Two special bands for me played two fantastic shows at Nalen in Stockholm. Abramis Brama, always a great band to watch, kicked off the night with huge energy and groove and proved once again why they are so fun to enjoy! Playing some of their very old and classic tunes (yeah, it’s been so many years that this band really ROCKS!), but also a few of their latest ones, all delivered in their trademark awesome way. Ulf, P-O, Trisse (I love his drumming so much!) and Mats all play their brilliant way as always! Endless groove, great energy, party mood, Sabbath riffs, beautiful melodies, solid and compact sound on drumming and bass, this band really plays better and better as they grow older. Another great show from the lads! It’s never enough, you always want more from them! Then, Siena Root took over … Oh my… What an enjoyable show that was as well…! Incredible and unbeatable groove as always, topped with the beautiful voice of Zubaida Solid, who really conquered us all with her keyboard skills as well, playing with the vintage keyboards. This band is always a pleasure to watch live …: Samir on bass, always a dominant figure for the band on his Rickenbacker for so many years, a calm and gracious force of Siena Root. Love Forsberg was absolutely majestic on drums, delivering some great vocals as well, all in his unique style. Johan Borgström on guitars showing some fantastic guitar soloing skills and adding a classic rock flavor to the songs, especially to the older ones, but also to the newest material, from the band’s latest record in 2020, released shortly before this terrible pandemic broke out. Anyway, there were two highlights for me that night for Siena Root: firstly, there was a guest who played the flute on a couple of their songs, adding more magic to their show and making the crowd so excited to watch them (million of apologies, I did not catch her name…)! She played so well, so nice and fitted perfectly with the overall feeling of the songs, the band and the evening in general! And what was incredible to watch as well at the end of the show, that both Abramis Brama and Siena Root played together November’s “Starka Tillsammans”! How cool is to see two modern Stockholm bands covering another Stockholm legendary band from the ‘70s in one of their great songs! That moment was the epitome of the lyrics: “Vi är starka. Starka tillsammans’, meaning, ‘We are strong, We are strong together’. And yes, both bands played so well the whole night, making us all happy and lucky to have witnessed a beautiful evening. Cheers to both bands then, we want to see you soon again playing live!
Antonis Mantzavinos