Gyllene Tider

Gyllene Tider – Hux Flux – Halmstad – 8th July 2023 – #2

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Last night the Golden Guys tried to top their Halmstad premiere with another Halmstad gig and my Gosh… they succeeded! If Halmstad 1 was amazing, Halmstad 2 was pure awesomeness! Premiere concerts tend to be fantastic, but there is the tension of that being the first show and then for the second gig, the tension is gone, they are all more relaxed and this makes the show even more enjoyable on and off stage.

As far as I know, Halmstad 2 wasn’t sold out, but it did feel that there were more people in the crowd than at the first gig, which was announced as sold-out. The Saturday crowd was even more active than the Friday audience. Loud sing-alongs all through!

Regarding the setlist, in a small group we were discussing if there would be any changes for the 2nd Halmstad show, since a tiny part of the crowd was the same as for the 1st show. Our guess was that the guys would change Chrissie, hur mår du? to Vandrar i ett sommarregn. We should play the lottery. Haha.

Support act Uno Svenningsson started his session at 8 pm. It was a great half an hour!

The GT show started with the cartoon on the LED wall, again at 21:15. This time we had the chance to watch it from beginning to start. Better this way. It’s a cool little cartoon!

As mentioned above, there was only one change in the setlist, so Gyllene Tider igen stayed as the show opener. They rocked it and the audience loved it!

This time Per left that white Hux Flux jacket behind, he appeared in the black Hux Flux outfit. Göran changed shirt vs. the premiere and Micke Syd also had a different T-shirt on and a denim jacket.

PG said hi to the audience and welcomed us at GT’s 8th summer tour and their 5th comeback tour. He asked if we had a good day, maybe at the beach. PG said they had a fantastic premiere the day before, but they try to top it. They opened the big jukebox with a lot of hits everyone knows.

Juni, juli, augusti was the first real sing-along song and the clapping along stayed for Det hjärta som brinner as well.

Per said they wanted to play a tribute to their favourite Dutch band. When they grew up, all music came from the US and England, but they managed to find a Dutch band they liked. Focus was not their cup of tea. For Ekseption Per showed thumbs down, but he said Anders liked them. Anders said they were damn good. Micke Syd joined in „two against one, we won”. Per: „says the one who came up with the George Baker Selection”. Micke Syd started playing and singing „una paloma blanca”. The crowd was clapping along. Then PG said there is another band they all liked and it’s Shocking Blue. He asked if the crowd remembers them. The answer was a louder „no” from the audience. Haha. Per continued that they had a mega hit called Venus. MP started to play it. This wasn’t the song Mr. G meant though. He translated Send Me A Postcard and it became Skicka ett vykort, älskling.

Fortunately, Gammal kärlek rostar aldrig from the new album stayed in the set. Amazing song!

Before Flickorna på TV2 came, Per said there was a time before Internet and Netflix, when there were only two TV channels and that went very far for a 19-year-old from Furet.

The black & blue checkered guitar was brought to Per. He said he bought a 12-string Rickenbacker in the ’80s. George Harrison in The Beatles had one like that and Roger McGuinn in The Byrds and Tom Petty. A similar one that MP holds in his hands now. He wrote a song on that one and it’s Vandrar i ett sommarregn.

It was time for more uptempo songs again. Puls and En sten vid en sjö i en skog were next.

Per picked up his mug of ginger tea and said this is his secret brew. No one knows what it is, even he doesn’t know. It’s Micke who prepares it for him before the shows. Micke Syd said he calls it „the surprise of the evening”.

Before they played Flickan i en Cole Porter-sång, PG told the story that when he moved away from home, he ended up in a tenement on Torsgatan in the beginning of the ’80s. It was at the time when he started hanging out a lot with Marie. Here the audience was cheering for Marie for long seconds. Mr. G said he played this song to Marie and she thought it was terribly cheesy.

The ukulele is the world’s most interesting instrument, Per said before Tuffa tider. He added that it’s an instrument Micke Syd takes with himself into the bathtub to cheer up his family. That’s what he read in Hemmets Journal. While Micke Syd came to the front, he nodded and started singing When I’m Cleaning Windows [an ukulele song].

Then came the best band presentation. Each and every artist on stage got a long long long cheering from the audience. It was so lovely. Introducing MP, Per said he is Harplinge’s one and only real car mechanic. Göran is the youngest and Anders needs no introduction. Micke Syd enjoyed the cheering for him so much, he asked the audience to give it more and he thought most of them were from Harplinge. His parents were also there at the show. PG and Micke hi fived and Micke introduced Per as the guy who swam 2500 metres last night, because he promised he would if it was a good premiere. Micke Syd said Per also promised if he wears this colorful T-shirt he was wearing and plays nice, he can drive one of Per’s old Ferraris next week. Haha. PG just laughed.

Micke Syd said it’s a completely different world in the front of stage. He came forward to sing Min tjej och jag. He said he is lucky that the audience knows which song it is. He said the day before they had a bride and groom and he dedicated the song to them, but today it’s even better. He said he has been very blessed in his life. He had a fantastic first girlfriend, she is here and he has a fantastic wife, who is also here. So today he dedicates this song to them. He invited Dea and Malin-My to the front and started animating the crowd. Everyone was waving their hands in the air the way Micke showed them. Much fun it was! Impossible to top, Per said.

Kung av sand was the next song they played and then came Ljudet av ett annat hjärta, a song they released as a single to Parkliv!, the 1981 GT movie directed by Lasse Hallström. They got no Oscar for that, haha.

The uptempo session started with Ska vi älska, så ska vi älska till Buddy Holly and then came the medley of (Kom så ska vi) Leva livet / (Dansar inte lika bra som) Sjömän / Tylö Sun. Still a bit strange to call it a medley when almost the complete songs are played, but that’s the way it is. The transition into Sjömän is a bit dreamy, I first thought at the premiere gig that something went wrong with the sound, but suddenly realized Leva livet turned into another song. Haha.

The gang went off stage and just like at the premiere gig, the audience started singing Sommartider, clapping and screaming. The band came back and they played Billy. When the song ended, Micke Syd started playing Det är över nu without a break and Göran joined in immediately, but suddenly they realized it was too early, so they stopped. Haha. Per said this is how they do it in Halmstad. Micke said: in Harplinge. Everyone was laughing. Per asked the audience if they were ready for Det är över nu. Of course, we were!

Before they went off stage again, they played Gå & fiska!

Coming back for the second encore, Per asked the crowd if they wanted more. Yes! They played När vi två blir en and then came the Sommartider party.

Before playing the last song, Per thanked the audience for coming. He said he hopes everyone will have a fantastic summer. Here one of the mics got too close to the speaker, so we got a weird sound. Per’s reaction to that was fun. He also said if we read it anywhere that they said they quit, we shouldn’t believe it. The crowd was cheering.

När alla vännerna gått hem closed the concert with Micke Syd and Dea in the front.

I forgot to mention in my previous review that Per was of course throwing lots of guitar picks during the gig and Micke threw some drumsticks at the end of the show. Same thing happened at the second concert. Good luck with catching them at the upcoming shows!

Next stop is Helsingborg on Monday.

Setlist

1. Gyllene Tider igen
2. Juni, juli, augusti
3. Det hjärta som brinner
4. Skicka ett vykort, älskling
5. Gammal kärlek rostar aldrig
6. Flickorna på TV2
7. Vandrar i ett sommarregn
8. (Hon vill ha) Puls
9. En sten vid en sjö i en skog
10. Flickan i en Cole Porter-sång
11. Tuffa tider

Band presentation

12. Min tjej och jag
13. Kung av sand
14. Ljudet av ett annat hjärta
15. Ska vi älska, så ska vi älska till Buddy Holly
16. (Kom så ska vi) Leva livet / (Dansar inte lika bra som) Sjömän / Tylö Sun medley

Encore 1

17. Billy
18. Det är över nu
19. Gå & fiska!

Encore 2

20. När vi två blir en
21. Sommartider
22. När alla vännerna gått hem

 

 

 

 

 

 

All photos in the article by Patrícia Peres

PG after the show:

Thanx for yet another amazing evening in Halmstad!!! We’re blessed playing for crowds like you tonight!!!! Stay safe and sound everyone!

Gyllene Tider – Hux Flux – Halmstad – 7th July 2023 – #1

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Never say never. In 2019, Gyllene Tider went on their farewell tour. BUT… already in the interviews on their live DVD the same year you could sense that it just couldn’t be over. If there is one thing the pandemic was good for, it’s that the guys changed their minds, especially Micke Syd, and decided to do yet another comeback. I think no one is against it. Haha. They can come back as many times as they want to.

For the sold-out premiere, the weather was amazing. The sun was shining all day and despite the forecast a day before, there was no rain at all.

The guys did a soundcheck in the afternoon, so we could hear a couple of songs and could be sure those would be on the setlist.

There were many fans waiting for the doors to open at 18:00. Fans from quite some countries besides Sweden: Australia, Argentina, Brazil, Germany, Poland, Spain, Hungary, the UK, Switzerland, etc. Once we got in, we could check out the merchandise. A lot of people started queueing for T-shirts and stuff.

The support act on this tour is Uno Svenningsson. Great choice! Swedes know him very well, he has songs they could sing and dance along to. One of the songs on his setlist was Bara få höra din röst, the one that he wrote together with Per. This time it wasn’t performed as a duet (with PG), Uno sang it alone.

After Uno and his band left the stage, their instruments were brought off stage as well and the crew finished preparing the set for GT. While Uno was performing, he had his own backdrop and when it was removed, we could see there was a huge LED wall in the background. What the LED wall had as a design turned out right at 21:15.

The whole show started with a cool intro, where the guys appeared as cartoon characters – what we could already see in an earlier teaser –, driving that car from the tour poster. They appeared on the screen one by one and while Göran was on, the band walked up on stage. Then it was Per’s character’s turn on the screen, but then the real Per also appeared on stage and so we couldn’t finish watching the little cartoon. It was probably planned like this, but I think it would be nice if we could watch it until the end and the band would come up on stage at that point.

Just like in 2019, Dea Norberg and Malin-My Wall joined the Golden Guys for the tour. When all seven of them were there in front of us, I had the thought in my mind that hey, these guys don’t look like they are not sixty anymore. They were all shining, full of energy and enthusiasm, happy to be on stage again. We need no more farewell tours! Haha.

Since it was an obvious show opener, I wasn’t too surprised that the first song they played was Gyllene Tider igen. I still think that this should have been their lead single from the album. An amazing hit that got us into GT uptempo mood immediately.

Per was wearing a very cool, white Hux Flux jacket, but already after the first song he took it off and gave it to Micke N-S. PG welcomed the audience at GT’s 8th summer tour and their 5th comeback tour. He said they are super happy to begin the tour on home turf in Halmstad and it’s nice to see so many people. Many well-known faces as well.

Juni, juli, augusti was the second on the setlist and it was followed by Det hjärta som brinner. Both songs sounded fab and the crowd loved them.

Per mentioned that they wanted to play a tribute to their favourite Dutch band. When they grew up, all music came from the US and England, but they found a band in the Netherlands. He asked which band it could be and he said someone was shouting Focus. Ekseption was another band. PG said he saw them at Folketspark in Halmstad in 1973. It wasn’t his cup of tea. Per told Anders that he knows he liked Golden Earring. Micke Syd once shocked the band by coming to the rehearsal with a George Baker Selection record. Micke Syd asked for cheering from behind the drums. Haha. The guys started singing „una paloma blanca”. Then Per said there is another band they all liked and it’s Shocking Blue. They had a mega hit called Venus. MP started to play a little Venus, Micke Syd joined in with the drums and Per was dancing a bit. Then he said there was another song, he translated it and it became the first track on their first LP. Skicka ett vykort, älskling.

Gammal kärlek rostar aldrig, a song from the new album was next. Amazing on the album and awesome to hear it live. Such a powerful song and performance!

Introducing the next song, Per said there was a time before Internet and Netflix, when there were only two TV channels. Everyone knew which song was coming. Flickorna på TV2 is still such a hit!

We had been wondering for which songs the checkered guitars would be used. Now it turned out. Chrissie, hur mår du? is a song that MP and Per wrote in their rehearsal studio in 1980.

The guys got back to the faster songs and they played Puls and En sten vid en sjö i en skog.

The black and blue checkered guitar was brought back for Per for Flickan i en Cole Porter-sång, which he wrote when he moved to Torsgatan in Halmstad. It was at the time when he was hanging out a lot with Marie and he showed this track to her too.

When we saw the ukulele, we knew it’s Tuffa tider’s turn. Micke Syd came to the front for that and Göran as well, to play the melodika a bit.

Per said the crowd is amazing. He picked up his ginger tea mug and said he is drinking some of this secret stuff. He said everyone is wondering what’s in the mug, he is wondering too. Haha.

Here came the band presentation. First Per introduced the ladies, Dea and Malin-My. He said they joined the rehearsals on the 5th day, when the boys already slept in. Then the girls brought everything to life again. PG introduced MP and Göran, then Anders and last, but not least, the band’s own Greta Thunberg, Micke Syd. Haha. Then Micke introduced Per and said that in a weak moment PG promised to swim 1000 meters in the pool if the first gig would be a good one. Haha.

Per got the black and red checkered guitar and Micke Syd asked the audience if it’s OK for him to spend 3 more minutes in the front. He got a lot of questions on social media if he would sing on tour. So they thought they go ahead with this 1981 song, Min tjej och jag. Dea and Malin-My came to the front to sing with Micke. Micke said he is so old he needs two girls. Haha. He dedicated this song to a couple who got engaged yesterday. When he finished the song he said he goes back to his seat. When Per came back to his mic, he said it’s hard to top Micke.

Kung av sand was next, so we could see Mr. G playing the harmonica again.

PG said a GT movie is coming, but in 1981 they already made a movie, Parkliv! He said it’s available on a satellite channel, because it’s so cheap. Ljudet av ett annat hjärta was released as a single to that film and Per wote it on the tour bus. They rehearsed it at some soundchecks and then released it.

Ska vi älska, så ska vi älska till Buddy Holly came right after and it didn’t get any slower when a medley of 3 songs came: (Kom så ska vi) Leva livet / (Dansar inte lika bra som) Sjömän / Tylö Sun. It was a medley, but almost the complete songs were played and the transition from one song into the other was very fast.

Here they all went off stage and the audience started singing Sommartider. We were clapping and screaming. The band came back after a short while. Per changed his outfit to complete white and Anders got rid of his cool red jacket. The first song in the first encore was Billy. Then it got uptempo again with Det är över nu and Gå & fiska!

The guys and girls went off stage and Per was still carrying his guitar. Micke N-S rushed after him and PG gave him the guitar back.

Of course, they all came back for a second encore. Per said it’s an amazing night and thanked the audience. He said premieres are always special and this one is quite good. The audience cheered and agreed.

They played När vi två blir en and then Sommartider. Both songs sounded awesome!

Before playing the goodbye hit, Per thanked the audience once again and said it was an absolutely wonderful night. He added he hopes everyone will have a fantastic summer and that we see each other again soon. Haha. We were joking that tomorrow is quite soon. He also said if we read it somewhere that they quit, we shouldn’t trust the media. Haha.

Micke Syd came to the front again and sat down on the edge of the stage on the left side, while Dea came to the front and sat down on stage in front of Anders. They performed a touching version of När alla vännerna gått hem.

At the end of the show they all took a bow together and waved goodbye, then left the stage.

It was simply amazing to see them live again! It was a perfect night with a tight band full of energy. Everyone was in top shape already at the first show. It was a completely different feeling than in 2019. Maybe back then there was this stress on them by announcing it as the last tour. Now they don’t need to prove anything, just enjoy being on stage and see all the happy faces in the crowd. Everyone is happy and it will stay like this for this whole summer.

Next stop is Halmstad, a second show at Brottet.

Setlist

1. Gyllene Tider igen
2. Juni, juli, augusti
3. Det hjärta som brinner
4. Skicka ett vykort, älskling
5. Gammal kärlek rostar aldrig
6. Flickorna på TV2
7. Chrissie, hur mår du?
8. (Hon vill ha) Puls
9. En sten vid en sjö i en skog
10. Flickan i en Cole Porter-sång
11. Tuffa tider

Band presentation

12. Min tjej och jag
13. Kung av sand
14. Ljudet av ett annat hjärta
15. Ska vi älska, så ska vi älska till Buddy Holly
16. (Kom så ska vi) Leva livet / (Dansar inte lika bra som) Sjömän / Tylö Sun medley

Encore 1

17. Billy
18. Det är över nu
19. Gå & fiska!

Encore 2

20. När vi två blir en
21. Sommartider
22. När alla vännerna gått hem

All photos in the article by Patrícia Peres

PG after the show:

Yeehaa! What a night! Opening show of the mighty Hux Flux tour and, my God, this one blew our minds! Thanx a million for singing along and making this 7-piece combo feel so proud and totally speechless. Love + positive energy everywhere. New dice tomorrow. Hard to beat this one but we’ll have a go! Cheers, P&Co

Cast of the Gyllene Tider movie

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The feature film about Gyllene Tider tells the incredible story of the band from the countryside that, against all odds, managed to become the biggest in Sweden. And to this day, when Gyllene Tider tours, all tickets are sold out in no time. Now it is clear that the film will have its cinema premiere in distribution by Nordisk Film next summer. All five who got the coveted lead roles are also making their acting debut. Valdemar Wahlbeck portrays Per Gessle, Lancelot Hedman Graaf plays the role of Anders Herrlin, Phoenix Parnevik plays Micke Syd Andersson, Ville Löfgren plays Mats “MP” Persson and Xawier Kulas plays Göran Fritzon.

Per Gessle says:

I think it can be absolutely fantastic, because it really is an incredible and extremely unusual journey Gyllene Tider has made. Lots of laughter, lots of crying, lots of everything. Just like in a good pop song.

The film tells the absurd story behind the legendary Swedish band Gyllene Tider, which has become one of the biggest pop sensations of our time. Per is the school’s ambitious outsider in the high school in Halmstad who finds a community and friends for life through music with MP, Micke, Anders and Göran. Despite all setbacks, the band fights purposefully and in the early eighties has its big breakthrough with its effective choruses and passionate lyrics about life in a small town.

Ahead of Gyllene Tider’s big comeback tour this summer, it is now clear which five guys will get the honorable task of playing the main roles as Gyllene Tider.

Per says:

I was honestly hesitant at first. After all, most films like this are made only after you die and we are, as far as I know, still alive! But after talking long and often with everyone involved and reading the script, I’m super proud and happy about this project. The five guys chosen to play the five of us are all special in completely different ways. Exactly like us in the “original band”.

Valdemar Wahlbeck, 19, plays Per Gessle. He was born and raised in Halmstad as the son of comedian Peter Wahlbeck. Valdemar is a singer and dancer and studies at the Ballet Academy in Gothenburg. With his band Pipsvängen, he, like Per Gessle in the beginning, has played at various retirement homes. He has already recorded several songs with Per Gessle’s producers that acclaim Valdemar’s singing voice.

Valdemar says:

Imagine being born and raised in Halmstad and now getting to play one of this city’s biggest icons. Dad is from Halmstad, Per is from Halmstad, my teacher created the Gula Tidningen which is a Gyllene Tider parody. It feels like the circle is closed.

Phoenix Parnevik, 21, became known to all Swedish people through the reality series Parneviks on TV3. Now it’s his turn in the family to step into the limelight after studying acting in the US. Like his grandfather Bosse Parnevik, he is a good impersonator and is now practicing the Halland dialect for the role of Micke Syd Andersson.

Phoenix says:

It feels good to finally be able to show the Swedish people what I love and have been doing for so long in the USA. That my first role is a real person is really a dream.

Lancelot Hedman Graaf, 22, plays Anders Herrlin. Lancelot is already an established artist and has appeared in a number of television shows.

Lancelot says:

It feels great fun. Acting wasn’t something I thought I’d do but after the test shoot I related so much to the role and really just need to be myself. It’s fun to have new challenges.

The other two making their acting debut are Ville Löfgren, 17, from Karlshamn in the role of Mats “MP” Persson and Xawier Kulas, 16, from Halmstad plays Göran Fritzon. More roles will be presented later.

Nevis Productions is very happy to have gained the band’s trust and values their involvement in the film. The premiere takes place next summer in cinemas around the country through Nordisk Film.

Pia Norström, Nordisk Film marketing manager says:

We are extremely proud to present this film to cinema audiences. Gyllene Tider’s music means a lot to many Swedes and we want to give the audience a movie experience that will be just as strong.

The feature film about Gyllene Tider’s road to success is loosely based on the band’s history. It will be as much a feel-good film as a music party and an updated look at the early eighties.

Screenwriter and director is Per Simonsson (Svartsjön [Black Lake], Tjuvarnas jul [Christmas of Thieves], Selmas saga [Selma’s Saga]).

Per Simonsson says:

I listened to the first three records on constant repeat and thought that this is how the film should feel: the longing for love, community and daring to live life to the fullest.

The shooting of Gyllene Tider starts in August in Halmstad and the recording continues in Stockholm during autumn.

Producers at Nevis Productions are Moa Westeson, Cindy Hanson and Anni Faurbye Fernandez.

Photos by Fredrik Etoall

Our earlier article about the movie can be found HERE.

Per Gessle’s parallel universe in Hallandsposten

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As it always happens before a tour starts, Jan-Owe Wikström from Hallandsposten did an interview with Per Gessle this time again.

There was a sneak premiere of the Gyllene Tider tour at Leif’s Lounge in Hotel Tylösand last Thursday, release of the new record “Hux Flux” the following day and tour premiere of Gyllene Tider at Brottet in Halmstad on Friday. It is the present.

New solo record already completed for release next year, premiere of the Gyllene Tider movie in 2024 and then also premiere of the musical in Malmö, based on Jane Fallon’s novel “Got You Back” with Roxette’s songs as a basis. It is the future.

Come along into Per Gessle’s parallel universes.

This is how the industry works today. Everything must be planned a year in advance. Least. It’s studios, venues, hotels, staff and everything around that needs to be booked, so it’s important to always be one step ahead.

Per and Jan-Owe are sitting in Per’s house in Sandhamn which, surreally enough, turns 30 this year.

The summer of 2023 lies ahead of Gessle and Gyllene Tider. A new tour awaits. Even though everything was really over that evening on the pontoon outside the Opera House in Oslo on 18th August 2019. Until a red, rectangular Bo Diddley model Gretsch guitar in the fall of 2021 changed everything again. And Hux Flux was Gyllene Tider back.

For some reason, I usually come up with something new when I’ve got a new guitar and these songs screamed for “Gyllene”.

But if he hadn’t suffered from tonsillitis and new covid regulations hadn’t been introduced, there might still not have been a comeback.

That’s how it was. In November, at the end of my 2021 acoustic concert tour, I got tonsillitis and had to cancel the last concerts in December. And when they were to be implemented in January instead, new pandemic restrictions came and everything was moved until April.

That gave me a lot of time to spare, so between December 2021 and April 2022, this album was created. I recorded demos together with MP, where we worked in a completely new way. Since we had so much time this time, compared to the recording of the last record “Samma skrot och korn” in France, we devoted a lot of time to the guitars. We went back, tested, redid and tested again.

Then, when everything was basically ready, we sent the material out to the band. Some songs were just finished in form, but not arranged, then everyone got to make their mark and that’s where Anders came into the picture, who modernized the sound on some.

The rest was recorded at Staffan Karlsson’s Sweetspot Studio outside Harplinge. And the result: an energetic pop album full of string guitars and of course – Farfisa organ.

I was doing the acoustic tour at the time and in parallel also finished PG Roxette, which was an ’80s-90s synth-based pop record. So this became an outlet to play that kind of totally dying guitar pop that I’ve always loved. Old fashioned, a bit punk and edgy where the song “Gammal kärlek rostar aldrig” almost sounds like Plastic Bertrand and Sigue Sigue Sputnik.

It’s difficult to balance between silly and fun, but I try to get on the right side of the line because Gyllene should be a little more fun, a little more kick-ass, which isn’t always easy when you’re 64.

I noticed in retrospect that on the previous Gyllene album from 2019 I had too many songs that were better suited for me as a solo artist. A little more sophisticated and more serious. Gyllene sounds best when it becomes a little more classic power pop, a little more 3-chord fireworks!

And actually, this time I haven’t written a single song that didn’t make it.

Just like the previous record, “Hux Flux” is also available as a vinyl LP in several colors. But the song order on the vinyl version differs from the CD and streaming.

Yes, on an LP there are two opening tracks and therefore you always want a strong, exciting ending on side A to get curious about side B. Otherwise, with the CD and not least streaming, it has easily become that you featured too much music. The LP format is perfect.

The fact that Per still buys vinyl records is due to one reason in particular:

It’s for the album covers. Then I usually play the records on Spotify anyway because it’s easier.

At the same time, he misses the romance of the physical records.

I come from a generation that has a romantic view of the record itself and therefore it is so difficult to accept that it hardly means anything anymore. Without the album covers, the music becomes much more obscure and is consumed in a different way. Most young people probably listen to even more music than my generation did, but they don’t always know WHO they are listening to. Or what the songs are called. Or who wrote and produced. Everything has become one big anonymous stream of music since streaming took off.

In the past you went on tour to promote the records because it was on the records that you made money. Now it’s the other way around. Major tours are very lucrative. Few people care when old artists release new material because it’s the old hits that the masses want to hear. I can only look to myself and have no idea, for example, about the last decade’s Elton John, Bob Dylan or Paul McCartney records.

Jan-Owe is curious how Per has managed to “survive” despite the fact that the music industry has completely changed, both in terms of listening, consuming and the way of writing.

I don’t know. I’ve tried both to try to develop myself and my creation in the digital world while at the same time “going backwards” sometimes and staying with the acoustic and organic in my music. I’m interested in both ways because they bring out different sides of me and my creativity. I absolutely believe that as long as you have fun and work consistently, a certain amount of success will come naturally. But of course, if you want to reach the top of the charts around the world, all the stars must be aligned. It is completely out of my control.

Jan-Owe asks Per how he knows if a new song fits his solo project, PG Roxette or Gyllene Tider.

I actually try to write as little as possible. But I always have the antennas out. Sometimes an idea pops up when I’m strumming the guitar in front of the TV and I save the idea on my iPhone. When I’m working on a project, I go through everything I’ve collected and use some for what I’m working on at the moment. This is a pretty typical scenario how I write songs. I do puzzles.

I almost never sit down and write lyrics or complete songs if I don’t have a project going on. That way, I almost always know from the start what I’m looking for.

For the audience, Hux Flux, the album is brand new. But for Per, MP, Anders, Göran and Micke Syd, it is already fifteen months old when Per reveals which minute is the most important at a concert:

It is the last 30 seconds before the concert starts and the first 30 after it has started. Then the expectations are maximized and that is why the first impression is so extremely important.

There are more songs that can be played live this time compared to the last record. But at the same time, over the years, we have built up a treasure trove of songs that means we can’t skip “Leva livet”, “Tylö Sun” or “Sommartider”. People expect them as they have such strong nostalgia value and many have lots of memories and connections to those songs.

Then the old songs are on so many playlists. It’s the same with Roxette, we’re constantly increasing on Spotify. If we release a new single, it gets 30-40,000 streams in the first few days, while “It Must Have Been Love” gets 400,000 streams on any given day. Then you think: Why can’t people listen to the new song instead? But it doesn’t work that way.

That Gessle, when “Hux Flux” was finished a year ago, would take it easy and wait for it was not on the map either. Instead, he has spent the winter and spring completing his new solo record, which he just finished with a planned release sometime in 2024.

I wanted to finish this record before I enter the Gyllene bubble that lasts until September.

Per gives a hint of how it sounds:

It has a bit of a summery Mazarin feel. I play many instruments myself but have the help of many new acquaintances. It’s a super exciting project.

The start of filming for the new Gyllene Tider film is in the pipeline with the band bringing the cast to the stage at the sneak premiere at Leif’s Lounge last week.

It starts filming in August with a premiere next year and if the film is as good as the script, it will be awesome. The film is not a documentary depicting Gyllene’s enormously long career, but is about the early years, from when I meet MP and we form Gyllene Tider until 1982 when “Sommartider” is released. A lot of anecdotes and craziness run past, it really was a special time that I hope can be portrayed in an equally special way.

In autumn 2024, there will also be a premiere at Malmö Opera for the musical with Roxette’s song catalogue based on the novel “Got You Back” by the English author Jane Fallon and reworked for a musical script by Klas Abrahamsson.

I have met her a few times and she is fantastic. To my great surprise, I have discovered that my music works perfectly in a musical context. I’ve never been particularly interested in musicals because the style itself can be very pompous and slightly annoying. It’s never been my thing. But songs like “Spending My Time”, “Crash! Boom! Bang!”, “It Must Have Been Love” and not least “Listen To Your Heart” work superbly with a large orchestra and grandiose arrangements. They are big melodies with strong and intense emotions.

So I’m grateful that it happened. Back in 2015, we got the first offer, but it always turned out that the script wasn’t good enough. Up until now. Because this is a wonderful way to nurture Roxette’s music and the ambition is also for it to go abroad.

However, whether there will be a solo tour in the summer of 2024 before then remains to be seen. Per cryptically smiles and says he can’t say anything about it. But in Per Gessle’s parallel universe and future calendar, it may already be inscribed, Jan-Owe says.

Gyllene Tider longed to return to each other

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After the 40th anniversary celebration in 2019, Gyllene Tider thought it was over for the band. But the pandemic gave life a new meaning and Per Gessle felt a longing to play with his ’70s friends again.

He had managed to buy a new guitar and wrote two Gyllene Tider songs during the pandemic when he gathered his old band from the ’70s – Anders Herrlin, Göran Fritzon, Per Gessle, Mats “MP” Persson and Micke “Syd” Andersson. Would they make a new album?

Per Gessle to TT:

It was important that everyone was involved. Gyllene Tider is not a matter of life and death. If any of us doesn’t want to be involved then nothing will happen. But everyone was into it.

Per and Anders Herrlin are sitting in the sun outside Hotel Tylösand where the band is rehearsing for the summer tour. They talk about Hux Flux, which is the name of the new record, which is finished and ready to be released before the tour that starts in July.

Written for Gyllene Tider

The new album Hux Flux is written directly based on Gyllene Tider’s sound.

Per Gessle says:

This time we are releasing a record written for the five of us. We have dealt with two guitars, a keyboard and so on.

Anders Herrlin says:

We pinpoint ourselves in 1980.

Devoted audience

The band also has an old and devoted audience for more than 40 years that does not leave them in the lurch. Younger people have also joined the older audience along the way.

Per Gessle says:

But the large core of the audience are those who have followed us from the beginning. Who got married, divorced and lived parallel to us over the years. It’s a fantastically large audience.

Per promises not to disappoint the audience this summer:

Playing only the new songs is pointless. We have 18-20 old goodies that we rehearse. It’s clear that we invite people to a nostalgia party.

TT News Agency