That’s another adventure in the bag. The never-ending quest
to find exceptional musical kicks took me to the place known as Malmö in
Sweden. The way logistics go, this involves a quick stop in Copenhagen. The
concept of being in two countries in such a short space of time hornswaggles
me, any semblance of discombobulation at my age can be problematic.
I do LOVE to be places but the travel – the getting from A
to ultimately B – not so much. As a necessary evil goes it’s just about worth
the palaver but this one almost never made it to the end of Act 1. See if you
can guess which daftie managed to lock their keys in the car, prior to removing
the bags and tickets? Admittedly a wee flurry of panic ensued until I tried to
figure out what could be done. As it is, someone from the parking area was able
to call a “recovery” service. It’s very easy to get into a vehicle if you have
the tools. And it’s a pricey exercise too. At time of writing that could be
construed under a different type of recovery but the alternative would have
been worse.
Last time I was out that way, I had to take a bus and a
ferry but the new train is great. That
was 23 years ago, to see Dave Alvin, Scott Kempner and The Skeletons, a
lifetime ago when my esteemed friend, Lennart Persson was still with us. We ate
at one of his favourite restaurants, a Chinese joint called Kin Long on Radmansgatan.
I’m not really big on this cuisine but I do believe this was the best
example of the type I’ve ever had anywhere.
Reasonable weather and a clear schedule meant
that a leisurely walk into town and a visit to Music + Konst. The
main purpose of my trip was to see Hello Saferide. A packed Palladium treated
Annika Norlin and the band with the respect that she should be enjoying across the entire
planet.
At one point, Annika passed a container of “Werther’s
Originals” into the crowd and it made its way through the auditorium and
eventually up to me in the balcony. Per Hagred and I had been pointing and
laughing at Weather Report compilations in Folk Å Rock earlier (FAR is the ‘mo
equivalent of Mono in Glasgow). Now what was the last show that you attended
where everyone got a sweet? The set was drawn mainly from The Fox, The Hunter
and Hello Saferide and sprinkled with “hits” from the rich back catalogue. Due
to logistics, I never got to say hello but getting a shout out from
the stage elicited an aged fanboy frisson. Lennart was also a big Annika fan
and it felt like his considerable spirit accompanied me on this final night of
February 2015.
As well as the fantastic Andrea Kellerman, this version of
HS was Cecilia Linné (bass, cello), Calle Olsson (keys, etc.)
and Christian Gabel (drums). There was also an impromptu choir for “This Body”.
Some folks made overtures lately that Reigning Sound is the best
band in the world. While I do understand that consideration, my own notion is
that the mantle belongs to HS.
The local predilection for Melodiefestivalen was a wee bit
alarming but some semblance of an excuse is that Hasse Andersson, a local
“cult” figure is involved. Apparently he had brought Doug Sahm and Augie Meyers
to Sweden many moons ago but I doubt that fact would rub off on most of the people
that are involved with this bun fight. It allowed me to discuss the merits of
Finland’s representatives for this year. That alone will be worth keeping that
evening clear to witness.
Hell, I might even vote. Like I did (one time only) for
Lordi...
Photo from Kulturbolaget fb page.