Tagged: Malmö
Steve Harris’ British Lion @ KB, Malmö
Steve Harris’ British Lion visited Malmö last night. I’m guessing they arrived the day before – I passed the club KB (Kulturbolaget) on my way home from work and saw the usual “Beat The Street” buses outside. So, their day off was possibly spent in ice-cold Sweden. What a drag. :)
Met up with my friends Mari and Henrik outside KB pretty early, basically cause I didn’t want to go home and get all drowsy – it’s better hang outside the club and yap a bit until the doors open. And you never know with these things – there could either be two people in line – or there would be one of those “around the block“-type of lines.
For the record – it was NOT the latter….
It was embarrassing to see the lack of people. It was cold as fuck and it was a freaking Tuesday, but if there is ANY rock’n’roll in people, they should have been there when they got this once in a lifetime opportunity to see the godfather of metal bassists, a living legend, STEVE HARRIS – IN A SMALL CLUB IN MALMOE. That’s never going to happen again. How anyone would want to miss that is beyond me. I’m guilty of almost bailing myself, until it dawned on me what I would be missing.
It’s a bit fashionable right now to dislike what Steve does outside of Maiden with British Lion. Nobody dares to say that they like anything about his new project, but honestly… it’s definitely not that bad.
I think that the problem is pretty much what Gary Moore experienced when he tried something very different from what he was known for. Critics loved “Still Got The Blues” – fans absolutely hated it. Metalheads don’t like change. It’s like you’re a traitor, like you’re leaving your group, the place where you belong.
And the problem is to “reprogram” yourself to think of Steve Harris as a brilliant musician who can and wants to do something different, something that doesn’t sound like Iron Maiden. But it’s hard. The man IS Iron Maiden, so I totally understand why he’s having a tough time winning people over.
I’ve always been more of a Priest-fan anyway, I’m not the typical Maidenhead. So, unlike many others (maybe) I went to the gig with an open mind, not expecting anything at all.
I was just curious what he would do with this new thing and on a small club stage. The scenario was just weird – I’ve only seen Steve on the greatest stages of the world, never anywhere remotely as small as this.
I didn’t know the songs, I didn’t know the band, I didn’t know anything – and sometimes I actually want it that way. You tend to experience stuff differently when you are just there as a curious spectator with no expectations whatsoever.
And I have to say – I don’t care how much shit Steve has had to take from reviewers and fans, British Lion put on a great show. I had a freaking great time and I loved seeing the band just playing because they enjoyed it, totally unpretentious, regardless what anyone thinks.
The songs? I think that if this had been performed by a new, unknown “rock band” and not Steve Harris & co, it would have been easier for people to take it for what it is, and appreciate it. Cause the songs were not THAT horrible. My god, I’ve read so much crap online since he released this album, and the only Swedish review I’ve read today pretty much pissed on it as well, but I truly believe it’s mostly a matter of psychology.
I was in the front row, because I wanted to experience Steve Harris doing his thing up close when I had this unique chance. I don’t regret it for one second, and the band gave it their best – I don’t know if you’re missing those small details if you’re way in the back (eye contact and seeing the slighest change in their facial expression) but the point is – they managed to entertain me eventhough I hadn’t heard the songs before. And as we all know, that’s not an easy thing to do.
I very well know I’m going totally against the stream here, but …sometimes somebody has to.
It wasn’t Iron Maiden, but I wasn’t there to see Iron Maiden (I’m seeing Maiden this summer, so I’ll get my fair share of Run to the hills in a few months anyway…) I was there to see something different and I did.
Happy belated birthday mr Harris and thank you guys for a good evening at KB!
DYNAZTY and Sabaton were in town last night….
DYNAZTY’s album “Sultans Of Sin” became my favorite album of 2012, and I wanted to get a chat with these guys a few months ago. However, they were “hot stuff” at the time after being on TV all the time, the press loved “the heaviest boy-band in Sweden”…
The timing wasn’t right back then – but it was perfect now.
The “boy-band” finally dragged their asses back to Malmö with the tour package Dynazty/Raubtier/Sabaton last night.
SABATON – KB Malmö 2012-11-27:
Arranged the interview with guitarist “Rob” Love Magnusson through Facebook (well, the crap is good for something every now and then..!) and so – it was time for another video interview for The Rearview Mirror.
I arrived to KB 20 minutes too early, went there straight after work – DEAF on one ear (!) which is a pain in the ass. I hate trying to talk to people when I can barely hear them. Terrible timing.
Texted Love the minute we got there and he let us in.
– Our dressing room is upstairs, second door on the left….I THINK... I’m just gonna grab something to eat, I’ll be right with you guys, he said and ran off to get some dinner.
Went upstairs to the dressing rooms. Been up there like a million times before it seems… Hanoi Rocks, Judas Priest, HIM, Motorhead, Dio…. Countless names, lots of memories. I know the place well.
It wasn’t the second door on the left. It was the THIRD – and the reason I learned THAT really quickly is because the first thing I saw through the half-open door, was a pant-less singer, Nils, putting his pants on (probably oblivious to the fact that there were guests on their way up…).
– You MIGHT not want to walk in there right now, I told Henrik and Mari who came right after me.
No big deal to me, been in slightly more awkward situations before. :) Like the JOP tour when one of the guys in the support act forgot to lock the door to the shower and I accidentally walked straight in. He was a lot more embarrassed than I was, lol. ;)
Anyway, when they were all fully dressed, Henrik started arranging his cameras all over the bands’ dressing room.
The guys were super nice. As usual, drummers always have a story or two to tell while you’re waiting. George mentioned rolling out of his top-bunk in his sleep, landing flat on his face without as much as waking up! He only realized what had happened when he woke up with an aching nose on the cold bus-floor in the morning. Ah – the joys of touring! ;)
You’ll get to see the whole conversation soon enough. It’s in the hands of The Camera-guy, who decides when it’s good enough to go public. :)
After the interview, I went downstairs to secure a good spot in front of the stage before the doors opened. It was SOLD OUT!! Jesus Christ, KB hasn’t been sold out in YEARS as far as I recall. Not even W.A.S.P, who ALWAYS draws large crowds,
But Sabaton is THE shit here right now. People are nuts about them. I heard from fellow rock-fan Pekka before the show, that the guys in Sabaton were all sick as dogs. That was verified by singer Joakim later that evening when he apologized to the fans for not making it to the signing-session, as he had to be rushed off to the doctor instead. One can only admire a true artist for getting onstage anyway, the rock’n’roll way – the show must go on. Always.
Dynazty took the stage right on time, and did one hell of a job. I wasn’t as impressed at Sweden Rock Festival, but it might have been because my expectations were way too high. This time they were more comfortable, I think that an indoor gig suits them better – they communicate much better with the crowd in that setting.
I loved their set, great songs, good performance – and great vocals. They are all skilled at what they do, but I love when a band has a really good singer. Nils has a strong, crystal clear yet rough voice, impressive as hell.
I suspect that the guy behind me who tapped me on my shoulder to ask me which songs the band had been playing, was there to review the show but didn’t know much about Dynazty. :) I let him write down the songs from the set list I got right before the show to be able to plan my filming (helped a lot-thanks guys!)
Following Dynazty – Swedish “Rammstein” – Raubtier. Metal in Swedish. Not even that, in a northern dialect, “norrländska” that fit their music surprisingly well.
I had never heard them before so it was a nice new aquaintance. A great live-band that got the crowd warmed up.
When it was finally time for SABATON, the place was PACKED – it was boiling hot! Once the band made their grand entrance on stage, people went crazy! The kings, the heroes, had arrived!
Wow, the energy and the atmosphere in there was indescribable. You don’t see or experience that too often. Not in that way. There’s something about Sabaton that people can’t resist and they get through to people very well. They genuinely love what they do, there is no doubt about that. You can see the spark in Joakim’s eyes even through his pilot-style shades! And definitely in the rest of the band’s whole body language and facial expressions, it’s a party from beginning to end!
I left early though. Long story, I was hungry, tired and had to take the bus home for once so… didn’t see the whole show. But I saw Sabaton several times this summer as they were on the bill of almost every festival I ended up at :)
From the BANG YOUR HEAD FESTIVAL IN GERMANY in July…. I was caught in this crazy crowd and manage to catch this much of Sabaton’s energetic show!
I basically had a great evening last night, meeting old and new friends and also getting together with the talented guys of Dynazty for an interview. Video interview soon!
Check out the photo album on Facebook HERE.
Lost talent: Chains
I was on the phone with a friend the other day,talking about the local music scene in our home town. Two years ago there were a bunch of promising bands around here, but god knows what happened to them. Maybe they’re doing something but you never hear from them anymore or see them playing anywhere.
It’s a shame when the only way you get to hear something from local bands is if you’re subscribing to their Facebook-pages, which is pretty stupid as that’s like preaching for the choir.
My friend sighed and went: I miss CHAINS… That was a great band.
Yeah. That really was a great band. Probably one of the best I’ve seen in Malmo in many, many years. They were so young when I first heard them, not sure if they had even hit 18 at that point. I remember their drummer Martin walking over to me at the annual Sin City-party (a music party/event with invited guests and bands, run by Hasty Haze-singer Stellan). He said he was also working in Copenhagen and thought it would be cool to meet up someday.
Said and done. Went to Hard Rock Cafe and talked music for a few hours. Quite honestly, I was convinced that he only wanted to promote his band, so I was waiting for that. Well, you know… The “oh by the way, here’s our demo“-thing. Much to my surprise, he didn’t even mention the band until I brought it up and he hadn’t even brought a demo.
Shortly thereafter, I got their brand new demo-CD and figured I’d give it a listen. My jaw dropped to the floor like a rock. The song “Fool For Love” was this Def Leppard-ballad knockoff, but geeez, it was so well played, nice harmonies, unbelievably well arranged and produced for a local amateur band.
I was used to the crappy home-made demos from bands who had recorded their shit on a home computer (without knowing how to use the “home studio”-equpiment) – godawful, terrible demos where nothing was good, meaningless songs, bad vocals, bad everything. The demo by Chains blew me away.
I asked Sweden Rock if I could review it (cause it hadn’t been sent to the office first, which would be standard procedure…) and got an OK. I wrote it was the demo of the year, cause in my book, it sure as hell was.
The wheels started rolling for the guys after that. They were offered a management deal only two days after the magazine with the review came out and a few months later, they won a slot at Sweden Rock Festival – a contest where people could vote for which unsigned band they would most like to see at the festival.
We’re still laughing at how they had Kip Winger opening for them at The Rock in Copenhagen. The reason being that Kip was doing an acoustic set and it would sound strange if he went on after Chains. But still – he DID “open” for Chains. ;)
They also opened for Gotthard, which was a perfect combination. It was in the middle of the winter and I was a temporary “tour-van-driver” to the first gig in Gothenburg. People loved them. The guys couldn’t even leave after the show cause there were so many people wanting to talk to them and find out about more shows and where they could get the demo. It was a fun road trip.
I was a bummer when I heard that they were going separate ways. Drummer Martin called me before they went public with it to tell me the news. Maybe it shouldn’t have been a shock. The rythm guitarist was the first to leave cause he felt they were rehearsing too often and too long and he wasn’t willing to make that sacrifice. Then the singer left, I think probably for the same reason. A singer is always difficult to replace and so…. one day there was an announcement on MySpace that they had decided to call it a day.
http://www.myspace.com/chainsband/blog
That was a pretty sad day. Such a talented band – they were so young and I could see the enormous potential in them, they could have made it if they had only stuck it through. If they were able to do the things they did before they had even hit 20, just imagine where they could have been at 25 or 30. They already had a talent for songwriting. They just needed more experience.
And apparently I’m not the only one who misses them. They still get mentioned in conversations every now and then, different people who have seen them during the short but intense period that they were around.
The last time I saw them live was at my big birthday-party bash two years ago, and we did “Here I Go Again” by Whitesnake together. Not only were they a great band, they are awesome guys as well. Such a waste that a good band like that split up. I guess it happens every day out in the world – lots of talent goes to waste. Guess we all have to enjoy what we’ve got while we’ve still got it.
[Chains and me performing “Here I Go Again” at my birthday party}
[Sound check, Gothenburg]
[Opening for Gotthard at the Brewhouse in Gothenburg]
No rest for the wicked!
The last “tour-like” trip coming up on Friday. Then I’m done with the travelling for this year. Well, maybe not quite – still going to Manchester to see the Def Leppard/Motley Crue combo and of course Whitesnake this winter. But then you never know what comes along in the meantime! :-))
The Rock Exhibition (Rockmässan) was a great event, unusual and a cool thing for sure. After the interview with Baz day one, I only had time to go home and change and then head down to the afterparty.
I went alone cause I never even had time to call anyone to say that I was home from my vacation, lol! :) But – I know that I’m going to meet friends there. Sure enough – it was a “everybody-was-there”-party. EVERY single band, artist, fan, promotor was there – rock profiles of all kinds. I had a great time! I was so tired I could puke, I felt how my eyes were burning cause of the lack of sleep but I didn’t want to leave.
My colleagues from Sweden Rock, Nasty Idols, Crazy Lixx, Pretty Wild, The Itch, Silver Mountain, whoever else – great evening!
[Andy Pierce from Nasty Idols, with the All Star Band consisting of people from Pretty Wild, The Itch, and then of course former Nasty Idols-drummer Stanley]
Got home maybe around 2 or 3 am, passed out on the couch – and woke up only a few hours later. Met up with my friends Henrik (mr Cameraman who’s filmed all the video interviews we’ve done) and Mari and went down to the exhibition again.
Talked with Johan Nylén, “Dr AOR” a bit about rock clubs (he runs the club Stairway to Heaven for instance) and a few words with Orjan who runs Club Distortion. It’s funny to see how they want to outdo eachother with better, cooler ideas – but that’s just great, cause it keeps the fire burning and the competition drives them to make their clubs even better.
Gilby Clarke was there for one day only. A very down-to-earth guy. Davy Vain was there as well but all I ever saw him do was talk to chicks. If he signed anything to anyone it couldn’t have been a whole lot, he was doing his “rockstar thing” so to speak… Jorn on the other hand was signing like there was no tomorrow – he kept busy both days, for sure!
And then…. the Main Attraction – Sebastian Bach. He had a Q & A-session in the afternoon, so I went there to check it out. My videos from that once again made it to Blabbermouth and Bravewords – 600 views in two days. Not too shabby. :) It doesn’t beat the record with the Whitesnake video from Sweden Rock but few videos ever will. :-)
[Hi Daniela! I’ve known her since like the 60’s! The day before he said that we had known eachother 25 years (it’s actually 22…) What are we – 100 years old?? Lol!]
Friday it’s time for more adventures – and those who want to tag along will have to bookmark www.firewindtour.posterous.com or “Like” my page on Facebook for the newest updates! :)
Three cities in one week, and five different hotels – it’s gonna be stressful but also fun. Maybe, with a bit of luck, I’ll get a good nights sleep sometime before Christmas! ;)
IN THE REARVIEW MIRROR 