Life through music. When something is important to you it tends to infuence your life and it becomes a part of who you are. This something for me is music; I simply cannot live without it. Through this blog I share some insights and reflections upon the music in my life.


Wednesday, March 31, 2010

Can't get enough

I just can't get enough of that moment, can I?

Here're two uploads from YouTube that give a hint about that magic we all experienced.



That smile, or grin if you will, on Brett's face does say something, doesn't it? It's a bit sad that you can't hear how it actually sounded at the Royal Albert Hall, but look at all the faces. The second video shows some more of our praise for the band after they had played 'Metal Mickey', and after it you'll see the beautiful 'The Wild Ones'.


A big thanks to my fellow Suede admirers for sharing these uploads!

Sunday, March 28, 2010

A few days on

I haven't gone out of my apartment since I got home from London in the first hours of Friday morning. I should have, but I haven't. The thing is my body is totally off. It seems as if it held up during my journey home but then let everything loose, the tiredness, the ache (cannot mention how much my back hurts), and I haven't been able to do almost anything.

I knew the journey in itself would make me tired, and I didn't sleep that much after the concert on Wednesday, and to be honest I gave all that my body could bring during Suede's magical gig, and then some. So, it's not that surprising. My body wasn't up for this "sort of activity" yet, but I was. And so far I don't regret it. No, I will never ever regret going to that show and jump and throw myself around in the arena together with other dedicated fans - it was a great night. Even though I couldn't manage to get into the flow as much as people around me could, I gave all I had and I had such a fantastic time.

Tomorrow I'm off to work for a few hours. Let's see how that goes. The only things I've managed to do these days are to listen to and view some of the clips that have been uploaded on YouTube or elsewhere, read some reviews and update myself and friends via social networks, text messages and so.

Here's a review I read today: www.independent.co.uk

Referring to that review, here's a photo from that magical moment. I'll never get it out of my head, and I don't mind that.

Last time I wrote that I didn’t want to hear Brett say those words, those about doing it again in another seven years. No, I didn’t want to hear that, but to be honest I don’t know what I would have liked to hear. I'm in some sort of void at the moment and haven't got back to reality yet. Maybe I have a thought on that subject later on.

Friday, March 26, 2010

It's over for now

So, it's over.

I'm back from my stay in London. The one that ended with the TCT gig at the Royal Albert Hall, in other words, the Suede concert.

It felt surreal being there, not until right before their entrance did I start to grasp it. These New Puritans, that were the supporting act for the night, were ok. I can’t say anything more at this point. I had listened to them a bit beforehand and their latest album is more to my liking than their first one, I think.

Since the night was one in the row of the whole Teenage Cancer Trust event, of course there were a lot of references to their work and the patients benefitting from it. It’s a horrible disease cancer. I personally haven’t had any person close to me that have been affected, but others yes. The stories told moved me and it became almost like an odd pause in between the frenzy before seeing Suede again after 7.5 years.

I don’t think I can say that much about my own experience of the show. It was warm, sweaty, moving, fantastic, and...

I do wish I would have had more strength and energy to really get into the flow. Don’t get me wrong, I really did. However, since I’ve been unwell for the past six months with not much possibility to function as I usually do, I have a lot to regain when it comes to my physical condition.

There are however some moments of the show that I’d like to write about.

The magical moment – after 'Metal Mickey' had faded. The entire venue were at their feet praising the band. Since most of the Albert Hall audience did this throughout the show, I want to stress how magical and fantastic this moment was. The band did enjoy it too. I still recall the face of Brett looking out at the crowd, how he smiled and his eyes seemed to glimmer. I remember how Mat looked amazed, smiled and shook his head like he couldn’t believe it. Simon also had a smile on his face, and while leaning forward over the drums he too shook his head in the same way as the others and he had joy shining through his eyes.

That moment was something special and I recall turning around from where I was standing in the arena to see all the people around the circle of the venue, it was an amazing sight and I hope this will linger in the minds and hearts of each member of Suede for a very long time.


To write about other moments almost seem unnecessary, however I want to mention a moving moment. It was when Brett dedicated 'He’s Gone' to a friend of his that recently had passed away. The following 'Next Life' made it even stronger. Brett truly can pour his self into the words he sings, and so he did.

It was great to see them all together on stage again. Especially Neil, who wasn’t with them the final years, and Richard too since I haven’t read or heard anything about him (them) since the split. A surprising moment was the intro to 'The Wild Ones', and this due to that is was Neil, not Richard, who played it.

It was a fantastic show. They sounded amazing. One thing adding to the surreal experience was that this was the first time I saw them play when I didn’t expect to hear any new material, and that was odd I must say.

I think their choice of playlist was very good. Of course I would have loved to see them carry on and play even more songs, but obviously that would have been even more surreal.

If I felt joy and a tremendous flow of strong emotions throughout the concert, afterwards I felt so empty. I would have thought that the joy should have lasted longer, but I was struck with an immense sadness whilst going back to my hotel. The wonderful moment was over, over and gone, forever?

The sadness lingers. I look back at the show with warm feelings, great respect and gratefulness, and I treasure the special moments I recall, but even so, the sadness is heavy on my heart. Is it really so, that my greatest love in music is gone forever?

When I last saw them, in November 2002, I didn’t know that they were going to split up so it was just a good concert, like so many others before. However, this time it’s different.

Brett’s words – let’s do it again in another seven years’ time – wasn’t what I wanted to hear.

Since I can't manage to write about this experience at the Royal Albert Hall in the way that I would have loved to do, please read about it through the words of someone that really knows how: Mark Reed on the best night of his life.

I will end this post with the playlist for Suede's magical performance at the Royal Albert Hall on the 24th.

She, Trash, Filmstar, Animal Nitrate, Heroine, Pantomime Horse, The Drowners, Killing of a Flashboy, Can’t Get Enough, Everything Will Flow, He’s Gone, The Next Life, The Asphalt World, So Young, Metal Mickey, The Wild Ones, New Generation, Beautiful Ones, The Living Dead, The 2 of Us, Saturday Night.

It isn’t the same, and can’t be compared to the live show, but here’s the same playlist on Spotify.

Tuesday, March 16, 2010

Suede in London

No 100 Club-ticket for me, no I didn't win one. However, I'm one of the lucky ones that have bought a ticket for the RAH gig so I'm not that sad. I would have loved to see Suede play at a smaller venue, concerts are almost always better when the band and audience are closer to each other, and it tends to create a more intimate feeling.

Right now I'm preparing for my trip to London; flights, hotel, and a lot more. I haven't really had time to think about what I'm going to do besides go and see Suede on the 24th. There's loads of stuff to see, explore, and so on, and (too) many years have passed since my last visit. I need to think about how to spend my time there.

To end this post – some promotion for the new page I’ve added to the blog. Further. On it you'll find even more links to blogs, good music, and other sites that I like.

Friday, March 12, 2010

Kent (and the aftermath)

They came, they played, and they went. I saw Kent play a couple of nights ago.

As I'm suffering from the effects of long-term sleep deprivation, and I had some difficult nights before the day of the concert, I wasn't sure I should be going to it, not even up until a few hours before it started.

I did go, however, and even though I felt absolutely dreadful of tiredness afterwards I don't regret going. I really liked it. I didn't have any expectations on which songs they were going to perform. I had an idea about what I might hear since I'd read the outline of some playlists from their recent shows, but I wasn't really longing to hear any particular song. I just wanted a good concert, and that was what I got.


I think it had been about two years since I saw them perform the last time, so it had been a while, and during that time I hadn't been listening to their music that much. Maybe it was that "lack of preparation", if you will, that made me almost ecstatic about hearing some of the songs they played. It’s one of the feelings that make me love concerts.

I didn't have the energy to put into the experience that I would have loved to, but it was sufficient on my part. I was satisfied walking home afterwards, and, don't forget, very tired. In addition my body ached somewhat.

I do worry a bit over how tired I was though. Less than two weeks from now, I'm going to be entering the Royal Albert Hall for, what I hope to be, a magnificent experience (no, I don't have any expectations... not at all...). The event in itself will give me some extra energy, I think, but still, I need to be well rested before that one. Don't know how I'm going to manage that. I can't really rule over my body, if I could I wouldn't have had these problems with insomnia.

I need to get better soon. I don’t want to miss out on anything just because I don’t have the strength for it, be it physical or psychological.

Tuesday, March 09, 2010

In wait for

Tonight I've been out walking on icy and slippery streets. I've been to a friend's place for dinner and I have just got back home. It was quite nice to be out walking regardless of the potential danger beneath my feet. The music for the walk was The Radio Dept. and it was a perfect choice, I do recommend it.

Tomorrow it's concert night for me. Kent it is.

Despite that, I keep thinking about another one, the one at Royal Albert Hall. I would like to receive my ticket soon, please. I won't believe I'm actually going until I've got it in my hand. I still haven't booked any plane tickets, or hotel. I should do that, I really should do that. However, at the moment I can't decide on which dates to travel.

There might be an additional concert for me in London, if I’m lucky. Fifty tickets for the London warm-up gig are up for a lottery among fans. Many have registered for the lottery so it will be a difficult one though. The lucky ones who'll win won't be notified until the eve of March 15, the day of the draw. Five days before the show. Will I be one of them?

Thursday, March 04, 2010

An "anti avant-garde group"

Interesting, that's how far I can go at the moment.

I'm listening to the announced support act for Suede at the Royal Albert Hall. They're called 'These New Puritans'. The quotation in the heading for this post is taken from the band presentation on the TCT page.

I don't know if I get it, not so far any way, linking the quotation and the music that is. And I don't know if I get the music, I'll have to listen some more.

However, I don't know if I get the quotation in itself either. Maybe the expression avant-garde means something else for me, because I don't get the idea of saying that something is anti avant-garde. If someone would say that about something I would probably think that he/she doesn't like it. This should however mean something positive about the band since it would be odd if the presentation isn't meant to promote the band... Perhaps I'm getting it all wrong.

In the presentation it's written: 'anti avant-garde' group. I don't know where it comes from, if it's a description from the band (or related people) or if it's from an outsider, e.g. a journalist. I think I'll have to do some digging here. About the band and what's been written about them. I can't just leave this. I need to find out, that's how it is to be curious.

While doing that I can continue listen to These New Puritans, to see if it's music for my ears.

Tuesday, March 02, 2010

Mindset

Heavy-hearted I'm writing a few words here today. I haven't been able to even think about music or anything these passed days. The only thing I've have had my mind set on is to find out about my friends in Chile. Fortunately I have now learnt that they are ok, I'm still missing out on news about one friend and that worries me, but for the others, they're ok. Some of them have lost everything. I cannot understand how it feels to be in that situation. To use the words of one of them; "the experience have been theatrical, like the worst terror movie of all time". Then keep in mind, it's all real (that was my translation from Spanish by the way).

There's one record playing, that my mind's letting in. It's the latest album from a band I've followed for years. It's Heligoland by Massive Attack.

All my love to the Chilean people. Ánimo y fuerza, van a seguir adelante!

Friday, February 26, 2010

With Kent in March

I did try it; make a Kent playlist that is.

Kent started their tour yesterday in Stockholm and will perform three more shows there this weekend before leaving for other cities. I'll see them in March together with a lot of other people.

Here's my recently composed Spotify playlist consisting of only Kent's music: With Kent in March.

I tried to use the simplicity-way of putting it together, which is to not put that much thought behind it, or in it. It consists of songs that I like; it's as simple as that. And remember, it's not the playlist, it's just a playlist. Hope you'll enjoy this 38 tracks, and almost three hours long playlist!

Here's the list of songs for those without Spotify and still interested in my composition. In parentheses are the albums where each song can be found.

Vals för satan (din vän pessimisten) (Röd), Gummiband (B-sidor 95-00), Ingenting någonsin (Kent), Kungen är död (Hagnesta Hill), Att presentera ett svin (B-sidor 95-00), 10 minuter (för mig själv) (Verkligen), En helt ny karriär (B-sidor 95-00), Längesen vi sågs (B-sidor 95-00), Socker (Vapen & Ammunition), Max 500 (Du & jag döden), Saker man ser (Isola), Kärleken väntar (Vapen & Ammunition), Månadens erbjudande (The Hjärta & Smärta EP), Vad två öron klarar (Kent), Kräm (så nära får ingen gå) (Verkligen), Berg&dalvana (Hagnesta Hill), På nära håll (B-sidor 95-00), Innan allting tar slut (Isola), När det blåser på månen (Kent), Cowboys (Hagnesta Hill), Ingen kommer att tro dig (Kent), Mannen i den vita hatten (16 år senare) (Du & jag döden), Önskar att någon... (B-sidor 95-00), Det finns inga ord (Röd), LSD, någon? (Tillbaka till samtiden), Utan dina andetag (B-sidor 95-00), Kevlarsjäl (Hagnesta Hill), Den döda vinkeln (Du & jag döden), Noll (B-sidor 95-00), Du var min armé (Du & jag döden), Duett (Vapen & Ammunition), December (B-sidor 95-00), Frank (Kent), Columbus (Tillbaka till samtiden), Rödljus II (B-sidor 95-00), Järnspöken (Du & jag döden), Hjärta (Röd), 747 (Isola).

Tuesday, February 23, 2010

kent

Earlier this year I'd thought about going to a concert with Kent, on their current tour. However all this with Suede reappearing and their concert in London, somehow almost made me forget about other bands and concerts for a while.

Actually, the only band I've seen on stage more times than Suede is Kent, and of course it has to do with that they are Swedish, just as I am. The first time I saw them, in 1995, I hadn't really started to listen to them that much, but I did after seeing them and hearing them some more. They will probably be great on this tour, but somehow I think no concert that I'll see with them can beat the one they did 1997 in Eskilstuna (at P3 Popstad), their home town, originally. It was quite an amazing show.

I haven't really listened to them that much during the last seven or eight years, but I do love concerts and there are some tunes on their latest album that I like, even though I haven't gone through it that many times.

Since I had been hesitating on going to this concert I hadn't bought a ticket. I wanted to know how much I would have to spend on going to London for the Suede concert, and I wasn't really sure I should be going to both. Even so, some days ago I checked to see if there were any standing tickets left for the Kent concert I had in mind, and there weren't. At first I thought, well that means I'm not going, but later on the concert person in me awoke and I thought I should try it a few days on to see if there might have been any cancellations, there usually are.

About only looking for standing tickets; I have a problem with sitting down at concerts, at a good show I can't really sit still. I need to be standing, so I can move and freely get into the music with every part of my body. With that in mind, I always look for standing tickets. Of course I go to concerts even if I have to be seated, however I prefer to stand. Anyway, this morning I logged on to the site to see if there was a ticket for me, and there was!

Now I need to refresh my ears with some Kent music. Maybe I should try making a Kent playlist? Well, I'll have to think about that - considering my "success" so far. I've got about two weeks to soak myself with Kent before the concert, that shouldn't be hard. It might do me good to stay away from Suede for some time as well, or..?

In wait for a possible Kent playlist, their latest album Röd and their web page (in Swedish though): kent