Patrícia Peres

Observations by Etoall – the exhibition opening at Hotel Tylösand

by

The vernissage of photographer Fredrik Etoall’s exhibition at Hotel Tylösand was held today. 44 of his amazing photos of Roxette, Marie Fredriksson, Per Gessle and Gyllene Tider are on display between 1st July and 31st August.

Tres Hombres Art organized a fab opening for the exhibition where Rosie Gottlander from THA asked him questions about how he got to work with Roxette and Fredrik talked about the sessions he had with Roxette, Marie, Per and GT. Rosie asked Fredrik to ask something from Per, so Per came up on stage and Fredrik asked him why he chose him to work together with. Mr. G talked very nicely about Fredrik and his art. The appreciation is mutual.

When we asked Fredrik about his photos and these sessions, he talked very enthusiastically about them. Especially about the session he did with Marie for the Nu! album and the one with Per for PG Roxette.

How he catches the inner essence of the artists he takes pictures of is really amazing. You as a fan already saw quite much of his work, but you have to get yourself his book, Observations by Etoall to see photos you have never seen before – from the Travelling session, from GT’s 2013 session or solo photos of Marie and Per in poses you never imagined your idols could strike. Wonderful job!

The books you could buy at Hotel Tylösand were signed. Both the limited editions in the box and the standard version as well. Fredrik kindly posed for pictures with the guests and appreciated all the nice words the visitors said to him. He deserves all the recognition. An awesome artist he is!

Per took his time and stayed for a while. He also talked to some guests, signed stuff the visitors asked him to sign and posed for pictures. Göran Fritzon was also there at the beginning, Anders Herrlin also appeared and Micke Syd attended the vernissage too. They all were very kind to the guests, having small talks, taking selfies and signing stuff.

If you are in Halmstad, make sure you visit the exhibition and don’t forget to buy the book. It’s really worth it!

All photos in the article by Patrícia Peres.

Gyllene Tider club gig at Leif’s Lounge

by

It’s been a while since the last time there was a pre-premiere gig at Leif’s Lounge in Hotel Tylösand. Actually, the last Gyllene Tider „secret gig” happened in 2013. So it was high time to do it again.

The number of tickets for this special show was very limited and sold out in no time. The queueing for some hardcore fans started early in the morning and when the hotel staff realized there were already some of them, they started playing a Roxette – Per Gessle – Marie Fredriksson – Gyllene Tider playlist via Leif’s Lounge’s speakers and also brought some coffee and sandwiches. Very kind of them!

The hours of waiting went by and at 19:00 the doors opened. After entering the venue we could see the mics, the instruments, all set for the guys and girls. The girls, yes, because Dea Norberg and Malin-My Wall, just like in 2019, joined LEIFSALLSTARSBAND. The technicians had prepared everything for a night to remember and Anders Roos had already set up his cameras on stage. Micke Syd got plexiglass in front of his drum set. Good for the sound, bad for the view, but in this small area it was probably really necessary.

It was quite warm inside Leif’s, at least in the front and it got even hotter until the gig started at 21:15. During the gig? Haha. We were melting on and off stage! It got extremely hot and sweaty. The guys used towels between the songs to get rid of the sweat.

Before the gang came up on stage, the audience started screaming and clapping several times. Once the boys and girls hit the stage, the crowd got even louder. Per brought a sheet of paper with him and put it next to his drinks. It probably contained the connecting texts between the songs.

The Fab Five started the set with Puls. Micke Syd had to set his drums ready for this and it took a couple of seconds, so Per asked the audience if we know Micke Syd. Haha. Then Micke asked everyone to count in with him, 1-2, 1-2-3-4 and they started playing Puls.

After the song Per greeted the crowd and said that the last time they had a gig here was 10 years ago and he had the feeling that it was exactly the same people in the audience. He asked „were you here then?”, the crowd shouted „yeees!”. Per replied „I thought so”. Haha. He said they launch a new album, Hux Flux tomorrow (Friday) and go on a tour next week. He added that they planned to play some old songs they rehearsed during the past weeks and also some new songs. The first new song they performed was Gyllene Tider igen and it rocked big time! It should be the opening song on tour. It’s a fab opening track on the album and would have been an obvious first single if it weren’t Chans.

PG said when they started the band they played a lot of covers, like Mott the Hoople, Pugh Rogefeldt and ABBA, for example, but there was an artist they always liked, Tom Petty. So they played Vill ha ett svar!

Then came a hit that can’t be missed on a GT setlist, Juni, juli, augusti. The crowd was singing along the whole song. It was a great feeling! Det hjärta som brinner also made the crowd sing along. After that Per mentioned that they wanted to play a tribute to their favourite Dutch band. He asked which band it could be. Maybe Focus? Anders said Golden Earring. PG said he has another suggestion, Ekseption. He saw them at Folketspark in Halmstad in 1973. Micke’s suggestion was George Baker Selection and he started singing „una paloma blanca”. Then Per said there is another band they all liked and it’s Shocking Blue. They had a big hit called Venus. PG asked MP to play a little Venus. MP started and Micke Syd joined in with the drums while Per started dancing to it. Then he suddenly said „thanks, thanks” to stop the guys. Mr. G said they got hooked on a song, Send Me a Postcard. So they played Skicka ett vykort, älskling.

Right after that came another new song, Gammal kärlek rostar aldrig. It sounded absolutely fab and we hope it stays on the tour setlist as well. After the song Per joked that even those couldn’t hear this one before, who use The Pirate Bay. Then someone shouted they should play Dina bruna ögons skull and Micke Syd shouted back „you wish”. Haha. Mr. G said that backstage they talked about what is everyone’s favourite GT song in the gang and they all agreed it’s Flickorna på TV2. It still sounds too cool! The audience started clapping very loudly and screamed „hey, hey, hey, hey”. Per said they are very kind.

PG went on talking and asked the crowd if we heard that there is a GT movie coming, a sci-fi. Haha. He said the actors are somewhere in the crowd. The audience was cheering. Then Per said they also had a movie in 1981, a little box office hit, Parkliv! Ljudet av ett annat hjärta was released as a single to that film. It’s a forever favourite. After PG played it on his acoustic tour in a totally stripped down arrangement, it was just fantastic to hear it live again from GT.

With almost no break between the two songs, came Leva livet next. Another huge hit!

For Tylö Sun, Micke Syd got rid of his glasses. He was so sweaty, his whole face too that the glasses probably just slipped off and it disturbed him. The song was another fan favourite.

The guys and girls left the stage after that, but didn’t keep us waiting so long until they got back while the audience screamed and was clapping. Per thanked the crowd for being so kind and Micke Syd came to the front (with his glasses back on) to say hi to the crowd. The audience cheered him. Then Per introduced the fanatastic people around him on stage. He started the brand presentation with Dea and Malin-My. Then came MP and Göran. When Per introduced Anders he said he has the honour to be standing next to Sweden’s most handsome guy 1982, who is still a titbit. Anders was laughing. Per introduced Micke behind the drums and Micke introduced Per as the one who parked at least 12 cars wrongly at the entrance of the hotel. Haha.

Arabiska nätter we can’t hear live very often. It was played at the 2013 club gig and the guys thought to surprise us wit it again.

Gå & fiska! was the next hit and the audience adored it too.

Before the last song, Per thought it would be great to show us who the actors are in the upcoming GT movie, so he called the five guys up on stage. What an amazing surprise! There came 5 young boys who looked very fitting for the roles. They stayed on stage for the closing song, Sommartider. They already looked like a tight gang. Haha, they had a blast on stage and even took selfies up there. Fredrik Etoall also attended the gig and came to the front to take photos of these moments when the 5 GT actors were introduced.

With this the gig ended. Per thanked the audience for coming and said goodbye with a „see you next week and have a nice weekend”.

I have to mention that after many years without new guitar picks, there is a new collection. 9 Per plectrums and 4 MP picks. PG gave several guitar picks to fans in the crowd from hand to hand during the show, but once in a while he also threw them a bit further.

Looking very much forward to the tour to see this energetic, powerful pop band on stage again!

Setlist

  1. (Hon vill ha) Puls
  2. Gyllene Tider igen
  3. Vill ha ett svar!
  4. Juni, juli, augusti
  5. Det hjärta som brinner
  6. Skicka ett vykort, älskling
  7. Gammal kärlek rostar aldrig
  8. Flickorna på TV2
  9. Ljudet av ett annat hjärta
  10. (Kom så ska vi) Leva livet
  11. Tylö Sun

Encore

Band presentation

  1. Arabiska nätter
  2. Gå & fiska!
  3. Sommartider

All photos in the article by Patrícia Peres.

Gyllene Tider – Hux Flux, the album is out on 30th June!

by

Gyllene Tider will release their next album, Hux Flux on 30th June. The record will be available on CD, vinyl and on all streaming platforms of course.

This time the guys wanted to make sure everyone finds a color of their taste when it comes to vinyl (black, sun yellow, light green [same green as Micke Syd’s drum set]) and they also offer two different options if you are into CDs.

  • CD Digi Sleeve
  • CD Jewel Case
  • LP Black
  • LP Green (Limited)
  • LP Yellow (Bengan’s Exclusive, Limited)

Bengans has these limited packages in addition if you pre-order:

  • LP Yellow + Signed card
  • LP Yellow + Coaster in cardboard
  • 3LP Bundle (Black + Green + Yellow LP)

Ginza offers the signed card with pre-ordered CDs (both versions) and the black and green vinyls are sent together with a coaster, if you pre-order them.

HERE is the pre-order link to all sources.

Tracklist

  1. Gyllene Tider igen
  2. Dagar att dansa
  3. Chans
  4. Gammal kärlek rostar aldrig
  5. Har lite kärlek kvar (och kan resa)
  6. Jag har en vän
  7. Hux Flux
  8. Finns det någonting?
  9. Ebenholtz Café
  10. Sanna mina ord
  11. Det perfekta svaret

Watch the promo video HERE!

Per Gessle on Nordic Rox – June 2023

by

In May it was only Sven Lindström on Nordic Rox, but for the June episode, Per Gessle got back on track and joined him.

The guys focus on one of the biggest legends in Swedish rock history, Pugh Rogefeldt, who unfortunately passed away a couple of weeks ago. Sven says he left a mark on Swedish music and changed it more or less forever. Per agrees. Pugh was probably the first Swedish rock act to sing in Swedish. Nobody did that. Everyone in Europe thought that they had to write in English. Except in France, PG adds. Haha. In Sweden, in the ’60s, all those bands that were big, were either singing Middle of the Road songs in Swedish or they were doing rock and pop music based on Brit pop from the ’60s. Pugh Rogefeldt was the one in 1969 who did an album in Swedish. It took everyone by surprise and it earned him a Grammy. The first three or four albums he did were truly amazing, Mr. G says. Pugh actually influenced him a lot and lots of his peers too. Sven says Pugh made a massive impression on the scene. The guys will play 4 Rogefeldt songs and talk about them in a little while, but before that, they play some fasten-your-seatbelts songs.

Our Own Revolution by Brainpool is the opener. Per says it’s a sadly missed band. Sven adds they were discovered and signed by Per. Mr. G says oh yeah, he forgot about that. It happened once upon a time in the ’90s when he had a publishing company. Per says they were great writers and a great band. He thinks they did three or four albums. Christoffer Lundquist is on bass guitar here. Later he became Per’s producer and also lead guitar player in Roxette. He started out as a bass player. A very cool guy according to Sven.

Driving One Of Your Cars by Lisa Miskovsky is next. A great track according to Sven and Per. Then comes Just Kids by Lowland Circus.

The next song is (Do You Get) Excited? by Roxette. It’s one of the tracks from the massively successful Joyride album from 1991. Those were the days, the guys say. PG says Sven had hair those days. They are laughing. (Do You Get) Excited? is one of Per’s favourite songs from the album. He loves the sound of it. There are great guitar parts by Jonas Isacsson and Marie, of course, is singing the shit out of this song. Sven is curious if Per remembers writing and recording it. PG can’t really remember, but he says they had a big argument, because there is lots of modulations in this song. Per was really into modulations at the time and so he tried to use that in the arrangement of the song a lot. It’s got a little Led Zeppelin riffs, combined with a little drum machine here and there, it’s pretty special.

Broder Daniel’s Underground comes next. A lovely song, Mr. G thinks. Then it’s the Darkest Hour’s turn by Astrid S.

The guys get down to the Pugh Rogefeldt session. Sven says he was 22 years old when he made his debut album. He came from a small town and he was the father of two children. He didn’t expect anything, he didn’t really think anyone would listen to the album. PG says Pugh was lucky in a way, because there was a Swedish producer, Anders Burman, who had a record label called Metronome and he discovered him and put him together with two guys, Janne Carlsson on drums, who came from Hansson & Karlsson. Sven states that Hansson & Karlsson made the song Tax Free that Jimi Hendrix found about and recorded as well. To continue the story, Per says then there was this bass and guitar player called Georg Wadenius, who eventually became a member of Blood, Sweat & Tears three years later. So there is a slight American connection there, Sven says. PG says that Janne Carlsson on drums, Georg Wadenius on guitar and bass and Pugh on everything else, it was a great trio and great songs, unique songs. Like Per said earlier, Pugh was the first one to write in Swedish and he even created his own language on the second album. So three or four songs on that album are in his own language. Weird but nice, Mr. G says. Sven says Pugh was a very creative guy. He didn’t expect anything to happen, but as the months passed in 1969, more and more influential people in the radio and in the newspapers started to discover him. Then suddenly he became declared a complete genius. He said that it took him half a year to come down from that. He was elevated up to the stratosphere. Here the guys play the first Pugh song and it’s from his debut album. Här kommer natten was his breakthrough song. Per thinks it’s very good.

Sven says what happened after this album came out was that Pugh basically opened the door single-handedly for rock artists to express themselves in Swedish. And suddenly, from having been deemed impossible, everyone started to discover that Swedish was not that bad. PG thinks it’s cool. He did a couple of albums after this first one of course, which were very successful as well, and the second one was called Pughish. Pugh sort of invented his own language and that was the first album Per heard from him. It was the same for Sven. Per says he was about ten or eleven years old back then, maybe twelve. It’s a tremendous album. Then Pugh did an album called Hollywood, which was probably his bigger success up until the Bolla och Rulla album came in 1974. Sven says that was more of a straight ahead rock album and it was really successful. After that a couple of Swedish artists went on tour and recorded a Pugh song called Vandrar i ett regn (walking in the rain). The backing vocals on this are half crazy. It’s typically Pugh as well. Mr. G says it’s an homage to the Doo Wop ’50s style of music. This live recording is really special for Per, because he was at the show where they recorded it. They played in Per’s hometown and Pugh was a superstar at the time. PG was in the 8th row and just mesmerized by this concert. He really loves this double LP, Ett steg till.

After this live recording from 1974 is played, Sven says he and Per are celebrating Pugh Rogefeldt, the father of rock music with Swedish lyrics in Sweden. Per thinks that the most famous of Pugh’s songs is coming up next. Små lätta moln is also taken from the 1969 debut album. It has been covered by a lot of people, even though it’s a pretty strange song, but it’s beautiful. Sven agrees. He says Pugh is singing it with this original twist. Nobody sounded like him before that. Playful and inventive he was. PG says Pugh has got this very high-pitched voice, using falsettos and he is just doing his own thing. It’s a trademark sound, Mr. G thinks. Sven wants to know if there is anything Per as a songwriter picked up from Pugh that he is aware of. Mr. G says Pugh is a pretty unorthodox writer. He is not following any rules at all. Per was more rooted in the classic songwriting style when he started out, but he was influenced by Pugh for sure. Especially when it came to writing lyrics. Per started writing lyrics in Swedish and Pugh was definitely one guy to look up to. So if Per should say he was influenced by Pugh, it’s more about the lyrics than the music. Små lätta moln is translating into tiny light clouds, the guys say.

The last Pugh song Sven and Per play is from 1974. Per says it’s from a very raw album called Bolla och Rulla, which is a sloppy Swedish translation of rock ‘n’ roll. Sven says it’s also the typical Pugh attitude, twisting the words. By this time he had a good band. Both Per and Sven saw this tour in the summer of 1974. Per adds that Pugh toured Sweden all the time. He remembers going to this show as well and it was really good. The lead guitar player was actually his younger brother, Ingemar. He had a great Les Paul Special and it sounded amazing. Sven says to top it all off, the bassist was Roger Pettersson. He performed this show that Sven saw in a denim skirt. Per says he had that in Halmstad too. Sven says he always thought that Roger lost a bet or something, so he had to perform in that. But then he realized that it was a stage outfit. Per says he looked cool. At the time, it was the glam rock days, anything went. So it was cool. The song the guys play is the opening track on this album, and it’s called Hog farm. It’s about a hippie commune from the States that came to Sweden. Per says it was lots of scandals and drugs and minors and this and that.

Lambretta’s Bimbo is played. Ifrån mej själv by Dundertåget is the next one. Such a great one, Per loves it.

The guys thank everyone for listening, then as usual, Cigarettes by Anita Lindblom is closing the show.

Still is from the Bag of Trix comment videos recorded by Anders Roos.

Thanks for your support, Sven!

Per Gessle and Anders Herrlin about Gyllene Tider on Efter fem – TV4

by

Per Gessle and Anders Herrlin were guests on TV4’s Efter fem on 1st June. You can watch it HERE!

The program leader, Axel Pileby says 4 years ago Gyllene Tider was out on a farewell tour and said goodbye in packed venues around the country after 40 years. But if you are one of Sweden’s greatest bands, you can make a comeback as many times as you want and now a new tour awaits and also a new Gyllene Tider album. He says it’s great to have Anders and Per on the show and asks them if GT is still as much fun. The guys say it’s a lot of fun. PG adds it’s a wonderful little pop band of the type that isn’t formed anymore.

Axel says they will talk about the GT film later, but he heard on the radio that yesterday Anders was going to meet the guy who will play him. Anders says it felt a little strange, but it was nice. The guy studied him thoroughly and they talked a lot. The guy was staring at him to check Anders’ moves and behaviour and so he felt watched.

The program leader says they will talk about the film and many other things soon, but first comes a little nostalgia and his colleague will tell a bit about magical Gyllene Tider. So here comes a compact history of GT. After the introduction of the band’s career, Axel asks the guys if they sometimes stop and think, wow, what have we done. Anders says when they see such presentations, they do. Seeing the 2004 Ullevi picture there, it’s just fantastic. Axel says he wasn’t there, but just by looking at the picture he gets goosebumps. It must have been extraordinary. Per says the first time they played Ullevi was absolutely incredible. So it has been an awesome trip.

Axel asks the guys how often they think back to GT and such things as Ullevi. PG says he is reminded about Gyllene Tider all the time. You hear GT music all the time, e.g. now when it’s graduation time of secondary schools (studenten), the students still sing Sommartider.

Axel says the band is back again after their 2019 farewell tour and he is curious what happened, why they changed their minds. Anders says the pandemic happened after their decision. Everything became so sad, everything was shut down and it was boring. Then this idea was born that they should fix themselves and bring back some light. Anders remembers when he hit the last note at the last gig in Oslo, he thought, „shit, what have we done? This is really sad, we should continue”. Per says people have a different way of thinking because of the pandemic. You started to appreciate things that you have in a different way. Time passed and so they started talking about why not recording a new album and play a bit more together. All of a sudden it felt obvious in a way, so it wasn’t really planned, but Hux Flux just happened. Axel says they maybe somehow realized it even more how much they miss each other, how much they mean to each other, because they have been a part of each other’s lives for so long. Per says such thoughts popped up during the pandemic in different ways. PG thinks a lot of people can identify with it.

Axel asks if there is any fear related to Hux Flux. He means that they said goodbye in 2019 and there was a big hype around it, a lot of people went to see them. Now they come back again and they are Gyllene Tider, but Axel is curious if they are afraid that the interest will not be as great. PG says you never know. Every time you do a new project, you can’t take anything for granted at all. Per thinks they have such a huge song catalogue that it feels completely right to do this. PG also hopes that there will be more things, so that they won’t go on another farewell tour.

Axel asks the guys how it is touring these days compared to 40 years ago. Anders says it’s a little easier now. Back then they carried their own stuff themselves. Maybe not Per, but the rest of them carried Per’s guitars too. Haha. Now they just go along and stand on the stage playing. Per says the only fun thing about touring is being on stage. Everything else is waiting to be on stage. It is the communication and energy that you get from the audience and that you feel the love. You live for this in a way. The rest is just sleeping pills… waiting for the flight, long bus rides, all that and new hotel beds every night. As he said before, you can never take anything for granted and it’s very cool to be in this band and to play on these stages and meet the audience. Anders says when they went on tour in their little tour bus 40 years ago, it was also cool, this little gang going around. They stuck together and learned a lot during those times.

Axel goes back to 1985 and asks about why the band split up. Anders says they kind of felt like they were not getting anywhere with their music. There was so much happening in music at the time with synths and more electronic stuff, but they were kind of stuck, so then Anders thought it’s better that they take a little break and they did.

Anders moved to Stockholm and started working in a music store and learned a lot about synth music, because he was very much interested in it. Then he started working with Per again for Roxette and added his knowledge to the music they made. And it was good.

Axel asks Per about 1994-1995 when they were on tour with Roxette and Per was writing music in Japanese ice hockey halls for GT again. PG says it was during the Crash! Boom! Bang! tour. They were to take a break with Roxette, because Marie wanted to have another child. So Per wrote songs for GT. Det är över nu he actually wrote in an ice hockey hall in Japan. All these songs, Kung av sand, Juni, juli, augusti, Gå & fiska! were written back then. It was a great time, PG says.

Axel mentions that Per often writes in unexpected places. PG says ideas can come anywhere, as long as you are motivated.

Axel asks the guys to tell a bit about the GT movie that premieres next year. Anders says it won’t be a documentary. It’s more about 5 guys from a small town who succeed against all odds. Per says it’s a film about 5 teenage guys who meet and start a band and suddenly end up in Stockholm in their clogs.

Axel wants to know how much the guys in GT are involved in the film. Anders says they get to read the script and think. Per says they have been there the whole time, because that script is their story, so it’s clear that they have to be there. They have told a lot of anecdotes and so it has become the script in a way. But it’s clear that the story is written in a way that it becomes an interesting and funny movie. It’s a very funny script with lots of laughs and cries, just like it was for real. Per thinks it will be a great movie. PG says most people who are in a film like this have already died, so it will be very strange to see this. Anders has already met mini Anders. Per has also met mini Per and he thinks that guy is amazing.

Axel says the movie will be exciting and he speaks for many people out there when he says it’s much fun that GT is back again. The new album is out soon and the tour starts on 7th July in Halmstad. Axel thanks the guys for coming to the show. Per says it’s their pleasure.

Stills are from the video.