Messed!Up
Sixty years ago, Elvis Presley scandalized America on the Ed Sullivan Show with dance moves never seen on telly (or elsewhere) before. Shaking, swinging, and moving his hips, he had a sexuality and energy to his performance that was shocking, and the girls in the audience began to scream. The conservative society at the time wanted his performances to be Rated R as they attracted heaps of young (female) teenagers. But that, luckily, wasn’t the end of the relationship between pop stars and teenage superfans. The Elvis Presley analogy is probably more valid today with all the boy and girl bands that passed by – One Direction, ‘NSYNC, New Kids On The Block, Spice Girls, and heaps of bands have proven it again and again in the last 30 years.
Although HOV1 may not have the international panache as the aforementioned bands, they certainly enjoy the same popularity on national level. Or how about selling out Gothenburg’s biggest venue for four straight nights? That must mean something! However, I’m not sure we’d call them ‘boy band’. Our Messed!Up teenager that co-writes this review doesn’t, it’s a hip hop act, but they follow the sacred formula as many boy bands before they have – four young good-looking musician dudes. On the ‘other side’, with a completely different perspective, we had our overaged photographer who had a cathartic experience even if he was safe behind bars in the photo pit.
The atmosphere was charged with anticipation, and the crowd buzzed with excitement as fans witnessed an evening of pure musical brilliance. Fans had been waiting in anticipation for weeks – four sold-out shows – and the energy in the room was high from the start.
Usually, the goofy chaos doesn’t kick in until the final section of a show just before the encore to get people crying out loud for an encore, but that rule doesn’t apply to HOV1’s gig. The atmosphere at Trädgår’n brings back memories of those black and white videos you’ve seen of Beatles fans almost ripping off their clothes, and our photographer was quite sure it would’ve happened, wasn’t it for the photo pit barriers. With every word sung and every note played, HOV1 poured their heart and soul into their performance, leaving no doubt that they were born to be on that stage.
Is it chaotic? Yes, but it’s controlled chaos; today’s generation of teenagers don’t thrust themselves into frantic screaming followed by mass fainting because it would mean that you would miss the songs and the show. It didn’t even happen when they played biggest hit; the swooning, screaming, and crying in the 60s and 70s have been replaced by a 1000-man their (or young girls) strong choir – impressive! I don’t really understand all the screaming and crying in the boy band era of ’60s and the ’70s anyway, it’s pointless. But this is a massive experience! During “Neon”, “Lilla B” and “Vibe Check” I’m sure the roof at Trädgår’n lifted a few inches. It’s worth mentioning the audience’s energy and enthusiasm, which played an integral role in making this concert an unforgettable experience.
This concert was an extraordinary event that showcased the immense talent, passion, and dedication of HOV1, leaving the fans to want more.
Thanks for the show, lads!
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Photos by Richard Bloom
