Swedish Erotica reunion at Skogsröjet
A reunited Swedish Erotica built a high-energy rock’n’roll city in the woods.
Swedish Erotica at the Skogsröjet festival in Rejmyre, Sweden on 2nd August 2024
In the late 80s and early 90s, Swedish Erotica was the next big thing in melodic hard rock. They released a fab self-titled album via Virgin Records in 1989, toured Sweden and the UK and got their music videos aired on MTV. I saw them perform a terrific gig in 1989 and interviewed lead vocalist Mats Levén backstage because I too believed this band would take off in a big way. It was all looking and sounding so promising. Everyone expected this to become something big. But the big break never happened. The band gave up and its members went on to other things.
This past summer, the band reunited for a one-off gig at the Sweden Rock Festival in June. The reunion line-up consisted of past members from several of the band’s line-ups: Mats Levén on vocals, Magnus Ax and Morgan Le Fay on guitars, Ken Sandin on bass and Jamie Borger on drums. They had so much fun that they agreed to do it again at Skogsröjet.
Often when bands reunite after decades away from the limelight, it is just a bit of fun with some old geezers reliving their youth. That was not the case with Swedish Erotica. At the terrific Skogsröjet festival, the band performed a helluva show. Sure, it was a rock’n’roll party based on nostalgia. But the band delivered like they had never stopped being a band. The three lost decades didn’t show at all. While Swedish Erotica has been sleeping, its members have been working with acts such as Treat, Candlemass, Therion, Yngwie Malmsteen, Talisman, Motörhead, Vandenberg, Joe Lynn Turner, Kee Marcello, Alien, Transport League, Prins Svart and many more. That pedigree and experience shone through the excellent performance at Skogsröjet.
The anthem-like “Rock’n’Roll City” was the zenith of a fabulous reunion gig for me. As if having a reunited Swedish Erotica on stage wasn’t enough, the band made this even better by including a few well-chosen guests in the show. Magnus Ax’s son Lukas Axx (Velveteen Queen) guested on guitar for several songs. They also brought out Evergrey guitarist Henrik Danhage for a few songs. The Gems’ vocalist Guernica Mancini and guitarist Mona Lindgren guested on “Hollywood Dreams”. And, best of all, during “We’re Wild, Young and Free”, vocalist Zinny Zan of Easy Action and Shotgun Messiah fame, joined the band on stage.
Perhaps these two reunion gigs were it and, if so, I will be forever grateful I got to be present for one of them. But having witnessed how good the band was and the excitement the reunion caused, perhaps we will see more of the band.
