[Trästockfestivalen
'96 main page]
Mufflon 5 (tent)
Last year we turned up late for Mufflon 5 and were impressed enough
with their last song - a country-style cover we never identified - that
we were really looking forward to this year's show. In the end it
wasn't worth the wait: the Mufflons were competent but uninteresting.
If there was a good final song, we missed it.
[Mufflon 5 page at West Side]
Breach (main stage)
Breach's brand of energetic hardcore isn't really our thing, but we
stopped by to admire the moshpit (quite a big one by this festival's
standards) and be glad we weren't in it. Mind you, the redfaced
mohawk-norrlännings that emerged after it seemed to be quite
exhilarated by the whole thing.
[Breach home page] [LP review by Benno]
Backfish (hall)
We have high expectations of Backfish, and they're every bit as good
as we were told. Four non-non-blondes up front on guitars, bass,
vocals, maracas and melodica, with the band's only male behind them on
drums. The four girls with plastic flowers in their hair are the
centre of attention though, or rather their music is. Low-fi, gentle,
noisy and hypnotic. Backfish swim in the same stream as the Cocteau
Twins once did, but they're noisier than that, and though Lush and
Juliana Hatfield go though your head, this is altogether more serious
and exciting stuff. This bunch are professionals, and can do
everything from rawk-out guitar solos (`Edward') to pared-down
bittersweet melancholy (`Smulor', which they do as an encore - Kimmo
says they remind him of the Canadian group Jale). One of the
festival's highlights for us.
Archers of Loaf (main stage)
The Archers of Loaf like Sweden, and apologise for taking two years to
return after their first visit. "I think we'll get our friends in
Umeå to adopt us", says the lead singer. "Don't know what use
we'd be, but it would be nice." `Nice' turns out to be an appropriate
word - the Archers' set is challenging and enjoyable, but without much
to hold onto for those of us not familiar with their stuff.
Uncompromising American punk with a streak of Pavement through it, you
could say, and it suits the occasion fine. Here's hoping at least
that they won't be the last non-Nordic band to play Trästock.
[Archers of
Loaf home page]
Yoni (tent)
Yoni are visually arresting, with their shaven-headed sing and their
blond Pippi-Longstocking-haired guitarist. The music is angry, angry
music, with more than a hint of the PJ Harvey. We decide it's time
for some fresh air instead.
[MNW's Yoni home page]
Tommy 16 (main stage)
Tommy 16 are the English-language incarnation of Hardy Nilsson,
Norrland's radio-friendliest indie band. We reckon they'll be good.
Well, Matthew Sweet's `Sick of myself' is a good song, and Tommy 16 do
an acceptable job of it as their opening number. There's not exactly
a lot of originality here, though, and things don't get much better.
`Super Baby' is pure Teenage Fanclub, for example, and we get another
cover (a Chris Bell song), which is a bit over the limit, we think.
Incredibly, they have the nerve to perform the ghastly `The feeling of
'78', and we realise with a sinking feeling that (a) that would be
about the same year Carpe Wade turned 11, and (b) Tommy 16 aren't fit
to lick even Per Gessle's boots. Sad but true.
[West Side's Tommy 16 page] [a Mandarin article]
The Drowners (main stage)
After all the buzz about the Drowners, we were very
disappointed. They may be from Stockholm, but they are just
Oasis. Or Teenage Fanclub. Or whoever. Not difficult
to watch really, just not terribly original and very
disappointing.
[interview
in Groove magazine] [LP
`Destroyer' reviewed by Benno]
Robert Cumming,
robertcu@bredband.net