Kristofer Åström
Live @ Skylten, Linköping, 04/26/07

5

During a brief period in my life one could say I was in it way over my head. In the centre of things was, of course, this girl. Well, it didn't turn out the way I wanted it to, so, there I was, heartstruck and miserable. That's when I found salvation. In the form of Kristofer Åström. The front man from legendary swedish emo/rock band Fireside has had a very special place in my heart ever since. Perhaps that's why I'm so disappointed tonight. Expectations are dangerous things. "RainawayTown" is the name of the new Kristofer Åström album, the gig in Linköping being the second stop on the Rainaway-tour. One major change in the live lineup of 2007 is that The Hidden Truck now is but a memory, with The Rainaways (including members from Nationalteatern, among others) filling up the void. The result is... below my expecations. Even though "RainawayTown" might be the best album since "Northern blues", or perhaps even better, the songs have problems transfering from record into live format. Sadly, I'd say it's mostly because of Kristofer himself, he seems quite out of shape this evening. He forgets lines, rearranges the setlist to everyones confusion, and seems generally unfocused. Then again, this is only the second gig ever with The Rainaways - I'm sure everything will run much smoother a couple of more gigs into the tour.
- Christian Stenbacke