Ok I admit it, I wasn’t a die-hard 10CC fan, but for anyone growing up in the ’70s you didn’t have to be. They were responsible for a good portion of the soundtrack of some of the most important years of one’s young life.
When I first decided to go to Sweden Rock after years of bugging by Rich Dillon and Shawn Irwin, I anticipated each and every band announcement. When 10CC were announced I remember thinking “cool, there’s something you don’t see every day and certainly not in Canada” and they quickly became a top must-see of the festival for me.
10CC were formed in Stockport England in 1972. The main core initially consisted – Graham Gouldman, Eric Stewart, Kevin Godley and Lol Crème. I was first introduced to them under the name Hotlegs with their hit “Neanderthal Man“. Later under 10CC, they produced the chart-toppers of “I’m Not In Love” and “Things We Do For Love” which provided huge memories for this 15-year-old. But it was their 1976 album How Dare You that I consider an absolute gem and one of my favourite albums of the ’70s.
10CC at Sweden Rock Festival 2022
Fast forward 46 years to Sweden. As part of the photography team, I went into the pit to shoot the first 3 songs. The second song “Art For Art Sake” from the above-mentioned How Dare You album had me singing and air-guitaring more than taking photos. I had to reel myself back in and act “professional” as most of the pit gang I found were dead serious.
After the shoot, I made my way to the back of the crowd of close to 40,000. I found a great spot in the beating sun to watch out the rest of the show by myself. It was then, after the timeless classics of “I’m Mandy“, “Fly Me“, “I’m Not in Love” and “Dreadlock Holiday” played back to back to back, my emotions got the best of me. Maybe it was the 3 years of getting to the festival, maybe it was the tiredness or the “music being back” feeling or the early alcohol buzz, I don’t know, but I broke down big time trying to hide my tears beneath my sunglasses. Great music gives you goosebumps, awesome music brings tears of joy!
Sure, Godley, Crème and Stewart are long gone from the band but original songwriter and singer Graham Gouldman carried on the torch with his new bandmates with precise professionalism. And they left it all on the table – they played everything I needed to hear.
10CC were one of the highlights of Sweden Rock Festival for me and will remember this forever!
10CC OFFICIAL WEBSITE / FACEBOOK
SWEDEN ROCK OFFICIAL FESTIVAL WEBSITE / FACEBOOK
For more photo galleries from Shawn Irwin and Brian Ronald as well as all of the CGCM Sweden Rock 2022 coverage, visit this complete coverage page link: Sweden Rock 2022 – The Complete Coverage
