Etikett: Rosendal Garden Party

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

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