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

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.