Stockholm is where the heart is

I’ve been living in Stockholm for nine years as the result of a romance with a native, but then the Sultans always had a connection with this city. For some reason we always did best in two European countries, Holland and Sweden.

It started in 1990. That was the year Ian Wilson of 2FM chose us to play the Eurorock event and our show was broadcast live on Swedish radio for reasons that I don’t remember. As a result we sold 500 copies of a demo cassette, two years before we even had a record deal.
For me, Stockholm is a great place to live – and to visit. Although it has the same population as Dublin, the city is about three times the size, so you get a greater sense of space. It’s situated between Lake Malar and the Baltic Sea, so in a way it’s a bit like Canada, with lots of facilities for ice hockey and for skiing. There’s a very good transport network, which makes it easy to get around. You can go for skiing and snowboarding trips close to the city: the Hammarby Ski-slope in the south-east corner of Stockholm is nearest to the city centre. It has a height of 93 metres and there are four pists, between 350 - 675 metres long, all of which are illuminated.
It’s also a good city for the football fan. Stockholm has three top teams: AIK, who most Irish fans will be familiar with from their Champions League matches, Hammarby, which is the team I support, and Djurgårdens. You can go to their matches for about €12-15, which is probably cheaper than the Eircom League prices and the standard is impressive
Swedish people are very friendly. Their English is pretty good and they love an opportunity to speak it, but they’re generally rather quiet! They tend to work hard during the week and drink hard at the weekends, when they become a bit less quiet! But at gigs they’re reserved and quietly attentive while an act is performing. This can be a bit disconcerting for a band if you’re not used to it, but never fear – they clap vigorously at the end!
The music scene is predominantly pop. Although they don’t really mention Abba all that often, they still have great respect for the band, and the likes of Max Martin and the Location team – who are based in Stockholm – have had a huge amount of success with Britney Spears, Westlife, The Backstreet Boys and so on. The pop influence is even obvious in the indie music they play. There are some great bands – Songbird, Peter, Bjorn and John, and The Concretes – so there’s a lot going on for music fans.
The best locally-produced drinks fall into two types, but you have to very careful you don’t get them mixed up! Melanol is a medium lager, but Starkol is very strong. It’s probably around 5.5%, so you have to be careful with it. A half-litre probably costs around €5-6. In fact drink prices are generally high, so don’t expect to be able to go on the razzle cheap!
But while it can be expensive Stockholm is well worth visiting, whether for a weekend break or a longer stay,. It’s a cool place that still has real character. I’d recommend it highly.

Top tip for a drink:
There are loads of great bars in Stockholm, depending on where you’re staying. One of my favourites is called Pet Sounds and it’s on Skanejaten Street. It’s in an area that reminds me of Camden Town in London. They play terrific music which is probably no surprise as it’s owned by the same people who own the Pet Sounds record shop just across the street.

Where to stay:
For about €50-60 you can get a fine room, in one of the boats that serve as a combination of hostel and hotel and are moored on the quay of Lake Malar. There are three or four boats there and it’s a great spot to stay.

Where to club it:
Debaser is great for new music. They have two clubs and for between €10 and €20 you can see local and international bands of the calibre of Jimmy Eat World. They have a website at debaser.nu

Where to eat:
The food is very good, modern and cosmopolitan, so there’s lots to choose from. There’s a restaurant in Sodermalm called Pelikan which serves traditional Swedish dishes like reindeer steak, elk, herrings and meatballs – their Swedish meatballs are the real deal! They also have surstromming, which is a traditional Swedish fish dish based on rotting herrings! It’s really good, so make sure to put it on your list of to dos.

Getting there:
Ryanair fly from Dublin to Stockholm (Skavsta). Sometimes the fare is as cheap as around €50.

Morty McCarthy
Morty joined the Sultans of Ping as their drummer in 1991, three years after the band formed. The band’s ‘Where’s Me Jumper?’ is regarded by many as one of the best ever pop-punk singles. They released four albums and became genuinely big in Japan – and the People’s Republic of Cork – before splitting in 1996, after which McCarthy joined Pharmacy. The Sultans regrouped in 2006 and now play about 12 to 15 gigs every year.