Live at Kagelbanen, Stockholm, Sweden

I am generally wary of national clichés, but I have to say the Swedish really are a frosty lot. I am excited beyond belief at the prospect of seeing the Thrills play in this exquisite, small venue and curious as to how they will do far away from adoring home audiences.
The gig is all but sold out, so obviously there’s a certain level of interest, but this by no means translates into any kind of visible enthusiasm. The band are greeted with polite applause and each song is well received, too, but the crowd remain almost stationary for most of the gig (only partly due to the fact that half the 300-strong audience are seated). The old “put your hands in the air” line works a treat, though. The Swedish may not be bundles of fun, but I’ve got to hand it to them – they’re obedient folk. The band, incidentally, are on form, putting on a great performance which is thoroughly enjoyed by, well, me – although I’m not so sure about the others. 'One Horse Town', 'Whatever Happened To Corey Haim', 'Santa Cruz' – all the old and new favourites are there, but the audience don’t seem prone to spontaneous outbursts of emotion.
Then, in an attempt to disprove my opening statement, they finally warm up for the last two songs of the set and even enthusiastically demand an encore which is duly delivered. Astonishingly, the band thank the Stockholmians for being the warmest crowd in Sweden and by the time they get to the final tune there’s even some dancing, jumping, sing-along-ing and suchlike going on.
On the way out, my limited command of Swedish enables me to overhear snippets of conversation which convey the impression that the concert was indeed enjoyed greatly by all. The Thrills have, apparently, triumphed in Stockholm – it may have been a storm in a Swedish teacup, but at least it was a storm.