As the slightly cooler winter season is over, the Stockholm music scene is getting markedly hotter again with loads of interesting gigs to look forward to this March. Our in-house musicoholic Nina Uddin takes her pick from this month’s live music offerings.
Scott Bradlee & The Postmodern Jukebox [USA] – Thursday 5th March, Fasching
You can’t have missed The Postmodern Jukebox and their many viral YouTube hits. You know those where they do a jazz version of All About That (Upright) Bass, or a bluegrass version of Nicki Minaj’s Anaconda, or a vintage Motown style rendition of Taylor Swift’s Shake It Off. Now Scott Bradlee and the talented musicians and singers are taking their Jukebox out on the road and making a stop in Stockholm.
Rumer [UK] – Thursday 5th March, Södra Teatern (main stage)
The British singer-songwriter Rumer recently released her album Into Colour, the follow-up to her widely successful 2011 debut that got her a Mojo Award and two Brits nominations. Her voice has been compared to that of Karen Carpenter and she’s got big name supporters like Jools Holland and Elton John.
Zola Jesus [USA] – Friday 13th March, Kägelbanan, Södra Teatern
The American singer-songwriter Zola Jesus combines electronic, industrial, classical, goth and experimental rock influences in her synth-based pop. Her latest album Taiga was released last year after nine months spent on the island of Vashon during the creative process.
The Dø [FIN/FRA] – Friday 13th March, Debaser Strand
The Dø‘s Finnish half is Olivia Bouyssou-Merilahti and the French half Dan Levy. They met when they made film music for Empire of the Wolves back in 2007. Their third album Shake, Shook, Shaken was recorded at the indie pop duo’s own studio and sees them refine their sound with memorable choruses and edgy electronics.
Josef Salvat [AUS/UK] – Wednesday 18th March, Scandic Grand Central
Josef Salvat is a London-based Australian singer-songwriter, who has an affecting voice and an idiosyncratic style. He had his breakthrough with a cover of Rihanna’s Diamonds, and has released his debut album last year. The gig at Scandic Grand Central is free of charge.
Susanne Sundfør [NOR] – Friday 20th March, Kägelbanan, Södra Teatern
One of the strongest and most interesting voices in Scandinavia right now is Norway’s Susanne Sundfør. She’s just released her much-anticipated and already much-praised fifth album Ten Love Songs, and made an impression on the Swedish TV viewers on the Skavlan talkshow. If you’re still in doubt about going, have a listen to Fade Away…
Halestorm [USA] – Saturday 21st March, Tyrol
This American hard rock band is fronted by a genuine Rock Chick with amazing pipes, Lzzy Hale, backed up among others by her brother Arejay Hale, one of the most entertaining drummers around. Halestorm have won the Grammy for Best Hard Rock/Metal Performance for their hit Love Bites (So Do I). The band have a loyal following in Sweden and are coming back to Stockholm ahead of the release of their third full-length album Into the Wild Life.
Katy Perry [USA] + Charli XCX [UK] – Sunday 22nd March, Ericsson Globe
World pop Superstar Katy Perry brings her Prismatic World Tour to Stockholm, and there are still tickets available as of this writing. But the main reason for including this gig on our March Gig Guide is her support Charli XCX, who is just about the coolest pop star on the planet right now and is sure to blow your mind with her punk-pop antics and boundless energy.
100 Live with Tara Nabavi, Nicky William, The Bloakes – Tuesday 24th March, Story Hotel
The innovative 100 Songs label (who release only singles and only in electronic formats) are continuing their 100 Live showcases. The new venue for these monthly showcases is Story Hotel on Riddargatan. The artists start playing pretty early in the evening (doors open at 6 pm), which is nice on a weekday – perfect for some After Work entertainment! This month the one we are most looking forward to is Tara Nabavi…
Beatrice Eli + Min Stora Sorg – Thursday 26th March, Debaser Medis
Beatrice Eli is one of the many young women who owned the Swedish music scene in 2014. Her debut full-length album Die Another Day received loads of praise from the critics and plenty of love from the audiences. She won Pop Artist of the Year in the respected P3 Guld Awards, and got nominations for the Swedish Grammies. Here’s another chance to see the übercool artist at Debaser. And as an added bonus you get the excellent Min Stora Sorg as support.
Say Lou Lou – Friday 27th March, Debaser Medis
This Stockholm-based duo of Swedish-Australian twins Elektra and Miranda Kilbey have been making waves in the electro-pop world for a couple of years now. Last year they were shortlisted for BBC’s prestigious Sound of 2014. Say Lou Lou’s debut album Lucid Dreaming was released on 25th February and now it’s time for a Scandinavian tour.
Anna Järvinen – Saturday 28th March, Södra Teatern (main stage)
Anna Järvinen’s fragile voice and beautifully airy sound charmed Sweden with her debut solo album Jag fick feeling in 2007. Her fourth album Buren is released this year in two parts, the first one in February and the second on in March. In connection with this she will tour the Nordics, including her birth-country Finland.
Sofar Sounds Stockholm – Secret artists – Sunday 29th March, venue TBA
Sofar Sounds arranges secret gigs, currently in about 30 countries and over 80 cities. Sign up on their website, and you’ll get the chance to apply for a spot on their Stockholm shows. The artists are always secret and the venue is revealed the day before. If you’d like to experience some fresh live music in pleasant settings with a choice group of fellow music lovers, look into this!
Text and photos: Nina Uddin
