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

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

Lazy Summer Day / Chinese Restaurant – Yung Lean

Today Yung Lean dropped some new music. A two track single featuring the songs Lazy Summer Day & Chinese Restaurant. I always get a bit excited whenever the swedish phenomenon Yung Lean drops new music, and i’m always quick to check it out, whether it’s an album or a single.

I love these strange, no context, tracks that drops as singles whenever he, Yung Lean, feels like it. It’s one of those things that the internet and streaming platforms has made possible, and i think that it’s very fun that it is possible for the creators to just throw it out there, without long waiting times and always having to do a big release out of it. These two tracks has a combined lenght of 3 minutes and 37 seconds – so it’s two songs in a short fashion, which is straight out of Yung Leans playbook. The production is interesting and Spotify lists Rami Dawod as the producer. According to Genius these are the first two tracks that Rami Dawod produces for Yung Lean, however he’s listed as producer for a Frank Ocean track, and also a Camila Cabello track.

Both of these songs sound like Yung Lean tracks, and i got more excited and intrigued by Chinese Restaurant, than i got by Lazy Summer Day. However, i find both track intriguing and interesting. Chinese Restaurant is going straight into my regular rotation!

Give these new singles from Yung Lean a listen, and make your own opinion. I, recommend both of them!

Until next time, take care.
SLQT.