Train to Spain
Gothenburg, Sweden
24 October 2013
I enter Café Kultur, and suddenly I’m on a train to Spain.
No, of course not. That’s not what happened. I was at Café Kultur, though (greatest coffee in the city, I swear to you), and I saw Train to Spain’s first outing with their new line-up. Let me introduce a new Swedish duo, making the electro-pop music that we all love so much. Jonas from Malmö and Helena from Gothenburg had never played together before. Impressive, it really is. They’ve been in the business of music for quite a while, separately, but never together as a band.
To paint you a mental picture of it all: It’s October. As cold as it always is at this time of year in Sweden. Half-past seven. Dark outside. The city’s coziest café. Best coffee ever, and organic tea, too. Delicious cupcakes made by the band. And some great live music. How is this not the most perfect scenario? Please, join me on the Train to Spain. You’ll be my plus-one.
First stop is You Made Me Laugh. A great song to open this trip with. Keeps the passengers interested enough to stay aboard. Next stop is Passion, which is their upcoming single. Very suitable on a night like this. The gig is both intimate and passionate. We’re making a couple of quick stops at Control Myself and All About. Every now and then I find similarities with another Swedish band called Marilyn and The Rouge, but the sounds are fresh and original. The music is high-energy electro pop; catchy and melodic, but with a dark edge. The vocals are more delicate, but glide on the shimmering waveforms. Then Adam is joining us and forces a stop at Blip Blop. Even though these stopping-places are unique and different in all kinds of ways, I’m still sensing that they’re on the same line somehow. It’s like running in the forest; you Keep On Running until you reach the other side. It’s been a little over half an hour. The trip has been delightful. It’s my favorite thing: Sightseeing in the world of music. And you can never get enough of Passion, so we make a U-turn and the stop called Passion is the final station for tonight’s train. What an encore. The audience (mainly the synthescenti of Gothenburg, lured in by the chance to see the maiden voyage of this version of the Train) transferred to their trams and buses reluctantly.
The band are playing at Valand in Gothenburg on December 6th. Make sure to be aboard!