Every year since 2016, June has been the time I go to Sweden for the most amazing rock festival in the world. With the cancellation in 2020 and 2021 due to Covid, I have recently returned from my 6th Sweden Rock Festival. So many great bands to see, but it was also the chance to see friends from all over the world, which is one of the most exciting parts of the festival, besides the music. As we only see each other once a year, we made the best of catching up while listening to some great live music.
With over 80 bands playing over the four days, there was no way to see all the performances. Photographing for 2 out of the 4 days for CGCM Rock Radio I wanted to pick my top 5 performances of 2023. I saw so many shows (outside of my top 5) that are worth mentioning. This includes bands that I saw for the first time such as Wig Wam, Crowne, Bloodbound, Deep Purple, Jinjer, Ghost, Avatar and bands I have seen in the past like, Dynazty, Coney Hatch, Udo, Europe, Myrath and H.E.A.T.
Chez Kane
So, what bands did I enjoy more than the ones just listed? How about Chez Kane from the UK who I first saw last November at the All-Star Festival in Belgium. Once again Kane was spectacular. I love her 2 albums and hearing those songs live is even better. She was on the same time as Thundermother and Pantera, so she was worried that not many would come to see her. Chez has her own dedicated fan followers as many packed the venue to see her perform.
Powerwolf
Another band that was incredible was Powerwolf. I saw them once at Sweden Rock in 2019 and they blew me away with their performance. The Metal Mass for 2023 was another great show by these German metal showmen. Also, as a side note, Powerwolf was the only band shirt I bought for 2023.
TNT
With only 3 more bands left to list, we go with TNT from Norway. This was a bucket list band I have been dreaming to see since the 80s and finally the reality hit. This was a very emotional show for me and fellow photographer Brian Ronald as we stood there singing the classic TNT songs. We had tears of joy running down our faces as we relive these songs that we have loved for over 30 years.
Def Leppard
Next up we go with one of the biggest bands of the festival who I have loved since their early days. I never expected them to sound so good after reading some reviews in recent years that the vocals were off. Well, I have to say Joe Elliot of Def Leppard sounded near to perfection. For me, I loved the setlist and if they come back to do their own show, I might have to see them again. I first saw them on the Hysteria tour in 1988, then again in 2003 both shows in Toronto before seeing them at Sweden Rock in 2019.
Skid Row
To finish off my top 5 we go with an American band I was so excited to see. I have seen them many times but never with their original singer or current singer. Seeing their original singer as a solo, artist I knew we were in for a treat to see Swedish singer Erik Grönwall perform these classic Skid Row songs better than anyone else can do them. Erik did just that as he has proven he is the best fit for the band to put them back on the map. His bombastic energy on stage had the crowd going crazy for their home country artist who got his big start with winning Swedish Idol in 2009.
That sums up a little of my experience of the 2023 Sweden Rock Festival and look forward to doing it all again in 2024.
OFFICIAL FESTIVAL WEBSITE / FACEBOOK
All of the continuing CGCM coverage of SRF 2023: LINK
