, "errr...Steve" I told him, hardly exotic in comparison…"Steve?" he replied slowly "I like that name" – yeah, right! He told me he was from the Lakota Sioux Nation and had been giving a speech at a Green Cross seminar in the city. Ebbot is now a Green Cross ambassador and that’s how the two got to know each other. He told me about the red cedar wood Lakota flute he used during the gig and that he runs a radio station dedicated to highlighting the causes and injustices of Indigenous people around the world. You can see why Ebbot is drawn towards Tiokasin Ghosthorse particularly in the subject matter of his more recent material on the "For The Ages To Come" album with it’s organic sound and ecological subject matter. 

Tiokasin Ghosthorse at Stora Teatern - Photo copyright Retro Man Blog

Ebbot and the band appear and treated us to a stunning set that really was a Soundtrack of Our Lives fan’s dream as it dipped into the back catalogue for early songs such as "Rest In Piece", "Four Ages" and "Gran Canaria". They even dusted down the beautiful "Ride Into The Next Sun" from the "Behind The Music" LP and delved further into Ebbot’s past for a blistering version of Union Carbide Productions "Chameleon Ride". Of course, it wasn’t just an exercise in nostalgia as we were treated to current Indigo Children material with the superb "Backdrop People" and "To Be Continued" both the equal of any song from Ebbot’s illustrious back catalogue. Ebbot’s debut LP with The Indigo Children "For The Ages To Come" was a return to the Psychedelic swirl of TSOOL’s second LP "Extended Revelations" (which happens to have just turned 20 years old) and this was evident tonight on songs such as "I Totally Agree" and "For The Ages To Come". 

Ebbot Lundberg & The Indigo Children - Photo copyright Retro Man Blog

However, it’s a surprising return to Ebbot’s Punk Rock roots which proves to be one of the highlights of the night and a storming brand new number "Planet Earth Through a Stethoscope" which may well go onto become a classic. One of the best things about Ebbot is that he can always counterbalance his raw and visceral side with moments of pure beauty and tonight this came with "I See Forever" which was made even more haunting by the return of Tiokasin Ghosthorse and his flute. We've waxed lyrical many times on the Blog about The Indigo Children and just how great they are - providing Ebbot with the perfect backing to indulge in wherever his mood takes him. Elias on keyboards, Hugo on drums, Joacim on bass with Billy and Oskar on guitars, each have their own distinct characters and handle the material with real expertise and passion. Of course, the TSOOL classics "Second Life Replay" and the crowd-pleasing singalong "The Passover" close the show to rapturous applause. It’s a great time to be seeing Ebbot with such a superb band backing him and with such a faultless back catalogue to pick from you can’t go wrong. 

Ebbot Lundberg & The Indigo Children - Photo copyright Retro Man Blog

Ebbot will be releasing a Mini LP "The Principle of Gender, Cause & Effect" to be followed by his second LP with the Indigo Children entitled "The Kybalion" very soon. We will keep you updated on news on the release date and further information but in the meantime please check out his official web-site here. Tiokasin Ghosthorse is the host of First Voices Indigenous Radio and The Indigo Children are also the superb band Side Effects. You can see more photos from the show at the Retro Man Blog Facebook page and videos from the show at our YouTube Channel here. Don't forget The Soundtrack of Our Lives Fan's Group on Facebook, it's not just an archive for memorabilia but we will keep you up-to-date on all the ex-members current solo and side projects too.

Ebbot Lundberg & The Indigo Children at The Garage Islington December 4th

Ebbot Lundberg & The Indigo Children at The Garage Islington - Photo by Paul Slattery

Ebbot Lundberg has been busy touring Europe and Scandinavia to promote his critically acclaimed debut album with his new band The Indigo Children entitled “For The Ages To Come” and now he's back in London to showcase the U.K. release. Despite being the front-man of not just one but two legendary Swedish bands, The Soundtrack of Our Lives and Union Carbide Productions, and a house-hold name in Sweden over here he is pretty much starting from scratch. He has to build up an audience again and he finds himself in front of a sparse but eager crowd Upstairs at The Garage in Islington as opposed to downstairs in the main venue where he tells us The Soundtrack of Our Lives once played in their prime. Following a powerful and well received set from support act The Galileo 7 (which you can read about here), Ebbot and the band appear in garish black and white face paint, it’s quite unnerving, almost like tribal war-paint. The swirling sounds of tonight's opening song “Psychomatum X2000” taken from The Soundtrack of Our Lives second album “Extended Revelations” and a sort of updated “2,000 Light Years From Home” is thoroughly mesmeric and a really nice surprise. In fact the general feel of the "For The Ages To Come" album reminds me of the more mellow Psychedelic textures of the "Extended Revelations" album mixed in with the orchestral arrangements of some of the tracks on their breakthrough "Behind The Music". 

Ebbot Lundberg & The Indigo Children - Photo by Paul Slattery

Next up is the new album's title track and it's rich with Ebbot's familiar baritone, slowly builds to an epic climax that is probably as close to The Soundtrack of Our Lives as it gets. I sense a strong influence of Arthur Lee and Love not just on this track but running throughout the album, an influence that first became apparent on "Where's The Rock?" going back to TSOOL's farewell "Throw It To The Universe" with it’s Latino brass and flashes of flamenco guitar. This influence is even more apparent with the next song, a cover of the 1960’s Spanish band Los Pekenikes “Calling From Heaven”. Ebbot is a fired up front-man, someone who openly delights in provoking a reaction from his audience, often in a confrontational way if he doesn’t feel he is getting the kind of response he wants. Indeed tonight he spends a large part of the gig singing from down among the audience. Fans will probably recognise guitarist Billy Cervin as he has previously stood in for The Soundtrack of Our Lives guitarist Mattias Bärjed at a couple of shows before and his own band, Stockholm based Psych band Side Effects - who make up 4/5ths of The Indigo Children - often supported TSOOL. 

The Indigo Children (Ebbot's in the crowd!) - Photo by Paul Slattery

Drummer Hugo and Bassist Joacim are hidden at the back, the venue’s poorly positioned ceiling mounted speakers obstructing the view somewhat. I can sense the band are a bit subdued tonight probably down to tiredness from the long journey but Elias on the keyboards is his usual blur of energy, joining Ebbot at the front for a duet on Alice Cooper’s old 1960’s band Spiders Garage Rocker “Don’t Blow Your Mind”. The fifth member Rebecka from Those Dancing Days and The Hanged Man adds some intriguing textures on the guitar. They are all superb musicians sticking faithfully to the originals when called for or weaving their way along expertly following Ebbot’s lead and improvising as his often unpredictable mood dictates. Ebbot is very generous to his bandmates and indeed he acknowledged the importance his young charges in The Indigo Children have had on his new music in our Retrosonic Podcast interview which you can listen to here. 

Ebbot Lundberg & The Indigo Children - Photo by Paul Slattery

They play the Union Carbide classic “Golden Age” which is often cited as the bridge between their raucous Stooges influenced Punk Rock and The Soundtrack of Our Lives more expansive Psychedelic sound. Union Carbide Productions were pretty much unknown in the U.K. at the time but were taken to heart by America’s hip underground scene with such luminaries as Jello Biafra, Sonic Youth, Kurt Cobain and Steve Albini pronouncing themselves as fans. However, Ebbot was getting increasingly influenced by 60’s American West Coast Psychedelia, in particular Love and The Byrds and also the British Freakbeat of early Syd Barrett-era Pink Floyd and he decided to split UCP and form The Soundtrack of Our Lives to reflect these broader influences. "I See Forever" might have a few familiar strains to it and that is because it is an old song originally written by Ebbot with his original TSOOL and UCP colleague Björn Olsson. "Backdrop People" the lead track from the "Homo Futurus" E.P. is an absolute delight and possibly the best song that Ebbot has written. It's a classic that will stand up alongside any favourite from the TSOOL or Union Carbide Productions back catalogue. “Second Life Replay”, “To Be Continued” and crunching versions of Union Carbide’s “Chameleon Ride” and “Glad To Have You Back” mean that this show is far more wired and out-there than at our Retro Man Blog night at The Half Moon last June which ended up as a emotional Midsummer love-in with encores of two Soundtrack of Our Lives songs “You Are The Beginning” and “The Passover”. Tonight Ebbot ditches such niceties and hammers out a rarely played “Mantra Slider” as an encore, again most of which is performed from among the audience. Hopefully if Ebbot can get some good record company support and distribution in the U.K. for “For The Ages To Come” it won’t be long before he is back but this time playing the main venue downstairs at The Garage again. 

Ebbot Lundberg & The Indigo Children - Photo by Paul Slattery

You can listen to or download our Retrosonic Podcast special with Ebbot below:

Check out the Retrosonic Podcast archive at Soundcloud or subscribe at iTunes for our other Soundtrack of Our Lives related Episodes featuring in-depth interviews with Mattias Bärjed, Ian Person and Fredrik Sandsten. For up-to-date news visit Ebbot's Facebook page here and don't forget The Soundtrack of Our Lives Fan's Group where you can share your memories, photos and other memorabilia as well as keep up to date with all the ex-band members current activities. Thanks to Paul Slattery for the photographs as credited.

Ebbot Lundberg & The Indigo Children at The Half Moon Putney June 24th with The Galileo 7 and The Fallen Leaves

Ebbot Lundberg at The Half Moon Putney photographed by Paul Slattery

Ebbot Lundberg, previously the front-man of not just one, but two legendary Swedish bands, The Soundtrack of Our Lives and Union Carbide Productions, is back with a superb and long-awaited new album "For The Ages To Come" and we were honoured to be able to present the first ever U.K. show for Ebbot and his new band The Indigo Children at our June Retro Man Blog Night at the Half Moon in Putney on June 24th. After all, the Retro Man Blog was initially set up solely with the intention to write about The Soundtrack of Our Lives and each band-member's various (and in some cases numerous) side projects and solo work. Also, the Blog was actually named after our favourite Soundtrack of Our Lives song from their debut album and no, it wasn’t because I am a nostalgic, retro-minded old git...honestly! So, the chance to get Ebbot and his band over to London to appear was a dream come true and with a stellar supporting bill featuring two more of the Blog’s favourite bands, The Fallen Leaves and The Galileo 7, we were all set for a great night of Rock 'n' Roll! 

The Fallen Leaves at The Half Moon Putney photographed by Paul Slattery

Opening the night were The Fallen Leaves who surprised me by unveiling a new bassist, Gareth Evans, who was actually in an earlier line-up of the band and stands in when regular bass player Matthew Karas can't make a show. Gareth was you might say, somewhat different to Matthew who is currently in the studio with his other band Glassglue. Whereas Matthew is a picture of studied cool, all suave in his velvet smoking jacket, cravat and shades - Gareth is more like a blonde Dee Dee Ramone, he's an energetic blur of scissor kicks and pogoing and it certainly adds a new dynamic to The Leaves' live show. Drummer Buddy Ascott of The Chords and The Moment is now bedded in very nicely and again adds an impressive visual presence behind his kit. The rhythm section may have been a bit new on the night but the two Robs thankfully remain unchanged.

Rob Green of The Fallen Leaves photographed by Paul Slattery

Rob Symmons of The Fallen Leaves photographed by Paul Slattery

Vocalist Rob Green, pulls out all the usual tricks to keep us entertained including waving a traditional stick-seat around, blowing impressive smoke rings from an e-cigarette and of course the now legendary thermos flask "tea ceremony". Guitarist Rob Symmons attacks his guitar with his stuttering rhythmic style, machine gunning the crowd mercilessly. The rarely played “Go Now” is a welcome surprise and a careering barely in control "Prodigal Son" almost blows the bloody doors off. The The Fallen Leaves will be having a launch party for their forthcoming vinyl compilation album "Punk Rock For Gentlemen" at the Hope & Anchor in Islington on Saturday July 16th and they will release a new studio album later in the year. Damian O’Neill from The Undertones, That Petrol Emotion and The Everlasting Yeah was in the crowd to catch up with his old friend Buddy and Ebbot with whom he is collaborating on a new project 5 Billion In Diamonds (more about that very soon!).

The Galileo 7 photographed by Paul Slattery

The Galileo 7 just get better and better and the new unrecorded songs that feature in their set, particularly "Too Much Choice", are superb and crying out to their creators to get back in the studio pretty damn quick and get them committed to tape (or whatever new-fangled digital format it is these days…!).We know that drummer Mole is the Keith Moon of the contemporary Garage Rock scene and his energy seems to have lifted the others to another dimension. Bassist Paul Moss hauls his instrument above his head, leaping and jumping about, Allan Crockford attacks his guitar, leaping and jumping about and keyboardist Viv - while she doesn’t quite leap and jump about as much as the others - is a busy blur of activity behind the organ, taking over lead vocals on Shocking Blue’s “Send Me a Postcard”. I thought their performance at the Medway Legends Weekender in San Sebastian last month was as good as they could get, but they have taken it up another notch with tonight’s performance. There is something about the Half Moon that just brings out the best in bands – the superb sound helps. Get the band’s latest best-of-live-in-the-studio album "Live-o-Graphic" to see how they have captured the essence of the new line-up perfectly.

Allan Crockford of The Galileo 7 photographed by Paul Slattery

Ebbot Lundberg & The Indigo Children photographed backstage at The Half Moon by Paul Slattery

The Indigo Children took to the stage wearing their long military style tunics and colourful floral garlands in their hair to celebrate it being Midsummers Eve, a tradition they still take very seriously in Sweden. The Indigo Children are actually the young Stockholm based outfit Side Effects who have had strong links to The Soundtrack of Our Lives over the years and have often been dubbed a "mini-TSOOL". However, that is probably doing them a disservice as they have released two quite stunning Psychedelic Rock albums in their own right which are well worth checking out. You can hear all about how Ebbot recruited The Indigo Children in our special Retrosonic Podcast interview here. Tonight Side Effects members Billy Cervin on Guitar and vocals, Elias Jungqvist on Keyboards and vocals and drummer Hugo Mårtensson are joined by bassist Oskar Nylen who was standing in for Joacim Nilsson who couldn’t make the show. Completing The Indigo Children line-up is Rebecka Rolfart from The Hanged Man and Those Dancing Days, so there’s certainly a fine pedigree and their youthful enthusiasm and mind-blowing musicianship has certainly given Ebbot a real shot of energy.

Ebbot Lundberg & The Indigo Children photographed by Paul Slattery

The band strike up a familiar intro and I realise it’s the Union Carbide Productions classic “Golden Age” and a shiver goes down my spine. Ebbot appears to rapturous applause and cheers and the atmosphere throughout the Half Moon is positively electric. Ebbot exudes a glowing aura of charisma, there’s a mischievous twinkle in his eyes that can sometimes switch suddenly to a hint of unpredictability and danger which is utterly compelling. It’s something that always marked him out as one of the best ever front-men of any musical era or genre. “Golden Age” is definitely one of my all time favourite tracks and it’s often cited as the musical bridge between the more frenetic Stooges influenced Punk Rock of Ebbot’s first major band, Union Carbide Productions to what followed next with The Soundtrack of Our Lives’ as they delved into richer Psychedelia. Next up is a track from the new album “To Be Continued” which is an up-tempo melodic delight packed full of wonderful harmonies. “Here I am again, here I am the only one…” sings Ebbot, staking a claim that he is now back on his own terms, freed of the constraints of a long-term, extremely close-knit band and freed of major record company contracts. “This is Hugo, he’s the boss!” Ebbot says as the drummer kicks off the intro to The Indigo Children’s debut single “Backdrop People”. It’s a stonewall classic that stands up alongside anything from Ebbot's impressive back catalogue.

Ebbot Lundberg photographed by Paul Slattery

Elias and Billy of The Indigo Children photographed by Paul Slattery

Ebbot jumps down into the crowd, he’s up close and personal, physically barging into people, demanding a reaction. He has always thrived on that interaction – whether it’s winding up and antagonizing an indifferent crowd or feeding off the positive energy of an audience that really dig it and tonight, thankfully the crowd at the Half Moon certainly dig it. People were amazed after the show when I explained that Ebbot had actually soldiered on with a broken collarbone! You would never have believed it to witness his performance. There’s another treat for die-hard fans in the shape of Union Carbide’s “Chameleon Ride” which, as the title might suggest, takes us on a crawling lizard-like journey before slamming in hard and fast on the chorus, it reminds me of “Sick Of You” by Ebbot’s beloved Stooges. From a track influenced by one musical hero to an actual cover of another – this time Syd Barrett, and the band launch into a blistering version of Pink Floyd’s “Arnold Layne”. It’s breath-taking but there’s no let up as Hugo slams the crushingly powerful jack-hammer drumbeat to Union Carbide’s “Glad to Have You Back” which is undoubtedly one of the highlights of the night. Next up is another cover version, but one which The Indigo Children have pretty much made their own. "Calling From Heaven" is a remake of Los Pekenikes "Cerca de las Estrellas" which is an intriguing mix of Arthur Lee and Love styled Psychedelia mixed with Latino and Tex-Mex flavours.

Ebbot Lundberg & The Indigo Children photographed by Paul Slattery

Oskar of The Indigo Children photographed by Paul Slattery

The new album’s excellent title track “For The Ages to Come” highlights Ebbot’s rich baritone and gives us a bit of a breather before Ebbot is down in the crowd again during the crunching take on “Don’t Blow Your Mind” from Alice Cooper's 1960’s Garage Rock outfit Spiders with a freak-out ending that throws in a bit of Union Carbide's "Ring My Bell" for good measure. With Ebbot down in the crowd, Elias spots the gap at the front of the stage and leaps out from behind his keyboard with a mic to take over lead vocals and there’s a nice moment when him and Ebbot duet together, Ebbot down in the crowd looking up admiringly at his young band-mate who affectionately pats him on the head, before helping him back up on stage! Considering this was Oskar’s first gig with the band on bass it was a stunning performance. Half hidden behind his floppy dark fringe he played his cool black Rickenbacker bass to perfection, nobody could believe it was his first show and he did regular bassist Joacim, proud. Rebecka on rhythm guitar adds some wonderful texture to the songs and later on Ebbot was particularly full of praise for how she had fitted in with the band.

Rebecka from The Indigo Children photographed by Paul Slattery

Rebecka charmed the crowd with her floral garland and easy smile and certainly won a lot of admirers. Lead guitarist Billy had free reign to impress the crowd with his immense guitar work, leaping around the stage with a confidence that belies his youth. He also adds some wonderful backing vocal harmonies throughout the set and is an undoubted star. Behind his drum-kit Hugo reminds me more of a Jazz drummer than a straight ahead Rock drummer just thudding his way through the songs. None of that for Hugo, he has an instinctive grasp for what runs through Ebbot’s often spontaneous mind and steers and adjusts the songs expertly. Actually, come to think of it, all three drummers were exceptional tonight. Keyboard player Elias has a huge smile and clearly thrives being on stage – grabbing every opportunity to break free of his keyboard and join in the action at the front, bashing a tambourine, clapping and singing along. It’s this dynamic stage presence that takes your breath away, despite the new album being more akin to the early pastoral Psychedelia of TSOOL’s “Extended Revelations” album, live the band are a completely different proposition altogether. People are almost pinned back against the walls of The Half Moon as the band do what all good Vikings should do and invade our territory!

Elias of The Indigo Children photographed by Paul Slattery

Billy & Ebbot photographed by Paul Slattery

The sheer force of energy takes me back to those immense Soundtrack of Our Lives gigs where the combined visual assault of The Who and The Clash were packed into that glorious Swedish six-piece. Just like TSOOL, each of The Indigo Children has a distinct personality and it is credit to Ebbot that he allows them to flourish; this is a proper band not just a collection of session musicians backing a solo singer. "I See Forever" has become a firm favourite ever since I first saw it performed for the first time last year. It’s a beautiful song and if it has a few familiar strains to it that’s probably because it is actually an old but previously unrecorded song written by Ebbot together with his old band-mate Björn Olsson. The set finishes with The Soundtrack of Our Lives latter day classic “Second Life Replay” from the “Communion” album, a complex track that builds to a crescendo and it is a perfect ending to a stunning set. The encores bring two more TSOOL tracks and the mood shifts to take in the heart-wrenchingly beautiful “You are the Beginning” and the equally emotional “The Passover” which stretches to a ten minute sing-along that leaves the crowd with a few tears in eyes and lumps in throats and baying for more.

Ebbot Lundberg & The Indigo Children photographed by Paul Slattery

Thanks to all three bands for their great spirit and stunning performances, to Carrie, Anastasia and James at the Half Moon, James in particular for the superb sound on the night. Thanks to Hasse and Liselott, Paul Slattery, Marc Riley at BBC 6 Music, Alf Olofsson and the Breakfast Club! You can check out our various Retrosonic Podcast Episodes with Ebbot, Ian Person, Fredrik Sandsten and Mattias Bärjed and lots of other TSOOL related stuff in the Blog archive including exclusive Paul Slattery photos of the band's last ever London and Slussens Pensionat shows. There are lots of videos up at the Retro Man Blog YouTube channel and more photos from the show at the Retro Man Blog Facebook page here. Here's our Podcast with Ebbot, free to listen and download below:

Here are some more of Paul's excellent photos of the gig, all copyright Paul Slattery 2016. 

Ebbot Lundberg photographed by Paul Slattery

Gareth from The Fallen Leaves photographed by Paul Slattery

Viv from The Galileo 7 photographed by Paul Slattery

Ebbot Lundberg & The Indigo Children photographed by Paul Slattery

Damian O'Neill & Rob Symmons photographed by Paul Slattery

Ebbot photographed by Paul Slattery

Don't forget our Soundtrack of Our Lives fans group on Facebook where you can share photos, videos and memorabilia and keep up to date on what all the band members are doing. You can join up here. See you back at the Half Moon on Friday September 16th for Graham Day & the Forefathers with The Len Price 3. Advance tickets available now from the Half Moon here.

Ebbot Lundberg & The Indigo Children - The Soundtrack of Our Lives Frontman to play London Gig!

Breaking news! Ebbot Lundberg, the charismatic frontman of two of Sweden's most influential bands The Soundtrack of Our Lives and Union Carbide Productions is back with a new band, The Indigo Children and a brand new album "For The Ages To Come" (Haldern Pop Recordings). We are extremely pleased to announce that Retro Man Blog and Shindig! Magazine will be hosting the band at The Half Moon Putney on June 24th along with special guests The Fallen Leaves and The Galileo 7. Tickets are available now and strictly limited to just 200 so we would recommend booking in advance especially if you are interested in coming along and have to travel. This will not only be The Indigo Children's first ever U.K. show but Ebbot's first gig in London since The Soundtrack of Our Lives last show in 2012. We will be posting up more information along with an interview with Ebbot and review on the new album very soon, but in the meantime here are some important links:

Ebbot Lundberg & The Indigo Children Facebook Page

Advance Ticket Link

The Half Moon Putney Event Page

Facebook Event Page

Ebbot Lundberg & The Indigo Childen: Photos from Garageprojektet Hammenhög, Sweden September 17th

Here are some photos of Ebbot Lundberg & The Indigo Children from their gig at the excellent Garageprojektet venue in Hammenhög, Sweden on September 17th. Check out the Garageprojektet web-site here for news on their various projects and upcoming events. Previous gigs have included special appearances by Nina Persson from The Cardigans, Titiyo, Nicolai Dunger, Martin Hederos from The Soundtrack of Our Lives and Bob Hund amongst many others.

Ebbot & The Indigo Children - All Photos Copyright Retro Man Blog

Here's a video from the gig, you can check out some more videos at the Retro Man Blog YouTube channel here and some more photos at the Retro Man Blog Facebook page here. Just click "Like", if you are not already following, for access to the exclusive photo album.

Don't forget our Retrosonic Podcast special with Ebbot who talks to us about The Indigo Children and his plans for two brand new albums to be released sometime in early 2016.

Ebbot Lundberg & The Indigo Children at Slussens Pensionat, Orust, Sweden on Friday July 10th

Ebbot Lundberg by Anders Magnusson

When The Soundtrack of Our Lives split up, one of the things I would come to miss the most of all would be the annual trips to the beautiful Slussens Pensionat on the island of Orust. These nights became legendary; a chance to see the band up close and personal, often playing up to three hour shows which started off as laid back semi-acoustic takes on a wealth of rarely played album tracks and B-sides from throughout their career. The band would also try out new unreleased material as well as showcasing whole albums in their entirety. The Slussens shows were unpredictable and exciting and often ended up in complete mayhem as the initial laid back approach would quickly turn into a full-on Rock ‘n’ Roll freak out with Ebbot climbing on tables, bottles, glasses and bodies flying in all directions. These were great social occasion too, a chance to chat to the band, drink rather too much and meet other fans, some travelling from as far afield as America, Scotland, England, Norway and even Chile to sample the unique Slussens atmosphere. You can see a great example of the Slussens experience in the trailer to the superb "Ebbot the Movie" here.

Joacim of The Indigo Children by Anders Magnusson

So, when I heard the news that Ebbot was going to play a show at Slussens Pensionat it was a dream come true to have a reason to return to my all time favourite venue. Ebbot has certainly been busy working on a wide selection of eclectic projects since TSOOL split. From the ambient art Psychedelia of The New Alchemy to solo acoustic performances and Johnny Cash tributes to the blistering, relentless Kingdom of Evol along with the legendary Freddie Wadling, artist and musician Per Svensson (who designed the iconic 'death masks' album cover for "Behind The Music") and his ex-Union Carbide Productions colleagues Henrik Rylander and Adam Wladis. Then there was a cameo role in the Swedish TV drama “Viva Hate” which featured music by Ian Person and not to mention Ebbot's appearance in the hugely popular music reality TV show "Så Mycket Bättre" which has elevated him to household name celebrity status in Sweden, "I’m a lot more known, I'm suddenly doing a lot more selfies..." he told me in our Retrosonic Podcast interview. Then there was the news that Ebbot was working on new material with the excellent Stockholm based band Side Effects and ex-Broder Daniel member Daniel Gilbert backing him under the name The Indigo Children. Things were looking promising and we went to see them play a tremendous show at Gothenburg’s Stora Teatern back in March. I think seeing him perform that night with The Indigo Children was the closest he has come to capturing the energy and excitement of The Soundtrack of Our Lives live. 

Hugo of The Indigo Children by Anders Magnusson

The set that night was crammed full of rare treats harking back to Union Carbide Productions and some unusual Soundtrack of Our Lives songs too. This time round unfortunately Daniel Gilbert couldn’t make the Slussens show so Rebekah from Those Dancing Days was drafted in on rhythm guitar – she was certainly thrown in the deep end, evident by the pages of notes with guitar chords scrawled on them strewn on the floor at her feet. But she did a really great job especially as working with Ebbot involves a fair bit of musical flexibility; you never quite know where he is going to lead you. So, the remainder of the band is, as mentioned earlier, Side Effects, who were named (like this Blog...) after a TSOOL song. In fact guitarist Billy Cervin is no stranger to Ebbot’s musical demands, he has already played live with The Soundtrack of Our Lives during Mattias Bärjed’s paternity leave, indeed he was taught guitar by Mattias. You can read all about Billy's experiences in the Blog feature "How To Join Your Favourite Band" here. The band are all in their early 20’s and their talents are quite extraordinary, they started off as kind of school project in Stockholm and have already signed to a major label for their last album release, the stunning "A Walk In The Space Between Us", which I can't recommend highly enough. At Stora Teatern I was amazed at the likeness of their mentors, a kind of "mini-TSOOL", complete with all the moves and confidence. 

Billy of The Indigo Children by Anders Magnusson

They are all great musicians and tonight as I am quite literally sitting on the stage (well floor as is the case with Slussens Pensionat...) with them, it’s certainly fascinating to watch them so close. Billy is an excellent guitarist and all smiles under his mop of hair, wind-milling his Gibson SG just like his mentor. Bassist Joacim is the quiet one of the band on stage, just letting his understated but impressive bass playing do all the talking. Keyboard player Elias plays standing up, adding backing vocals and bringing an additional visual element very much like Martin Hederos did. However, it’s drummer Hugo who gets most of the crowd’s plaudits and on an extended and wired version of TSOOL’s classic "Grand Canaria" he really comes into his own. Fredrik Sandsten himself would have been very impressed with the way Hugo tackled his mind-blowing drum fills. Then of course we get to Ebbot, invigorated by the energy of his young backing band he is in good humour and in mighty fine voice. He takes the stage alone at first and treats us to a "little appetizer" which turns out to be a superb acoustic version of Union Carbide's "Down on The Farm" which goes down a storm. Then he introduces The Indigo Children one-by-one and we are off and away on a perfectly compiled set-list that begins with "You Are The Beginning", one of the highlights of TSOOL's final album. "Killing My Darlings" from the new Indigo Children "Homo Futurus" E.P. is a sort of whimsical, almost Country, song which lyrically could well allude to the decision to call time on The Soundtrack of Our Lives. While we're on the whimsical theme this leads into the early Pink Floyd Psychedelic fairy-tale "The Gnome", it's the sort of off-the-wall humorous track that Ebbot delights in. 

Elias of The Indigo Children by Anders Magnusson

Three brand new tracks follow, "For the Ages to Come", "Beneath The Winding Waterway" and "In Subliminal Clouds", demo versions of which can be heard on the "Immaculate Concept" album. All three sound superb played by the band tonight and I am really looking forward to hearing them in all their recorded glory on the next album. What I thought was the intro to TSOOL's "Lone Summer Dream" turns out to be "Royals", not a tribute to my favourite football team unfortunately, but an unexpected cover version of New Zealand pop star Lorde's international hit. Somewhat surrealistically this is quickly followed by one of Union Carbide's most uncompromising tracks "Glad to Have You Back", which is brilliantly played by The Indigo Children, and really raises the roof of Slussens Pensionat. Another unusual cover is next, "Cerca de las Estrellas" by the 1960's Spanish band Los Pekenikes with lyrics changed to English and re-named as "Calling From Heaven". It's a brilliant Love style piece of obscure Psychedelia that apparently Ebbot has recorded with The Indigo Children for inclusion on the new album. There's a nice touch when they let an excitable Spanish fan introduce the song and join in on backing vocals. The Soundtrack of Our Lives rarity "Room Without a View" is a nice surprise, originally this was released as a fan club only web-single before being included on the B-Sides and rarities compilation "A Present From The Past", it's a beautiful song that deserves to be tracked down. The first set ends with a raucous take on Pink Floyd's "Arnold Layne" and we get to catch our breath and re-charge our batteries for the next part of the show.

Ebbot Lundberg by Anders Magnusson

For the second set Ebbot is joined by the solo artist Martin McFaul (whose superb album "Pop Mansion" I would really like to take the opportunity to recommend) and they play a version of Simon & Garfunkel's "April Come She Will". Martin has played quite a few acoustic shows with Ebbot over the past few years, especially at his Club Revolution No. 9 which was started up by Ebbot with help from Hans Selander the bassist from early 80’s Gothenburg Punk band Tre Muskler, a band that also included Per Svensson. There was a nice surprise to see Martin's friend, Wallander actor Lars Melin, in the crowd and I’d like to think he wasn’t too freaked out to be accosted by a couple of strange and excited foreigners telling him he was their “favourite ever Martinsson!” He’s even cooler now after discovering he has quite an impressive musical pedigree himself. I would have liked to have heard a few songs by Ebbot and Martin but that's all we get and Ebbot plays another rarity "Swim Like a Bird" before the Indigo Children return and slam into the tremendous "To Be Continued" from the new E.P. which segues into an extended version of the classic "Grand Canaria". This in turn leads quickly into another Soundtrack of Our Lives classic, "Instant Repeater '99", or “Sweden's unofficial national anthem” as I have heard it described. "Backdrop People”, the lead track from the "Homo Futurus E.P." must be one of the best songs that Ebbot has ever written; it certainly ranks up there amongst the very best of his impressive back catalogue. At the sinewy slow intro of Union Carbide's "Chameleon Ride" you can sense the crowd drawing a collective breath, the anticipation is palpable just waiting for the part where the powerful guitar chords come crashing in and the song tales off into another dimension like The Stooges "Sick Of You", it's a truly stunning moment.

Rebekah of The Indigo Children by Anders Magnusson

Next up is the laid-back Burt Bacharach lounge styling of the Ebbot solo single "Wishing Well" which allows a welcome breather and we all join in on the "La La La La" backing vocals before a crunching version of Alice Cooper's old 60's Garage Psych band Spider's "Don't Blow Your Mind" slaps us round the face and gets the tempo going again. The it’s one of my highlights of the whole night, a song entitled "I See Forever" which I later found out was co-written by Ebbot and his old UCP/TSOOL colleague Björn Olsson but is as yet unrecorded. It's an achingly beautiful yet simple song based on one of those minimalistic Erik Satie style piano motifs that Martin Hederos did so well in Soundtrack songs such as "Tonight". The second set ends with "Second Life Replay", the complex baroque masterpiece that despite being buried on the 24 song 2008 double album "Communion" fast became a fan favourite. For the inevitable encores we get a batch of cover versions starting with "Riders On The Storm" and the Beatles "A Day In The Life" which breaks down into a knock-about "Act Naturally" and somehow morphs into Donna Summers "I Feel Love" via The Trashmen's "Surfin' Bird"! The night draws to a close with a faithful cover of Johnny Cash's version of "Hurt", rather than the Nine Inch Nails original and we finish with an emotional singalong of "The Passover". And that's it, it's sadly all over, the end of yet another amazing experience at Slussens Pensionat and I can only sincerely hope that Ebbot makes this a regular date in the future.

Ebbot Lundberg and fan by Anders Magnusson

The next day we managed to have a little chat with Ebbot for Retrosonic Podcast where he gives us the low-down on two forthcoming album releases and explains what he has planned for the future. You can download/listen to the Podcast for free at our Soundcloud page or subscribe for free at iTunes. For more photos of both the Stora Teatern and Slussens Pensionat shows please head on over to our Retro Man Blog Facebook page and, if you are not already following, hit “Like” for access to the exclusive photo albums. You can see lots of exclusive photographs and features on TSOOL including reports on the band’s last ever show at Slussens with exclusive Paul Slattery photos here. We also have Retrosonic Podcasts featuring exclusive interviews with Ian Person, Mattias Bärjed and Fredrik Sandsten available in the Retrosonic Archive. There's also The Soundtrack of Our Lives fan's forum on Facebook here. With thanks to Ebbot, Hans Selander, Liselott, Robert and Vibs.

Special thanks to Anders Magnusson for contributing the excellent photographs as credited above.