Last night was BWO’s first proper gig (we don’t count G.A.Y) in London since 2007, and it was every bit as exciting as you’d expect. Their first UK show was the best gig (as much for atmosphere as performance) I’ve ever been to, and last night matched up pretty well. They only performed for about half an hour, and some of my favourite songs were absent (Temple of Love, Will My Arms, Conquering America and Thunderbolt) but the songs they did play all sounded magnificent. Martin’s voice was on top form and they were all looking fabulous. Highlights for me were Chariots of Fire (which, with everyone singing along, felt almost religious), Lay Your Love on Me and Rise to the Occasion.
This was actually the fourth time I’d seen BWO live, as I’ve seen them twice in Gothenburg, but the UK gigs are always the best. You could ask 100 people in the street who BWO are and it’s likely that none of them would know, but to those of us who are into Swedish pop music, they are the best band in the world, and being in a room full of people who are all seeing one of their favourite bands of all time is a pretty great experience! As much as I would like BWO to be recognised for their brilliance, and as much as I would like to see them live every day for the rest of my life, I’m kind of glad that they only come here occasionally, because otherwise that great feeling of enjoying your favourite band with the very small number of people who understand their brilliance would be lost.
After the gig, the band stuck around for a while to chat to their fans and I am very excited to inform you that I got to meet all of them! First I spoke to Marina, who said that she loves the UK crowd, and told me that today they are going to be photographed for a feature in OK magazine (yes, the British one) about eccentric popstars. I told her to make sure it’s announced on the website when it’s coming out, but it’s probably best if we all keep an eye out for their appearance. Let me know if you spot it!
After that, I spoke to Alexander, which was obviously the best bit because he’s my no.1 pop genius (well, shared with Max Martin) and I was very pleased to discover that he used to read Dirrrty Pop, and he said he’d check out the new site, so hello Alexander if you’re reading! He said he loves bloggers because we represent the real music lovers, and that was why they chose to perform at the Scandipop-arranged night, rather than G.A.Y again.
Finally I spoke to Martin, and I asked him the all-important question: will BWO do a song for Melodifestivalen next year? He said they have no plans at the moment to enter MF in 2010, and sadly seemed quite sure about it, but personally I won’t be surprised if Alexander still makes an appearance as a songwriter. In other Martin news, he has lovely soft hair! All three members were lovely, very open and friendly. They were exactly how I expected them to be, and it’s really nice when you meet popstars and admire them even more afterwards. It’s unlikely that BWO will have a UK record deal much longer if their lack of success continues, but I hope they’ll still come over to visit us every so often, and after the brilliance (and popularity – there were hundreds of people there!) of last night’s show, I think we will see them again soon enough.
Brilliant and epic write up – wish I could have been there, so sad to have missed it 🙁 I’m not very good at talking to popstars anyway – I’m always too shy/fear it will ruin the illusion!! 🙂 Glad you had an ace time…
Brilliant and epic write up – wish I could have been there, so sad to have missed it 🙁 I'm not very good at talking to popstars anyway – I'm always too shy/fear it will ruin the illusion!! 🙂 Glad you had an ace time…
Bit worried about how you know how soft his hair is!
Bit worried about how you know how soft his hair is!
I never heard of BWO before but I will definitely check them out now 😉 Beautiful review!
I never heard of BWO before but I will definitely check them out now 😉 Beautiful review!
Paul – Glad you liked my post! You should definitely come to the next gig, if you love BWO it’s worth the train fare/missing work. You never know, they might become famous now they’re getting into magazines like OK, and travel to some other UK cities! I’m rubbish at talking to popstars too, you just have to act like they’re normal people and pretend for a moment you haven’t been obsessed with them for years! It’s good to think of some questions to ask beforehand as well, so you can get into a proper conversation and it’s less awkward.
Talia – I wanted to be mysterious and let you think we were having a secret affair… but actually he just leant over to speak to me because it was quite loud, and his hair brushed past my face. Hmm, that still does sound a bit weird – it was all perfectly normal, I promise!
Paul – Glad you liked my post! You should definitely come to the next gig, if you love BWO it's worth the train fare/missing work. You never know, they might become famous now they're getting into magazines like OK, and travel to some other UK cities! I'm rubbish at talking to popstars too, you just have to act like they're normal people and pretend for a moment you haven't been obsessed with them for years! It's good to think of some questions to ask beforehand as well, so you can get into a proper conversation and it's less awkward.
Talia – I wanted to be mysterious and let you think we were having a secret affair… but actually he just leant over to speak to me because it was quite loud, and his hair brushed past my face. Hmm, that still does sound a bit weird – it was all perfectly normal, I promise!
Cathrin – Glad you enjoyed the review. You should definitely give them a go! It’s very cheesy, happy pop music, so you have to be open to that kind of style, but if you are then it’s the best of its genre. I recommend Sunshine in the Rain, Lay Your Love On Me or Rise to the Occasion as a good starting point, and it’s worth watching the videos too because the band have great fun characters.
Cathrin – Glad you enjoyed the review. You should definitely give them a go! It's very cheesy, happy pop music, so you have to be open to that kind of style, but if you are then it's the best of its genre. I recommend Sunshine in the Rain, Lay Your Love On Me or Rise to the Occasion as a good starting point, and it's worth watching the videos too because the band have great fun characters.
i was there as well. amazing gig ! finally i managed to see BWO live. your review is excellent :>
i was there as well. amazing gig ! finally i managed to see BWO live. your review is excellent :>
Thanks Fernando! Glad you enjoyed the gig too!
Thanks Fernando! Glad you enjoyed the gig too!