After spending so long in England, I was a bit nervous before last night’s first post-holiday gig. Getting back into speaking Swedish is one thing, but performing (and improvising) in Swedish is another. I was worried that my act would be a bit rusty and that I’d forget some crucial words and phrases.
As it turned out, I had nothing to worry about. I performed a 25 minute set and managed to improvise a little bit about Svennis joining Notts County, which I think I will work into my routine next week. I was also wary that I would be performing there again next week so I tried to do a different routine to the one that I normally do, so that the regulars will get two different shows. I’m glad I did that as it’s good to rotate material so it doesn’t become too staid.
Also on the bill were a couple of guys from Gothenburg, Martin Gustafsson and Anders Kettunen. They both have a similar style although they are very different to each other. They both excel in a kind of deadpan idiot-savant telling stories that make them seem overwhelmed by the absurdity of life. I like them both alot and I had a nice time talking shop with them after the gig. Amusingly, after a while we switched to English. I have spoken English to Martin before, but I was surprised to hear that Anders spoke English with a southern US drawl of sorts. I love that about Swedes: It’s never a surprise that they speak English, but the surprise comes with the accent that they speak it with.
There was also a monologuist called Andreas Johansson who will compete at the Swedish monologue championships next week (only in Sweden!) and the highlight was not stand up at all but an Australian/US Blues band called the Dan Granero band headed by (yes, you guessed it) Dan Granero. They were brilliant and played a short set before we went on, then got the Motala crowd clapping and singing for an hour after the gig.
They are in Sweden and Denmark until October so if you get a chance go and see them. Check out their MySpace here with full listings which include a couple of nights at Stampen in Stockholm
