Year 2025 in Concerts: Memorable Live Shows Recap

It has dawned on me that the year is coming to an end, and thus it feels relevant to make a brief recap of the concerts I’ve attended during the past year.

We started the year strong with Porter Robinson, which was a really solid gig and an artist that i’ve wanted to see live for a couple of years. It lived up to the hype. A few days after this gig i finally got to see Yung Lean live, who brought a few friends – Gud, Yung Sherman, Bladee, Ecco2K & Thaiboy Digital, this was such a cool gig, to see them play in Globen, the most iconic venue in Sweden. A few days after this gig i went to see Lambrini Girls – this was such a fun time, the energy was through the roof, the music was rough and the vibes immaculate.

In June i went to Rosendal Garden Party, where i attended the day when Kraftwerk & Gesaffelstein performed during one of the best summer days of the year, i love the feelings of festivals where you’re walking around, with a beer in your hand, looking at people having the time of their life – time just sort of stand still, its like a microkosmos of sorts. A few days later in June i attended the Rise Against show, this was my second time seeing Rise Against perform live – the time before that was in 2015. Rise Against holds an important spot in my heart, as it was the band that introduced me to heavier music. Late August i went to Almostafestival in Uppsala, where i saw Karakou, Division 7 and Terra which are three Swedish indie rock/indie pop groups – not my usual cup of tea, but really good and fun live. Mid September i saw Division 7 once again, as part of my brothers 30th celebration – this time they brought out the legend Janne Schaffer on stage to perform a few songs together with them, impeccible.

In October, i managed to see one of my biggest bucket list bands ever, whom are Pendulum. I waited 15 years for this gig, as the last time Pendulum performed in Sweden i was too young to attend, and then the band stopped playing/touring together only to resume. It was an insane atmosphere, and it felt like the majority of the attendees had waited as long as me, to see Pendulum live. Late November i attended the Snow Strippers show – this was fun, but nothing that had a big impact. A few days later i saw Viagra Boys, this was the second time i saw them perform live and it’s always such a good and fun show. I’ve been keeping The Hives in first place of ”Best swedish live bands” for a while now, but i think Viagra Boys is trying to snag this spot. Last show of the year was with the legendary Swedish punk band Refused, as part of their ”good bye-tour”, as they announced they are calling quits after this tour – which ended in their hometown of Umeå, with 3 gigs in 3 days. I attended their 2nd gig in Stockholm, and it was amazing and truly felt cathartic, and that the band gave everything they had. It felt incredible to be able to see them perform, as their album ”The Shape of Punk to come” is one of the most influential albums ever made.

There’s been too many warm up acts to mention, which i feel a bit bad about, but i see you – and i see the hard work you put in.

I’ve already so far booked a few concerts for 2026, to which i am looking forward. We’re starting off by seeing Earl Sweatshirt in January, and Danny Brown in March, Tame Impala in April, followed by Foo Fighters in June. I’ve also bought a one-day festival pass to Rosendal Garden Party for 2026, as i did in 2025. They’ve not yet released any artists for Rosendal 2026, but i am very eager to know.

It’s been a busy year, full of interesting and great shows. And all i know is that next year will be even better.

Until next time, take care.
SLQT

Top Music Festivals in Stockholm You Can’t Miss This Summer

There’s no denying it, summer is here. Despite the temperatures associated with summer still lacking.

Kraftwerk, Gesaffelstein & Róisín Murphy at Rosendal Garden Party, Stockholm.
Rosendal Garden Party is a three day festival. It has been running in Stockholm since 2022. The event is held at the Rosendals Trädgård, on Djurgården in Stockholm. The three days usually cater to very different audiences due to the variety in lineups. I’ve attended all but one year and it’s such a beautiful time and venue. Djurgården is a very central part of Stockholm, but its so close to nature that being in Rosendals Trädgård you almost forget that you’re just a 15 minute walk away from the subway. This year i went on the friday where i wanted to see Gesaffelstein and the legends, Kraftwerk. We arrived just before Róisín Murphy started to play, and we listened to a few of her songs – what a voice and such a groovy set. When Rosendal announced the lineups for the different days i was fully convinced that i had never heard of her before, but then i checked Spotify and it turns out that she sings on The Truth by Handsome Boy Modeling School – one of my favourite songs ever.

The slot after Róisín Murphy it was time for Gesaffelstein, who’s gotten a lot of recognition in later years after doing collaborations with The Weeknd. I was first introduced to Gesaffelstein back in 2015 or so. The sound mesmerized me as it was so different compared to the other electronic music being released at the same time. The set itself was very cool, as he played mostly his own songs and none of the collaborative songs, despite one instrumental of a The Weeknd song. The headliner of the evening was the legendary godfathers of electronic music – Kraftwerk.

Kraftwerk had a classic setup with their four standing desks with a massive screen behind them, showing animations aligned with the song presently playing. The set itself was nice, they played all of their classic songs, and i’m pretty sure they were actually singing live – kudos!
However, the set itself became a bit slow after a few songs, but it was in no way bad. I imagine it must’ve been way cooler seeing them in their prime. But, it was very exciting to have seen them live.

Rise Against, Annexet, Stockholm.
The Chicago born punk rock band Rise Against played in Stockholm, and i had to go see them. I first stumbeled upon Rise Against in 2004, and they we’re without a doubt the band i listened to most in high school. They also functioned as a massive stepping stone in the music exploration for me, as well as venturing into politics.They have always been very vocal about animal welfare and veganism. This was a great start for a 13 year old me getting exposed to different kinds of politics than what i was facing on day to day in the national media.

I’ve seen Rise Against once before, at the Bråvalla Festival, back in 2015. So, 10 years later it was long overdue to see them perform again. Happy to say that they still put on an amazing and very energetic performance, giving it all during their set. This time they played at Annexet, one of the medium sized venues in Stockholm, with a capacity of a couple of thousand attendees – this suited their performance perfectly. I was lucky to attend the concert with my brother, whom has also loved Rise Against since we were kids, as i played them so much, that he wasn’t able to escape them when growing up. Rise Against has a new album coming out at the end of the summer, and they played a few new songs during their performance. It sounds really good, and i’m excited for the future of the band that i fell in love with so many years ago.

Until next time, take care.
SLQT.

Spring Concerts Recap: Porter Robinson, Yung Lean & Lambrini Girls

It’s saturday, sun is shining, and spring has finally sprung.

I thought i would give a brief re-cap of the latest concerts and show’s I’ve attended.

Porter Robinson at Berns, Stockholm.
Porter was a big influence in my journey in electronic music. When Porter released his album Worlds in 2014 the popular electronic sound was very repetitive leading up to very heavy drops, with groups such as Swedish House Mafia being one of the biggest acts of the time. So, when i first stumbled upon Worlds by Porter Robinson, i was pleasantly surprised, as it contained softer tunes, with thoughtful lyrics that is being heavily obfuscated by the production. Since then Porter has released two more album, Nurture and SMILE!:D. This concert was part of his SMILE!:D tour, but the set was divided into three sections, one for each album. The three albums have very different vibes and differ quite a bit musically as well,

Yung Lean at Avicii Globe Arena, Stockholm.
When i first heard Ginseng Strip 2002 back in 2014 or so and thought it was terrible and i didn’t get it at all, figuring it was a song made by kids as some sort of joke. The only thing i was correct about was that the track was made by kids. Ever since then Yung Lean, Sad Boys & Drain Gang has produced so much music. Most of it absolutely beautiful, genre creating and fashion inspiring. It was beautiful to see the kids born in Stockholm fill the most iconic arena, Globel, in Stockholm. I had a hunch there would be some features, Whitearmor was said to be opening act, and i assumed Gud would be there aswell – since he has produced so much together with Yung Lean over the years. But all in all Whitearmor, Gud, Bladee, Ecco2K, Thaiboy Digital & Yung Lean performed this evening.

Lambrini Girls at Slaktkyrkan, Stockholm.
Slaktkyrkan is one of the smaller venues in Stockholm, fitted into an old industrial area, full of venues in different sizes that still has the rough industrial feel to them. This was my first time attending a show at Slaktkyrkan. Before january this year, i had never heard of Lambrini Girls – but as they released their first album Who Let The Dogs Out they started to get some traction in channels that i follow online. And after i saw them being mentioned a few times over a couple of days by content creators i respect had spoken about Lambrini Girls, i felt i needed to give it a listen. I really liked it, its raw and rough, very fun punk. I sent it as a recommendation to a friend of mine, who said that they were playing in Stockholm a few weeks later. So we got ourselves some tickets. The show was really fun, there was a lot of action, the singer constantly went out and performed in the audience, and she also climbed a pillar and stage dived. It was such a fun gig.

Until next time, take care.
SLQT

A brief recap of the latest shows.

Dear reader,

My last post was a while and regarding me attending the Death Cab for Cutie show in Stockholm, late winter. Since then i have been to a few show, not many, but a few. And unfortunatley, i do not have any new upcoming shows booked.

Back in April i saw Godspeed You! Black Emperor at Berns Salonger in Stockholm, an old venue with a lot of cultural heritage. The show took place in a beautiful ballroom that helped create a fantastic atmosphere together with the magnificent and spacious music. The warm up act was a band called MANAS, they played music in a similar genre and it felt like a very fitting warm up act. This gig was very cool, and i am very happy that i catched them when they were in Stockholm!

A few days later in April, i was able to catch Arctic Monkeys when they played in Globen, in Stockholm. I’ve been a huge Arctic Monkeys fan since i i first heard Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not back in 2006. However, i haven’t ever been able to catch them playing live. When the tickets to this gig was first announced, i lucked out and wasn’t able to get any tickets, and this bummed me out. However a few days before the gig the promoters announced that they had found a few more tickets, and i managed to snag a ticket on the floor.
This show was fantastic. Arctic Monkeys last two albums has been met with a wide variety of reactions and the feedback has been ranging from bad to excellent. I think their last two albums has been cool. I love when bands shake up what they are doing, and try to evolve as bands over time. If i don’t like their new releases, i can always fall back on their old content. For this show, the mix of new songs and, old songs was nicely weighed. I missed a few songs that i would’ve liked to hear – but, since this was a show promoting their new album, i was positively surprised of the mix of new and old.

Mid May, a friend and i, on a whim went to see BORIS and Pupil Slicer when they were playing at Debaser in Stockholm. Debaser is a good venue, they host a lot of smaller acts and the venue is located under a road, and the venue itself is a bit rough and sparesly decorated. A couple of years ago i saw the danish band Iceage play at Debaser, and i fell in love with the venue.
As for BORIS and Pupil Slicer, i had no real knowledge about them, and i had at most heard a few songs from BORIS completely randomly – Pupil Slicer on the other hand, i had never heard anything from, or about them, either. They play a very different type of shows, but some of the music have some overlapping. Pupil Slicer played a hardhitting and rough metal set, and it was great! BORIS played a very, very hard set, that was very theatrical! I did enjoy this set very much!

Early June i went to Rosendal Garden Party on Djurgården, in Stockholm. As soon as they announced that Aphex Twin would be headlining the saturday, i got myself an early bird ticket, not knowing any other act that might play. Later, closer to the event, Rosendal announced that Fever Ray would be playing aswell, on the same day as Aphex Twin – i was thrilled, let me tell you! I’ve been a long time fan of Karin Dreijer, since the The Knife days.
It was a beautiful sunny, yet cold day outside in Stockholm. Fever Ray played the slot before Aphex Twin and they put on a great show, playing a bunch of songs from their latest album.
The headliner of the night was Aphex Twin, and this was his first concert in Sweden, ever! And you noticed that it was a special thing – comparing the crowd from last years Rosendal Garden Party, the crowd was way more international this year, as well as there was a lot of swedish musicians and people in the cultural sphere.
I had no idea what to expect from Aphex Twin, and i was completely mind-blown. He played very few of his own songs, and it was mostly a HARD electronic set, with an insane light show, the craziest i have seen. There was some parts he played that sounded like Aphex Twin, but that i haven’t heard before – which leads me to believe that there are new releases coming in the near future! Since the gig he has released an EP that was really cool. Hopefully we can get a full album soon. It’s already been 9 years since SYRO was released.

Until next time, take care.
SLQT

200822 – The Hives – Live

This will be a brief review from saturday when The Hives played a live show in central Stockholm.

Last week Stockholms kulturfestival (Stockholm festival of Culture), took place over several days within the central parts of Stockholm. There were live concerts, standup comedy, food trucks, beer tents and everything imaginable that falls under the ”culture umbrella”. And the beauty of the whole festival is that it’s free of admission.

I saw The Hives at Bråvalla 2014, and i consider that the best live performance i’ve ever been to, they put on a show like no one else does. So, when i saw that The Hives would play a free show in Stockholm i convinced a couple of friends that we should attend.

The scene was put up at Gustav Adolfs torg, right next to Kungsträdgården, in front of the Opera and inbetween The royal castle and The Parliament. About as a central of a location you can have in Stockholm. The Hives is rather interesting because they’re big in Sweden, but a million times bigger abroad, than at home.

They played a very Hive-esque set, fast paced songs, with showmanship inbetween the songs, and during the songs. The whole band is very fun to watch, as it seems as they have a good time performing. And Howlin’ Pelle might just be the most charismatic front man in the music scene.

The Hives performed all their biggest hits and it was very good. They had an encore. The show featured a lot of the same things that i partook in when i saw The Hives perform in 2014, so their performance is very tight, as they’ve perfected it over several years of performing.

I recommend anyone that has the possibility to watch The Hives perform, to take the possibility as they put on a show like no one else does. It’s very fun. I have a hard time scoring this set, but i’d give it a steady 8/10.

Until next time, take care.
SLQT.

Run The Jewels with Rick Rubin.

Sometimes i get stuck figuring out how to start one of this texts, but, in the future i’ll just jump right into it.

So, in yesterdays post i wrote that i just discovered the podcast called Broken Record with the legendary producer Rick Rubin, which in this podcast holds coversations with musicians.
Today i took a walk in the sunny late autumn weather, the sun doesn’t shine too often during autumn, so when it does, you really have to catch it. I sometimes struggle with what to listen to during these walks, i am very much a seasonal or periodical listener – i either listen to music or podcasts. During this summer i could barely stand listening to podcasts during my walks, but now i’m back to pods again.

Anyway, today i listened to the first podcast with Run The Jewels, they have since come back for another episode. I’ve always loved to learn where musicians and artists come from, what their parents listened to and what music shaped the artists that i love. I first stumbled upon Run The Jewels because their music was used in the TV-show Silicon Valley and i was floored, it hit so hard. Since then i’ve listened to everything Killer Mike and EL-P has released, i even managed to see them perform live during their RTJ3 tour, with Danny Brown as opening act. It was magical and it hit so hard. And as i wrote in the earlier post about Stankonika by OutKast, i’ve known about Killer Mike since they released The Whole World together.

The podcast is extremely intresting, Rick is such a zen, relaxed person with an amazingly soothing voice. And i love how Killer Mike and EL-P interacts and how they bounce off each other while talking.

I don’t want to spoil it too much, as i want you to listen to the pod. But i found it extremely intresting to listen to and i recommend it a lot. The pod itself is about and hour or so long.

Until next time, take care.

SLQT.