Tags
Club 8, Couple, Ferns, Indie, KLPac, Labrador, Mando Diao, Pelle Carlberg, Sweden
Frankly, I am not a big fan of the Indie scene. Yes, I listen to Mando Diao once in awhile, but I cannot be taken as a Swedish indie guru, that accolade is Grace Wong’s, who invited me to catch Sweden’s biggest indie exports Club 8 and Pelle at KLPac yesterday night along with her and her friend Vanessa.
We were there 3.5 hours ahead of schedule, but we did manage to catch a glimpse of the performers when they came through the entrance. Armed with their blonde floppy hair and blanch Scandinavian skin, they were dressed in their nines, ready to rock the stage. Grace and Vanessa, being totally starstruck at their arrival, could only gasp and hyperventilate with “oh my Gods!” while 5 piece band glided past lackadaisically. This people, was the ground they walked on, taken by our very own resident dork, Grace.
KLPac is a sight to behold with its picturesque surroundings of lush trees and a wonderful lake that gives it an out-of-town-ish feel.
At 8.30 pm, the doors were finally open, and we all raced into Pentas 2 for our front row experience. First up, to warm the stage was our very own Ferns, one of Rolling Stone’s Top 25 MySpace bands. (Fact courtesy of Grace, a.k.a. music industry 101 expert).
Next was another local rock band, Couple, whose lead singer happens to be a lawyer. (Random fact again courtesy of Grace, a.k.a. someone who has too much time on her hands.)
After some good old fashion rock appetizers to wet our appetite, it was time for the main course – Club 8, which for the music illiterate have no relation with British pop group S Club 7. Club 8, helmed by lead singer Karolina whose Feist-esque voice is melodiously haunting, mesmerized us with their brand of pop rock electronica that left us wanting more.
We even managed to get a souvenir that was lying around the stage area – Club 8 and Pelle’s set list!
I thought Club 8 was a tough act to follow, but Pelle came onto the stage and indulged the crowd with a fantastically lively display jam packed with outstanding stage presence and masterly showmanship. If Club 8’s music is sophistication at its best, then Pelle’s simplistic melodies and matter of fact lyrics are at the other side of the musical spectrum. One only needs to listen to Pelle’s “Clever Girls like Clever Boys more than Clever Boys like Clever Girls” to have a faint idea of his poke-fun-at-everything nature that was so infectious and evident that I had no choice but to actually like that guy.
Labrador, the influential record label, had more up their sleeves, however, as Pelle invited all the members of Club 8 up onstage for one final special performance of the night that was just plain majestic and literally music to the ears.
The show ended at around midnight to the drunken sounds of groans around the stage. The alcohol was supplied by one of the sponsors, Tiger Beer, seen here with Grace whom was caught red handed!
Overall, I had an awesome time opening up to a diversified rainbow of sound that may not be on MTV, but nobody can doubt their abundance sheer brilliance and natural talent at the beautiful art of song that some of their mainstream peers actually lack.