Release Party for Buckle Up 

Sticky Fingers

Gothenburg

Story and photo by Jamie JA

It is finally time for the release party for Buckle Up, Siphon Fuel's first album.  They have been playing together since 2009, however this is their first official CD release and I have been invited to join them this weekend as a professional groupie to cover the marking of rock n' roll history.  I arrived in Gothenburg on Thursday and was picked up by the bass player Martin, who's place I was going to sleep at. I never met any of the band members before, so I was really exited and nervous. But as soon as I met Martin, I felt more calm as he and the rest of Siphon Fuel are just a bunch of good natured boys from Gothenburg, Sweden. Their music is a mix between rock 'n' roll and heavy metal. The band consists of Ferdi on vocals, Martin on bass, Vidar on drums, and Robin and Fredrik on guitar. I got to meet all of them on the evening of the first day when I was invited to their rehearsal. Martin told me that the other band members were a little nervous about meeting me and having me watch them rehearse. They were nervous? Imagine what I was feeling, as I was alone with five men I never met in a tiny little rehearsal room?!  But it was amazing to be there and hear them play the songs they were going to perform live the next day for a full audience just for me.  After the rehearsal, some of us went out for some food and beer.  It was a perfect end to an amazing day.

The next day, it was time for the release party and there was a lot of work to do to set up the venue.  I teamed up with Martin's lovely girlfriend to help out with the merchandise table before the show. It was nice to set it up while listening to the band's sound check and feeling that I was a part of this amazing group of people. After spending some hours at Sticky Finger and preparing everything, it was time to open the doors and let all the fans in. They started the release party by playing the album in the bar to provide background ambience for the people who were initially more interested in the cheap alcohol and socializing. It gave the room a festive mood and was a perfect start to an amazing night filled with great live bands performing.  After they played the record and people were in good spirits, the first band gets onstage. Danger Avenue got the honor to start the evening off and were followed by The Gloria Story. Danger Avenue are from Gothenburg and have been playing together since 2004 and have released the albumLong Overdue in 2010. The Gloria Story are from Skövde and have been playing together since 2009. They just released a new album called Born to Lose in April. There was a lot of people showing up to see the bands and it was really crowded. When the first band played I was right in front of the stage and photographed them.  I had been talking to the bass player in Danger Avenue before I went to Gothenburg and he had promised me that he'd look good onstage so that I would get nice photos. And he did as promised, they all did! After they finished playing, I was very happy that I was there with the main band because it was so crowded and noisy everywhere.   It was perfect to be able to take a break from the madness and sneak backstage for a while.

Backstage it was quiet and calm and I got to spend time with one of the guitar players and the drummer in Siphon Fuel. They were preparing for the show and it was nice to sit there quietly and just listen to them. It was the drummer's second time to play live with Siphon Fuel, so he was kind of nervous. I just felt like giving him a hug and assuring him that he would be amazing. Shortly after, it was time for Siphon Fuel to enter the stage. After spending the day with them, I think we all felt like getting rid of some energy, onstage AND in front of the stage.  And they gave it their all! It was a good atmosphere between the band giving everything for their fans and the fans giving back their full support. They have built up a strong fan base over the years from playing live and they get a lot of support from them. It really felt like the entire night was a big celebration in honor of Siphon Fuel and what they accomplished with the release of Buckle Up. Siphon Fuel played their new album live from start to finish and ended the show with some covers. The music was a mixture of influences from Accept, Motörhead, Judas Priest, and AC/DC, just to name a few, and they sounded good and looked amazing onstage and the audience loved them.

You could tell that there was a lot of friends of them in the audience. It all felt like one big party with your closest friends, even though I didn't know that many people there. The band makes you laugh and made my heart beat stronger as they interacted with the audience and even joins them.  At one point, the bass player disappears from the stage to be found on a girl's shoulders carried back to the stage through the crowd. All this while, he still was playing his bass.  All and all, the release party was a success and I am confident that these boys will make it big one day. The only bad thing with the show was that it ended too soon. I can't wait till they release their next record and we will get to hear more songs performed live. But even though the concert was over, the party continued well into the night. The band was really happy after the show and partied with everybody. It was nice to see them so elevated and happy and to know that I was a part of it.