Lidingörock is an annual competition for unsigned bands that is held in my neighborhood, and as a kid I was entirely dependent on it. It's the kind of event that attracts outsiders to Lidingö, which usually means people whose primary interests are not golf or water sports. To me, it was a huge happening, so I grabbed a pocket flask and some friends and headed down there to check out this years' contestants. Unfortunately, the heavy music that used to dominate the event only a couple of years ago, has been completely replaced by pop. And not the cutesy, K Records sort of pop you'd expect from 12-year-olds, but the overblown, autotuned variety generally connected with 15- to 17-year-olds. It was a let down, but victory was achieved by 12 Stitches, the sole skate-punk band to take the stage that night. So suck on that, you pubeless American Idolators! Here are some pictures we took during the night.After the disappointment at Lidingö Rock, we were feeling very unsettled and frankly, worried about the kids of today. THEN we heard that the local after-school center in Högalid, where we usually go to get our annual fix of pre-pubescent glam/thrash/emo had stopped arranging gigs. They told us it was due to a paucity of bands and a general lack of interest in rock and roll music. This news instantly triggered the "older generation" frown on our foreheads.
That place had been sweet. You could watch haphazard concerts surrounded by kids of all types, people in wheelchairs and weird old folk. The only real problem was the smell (eau de teenage rockers and cheap hairspray). We decided to stage an intervention with the kids at the after-school program, to make sure that they would keep starting crap bands that could eventually develop into something we could get excited about. But since there were tons of them and only two of us, we're not sure how well it went.Vice: Hey twags, who stopped the rock?!
Group of kids: What about it?We hear you guys aren't into starting bands and playing rock music any more.
Actually we do have bands.You do? Well, where are they?
Öh… Well, Marcus here plays in Hot Stuff and I play in—I'm sorry, but hold on—Hot Stuff? Is that a joke or are you guys really into Craig David or something?
Who? No. We're more into video games.See, that's what's even more confusing. You're all playing Guitar Hero and yet none of you seem like you're actually into the tunes.
Great game. Lame music.Are you out of your tiny minds? You're saying Slayer and Black Sabbath are lame now?
Black what?[extremely long pause] OK. Fine. To hell with you kids.
Whatever.To be continued…?WIM WIKLUND
Annons
That place had been sweet. You could watch haphazard concerts surrounded by kids of all types, people in wheelchairs and weird old folk. The only real problem was the smell (eau de teenage rockers and cheap hairspray). We decided to stage an intervention with the kids at the after-school program, to make sure that they would keep starting crap bands that could eventually develop into something we could get excited about. But since there were tons of them and only two of us, we're not sure how well it went.Vice: Hey twags, who stopped the rock?!
Group of kids: What about it?We hear you guys aren't into starting bands and playing rock music any more.
Actually we do have bands.You do? Well, where are they?
Öh… Well, Marcus here plays in Hot Stuff and I play in—I'm sorry, but hold on—Hot Stuff? Is that a joke or are you guys really into Craig David or something?
Who? No. We're more into video games.See, that's what's even more confusing. You're all playing Guitar Hero and yet none of you seem like you're actually into the tunes.
Great game. Lame music.Are you out of your tiny minds? You're saying Slayer and Black Sabbath are lame now?
Black what?[extremely long pause] OK. Fine. To hell with you kids.
Whatever.To be continued…?WIM WIKLUND