Traestockfestivalen - The Bear Quartet

Bear Quartet (tent)

Trästock's most intense, anarchic, beautiful and disorganised set turned out to be both our last and, in many ways, the best we saw at the festival. The Bear Quartet played a strange selection from their repertoire, and were quite brilliant. Matti Alkberg dominated the stage, putting his guitar through hell, and maybe himself too. Something seemed to be weighing on his mind, and we wish we'd caught enough of the song introductions to know what. This was also to be their drummer's last gig, which added another layer of strangeness to the night. Jari Haapalainen, cool and entirely concentrated on playing accomplished lead guitar, was the only one of the band who stayed on stage the whole time. Alkberg seemed to give up several times, but always came back for more. For half a number, bassist Peter Nuottaniemi was replaced by Nils Renberg from fellow Luleå-band Him Kerosene. And at one point Nils slow-danced with a guy from the festival volunteer team. It seemed a natural thing for the Bear Quartet, and the music just went on. And on. Hard on the ears, soft on the ears, balm for the soul, on until Jari had given us his last note. We stumbled out into the early morning light, realised we'd missed Naked, and that we didn't care.

[The Bear Quartet page at A West Side Fabrication] [Scan-indie's Bear Quartet page] [Bear Quartet discography]

Robert Cumming, robertcu@bredband.net