Clawfinger
Amager Bio, Copenhagen - 2022
Text: Tobias Nilsson Photo: Lunah Lauridsen
Clawfinger had just released a new song and video, Environmental Patients, and so it was time to hit the road. No need to bother with an entire album, it was party time!
“Let’s take it easy for a while, after all, we’re not fifty anymore!”
- Zak Tell (vocals)
Fourth stop on the tour was Amager Bio, Copenhagen, so we had a fresh and reasonably rested band to perform for us. After what support band The Interbeing had brought to the table, we really needed it!
Clawfinger is almost as much about comedy in their live shows as anything else, and we got a good sample of this already in their intro tune. The band was using Dame Shirley Bassey’s famous Bond theme song, Goldfinger, but they had made new lyrics for it, replacing the famous title with their own name, and the verses were new as well, revolving around the band instead. I sadly can’t remember all the lyrics now, but I had a blast listening to the song on the night in question.
Then of course it was time for the band in question to take the stage, which they did with effectiveness and determination. World Domination was the fitting choice for the opening track, and we could immediately sense that we were in good hands. The band was rocking hard, Jocke Skog was messing about, and to my surprise, Bård Torstensen was killing it on a four string guitar. I wasn’t surprised by him killing it, but I’ve never seen an electric four string guitar before. Perfect for the chuggy riffs, I guess. To be fair, he did change instruments a few times during the show, and did use a six-string for several of the songs as well.
“How many saw us open for Alice In Chains in -93? (low response) Yeah, that’s about five percent. So, how many were born in -93?”
- Tell (vocals)
The show was wild from start to finish, and even though the gentlemen of the band hold that they are getting older and older, you couldn’t tell from the way they wrecked the stage!
André Skaug was the same powerhouse of a headbanger as he always is, and both he and Torstensen made good use of the entire stage. Not that Zak Tell and Jocke Skog were any less engaged, Micke Dahlén being a bit more anonymous behind the drums - I get that he can’t get up and run around as the others can, but more can be done, even if you just sit down.
The comedic banter between Tell and Skog was on point between more or less every song, and yeah, I did mention that Skog was messing about during the songs as well. He got his own little solo in Don’t Get Me Wrong, complete with sampled fart noises and all, and later in the same song, he showed Torstensen how to deliver a guitar solo, even as Torstensen was still holding the guitar. Skaug didn’t give us one of his death defying stage dives, but we did get one from tell in Catch Me, and while he didn’t jump, Skaug still got close and personal with the crowd in The Truth, as he left the stage and did a lap around the whole hall, while still playing! In the same song, Skog proved what good guys these people are, as he got down in the security pit, only to pick up and hand back a cell phone he saw someone on the first row drop - how cool is that?
The crowd on their hand also woke up to action as the main band of the evening delivered the goods. Jumping, screaming, headbanging - all was ‘a go this evening, and we had no problem keeping warm. It’s literally been years since I rocked out this hard, and I loved every second of it!
The evening was of course rounded off with a loud and enthusiastic sing-along during Do What I Say, and it put the perfect dot on an already perfect show.
Concert of the year already? I know it’s only March, but everyone else needs to step up their game to top this, that’s all I’m saying.
Setlist:
World Domination
Prisoners
Nothing Going On
Recipe For Hate
Tear You Down
Hold Your Head Up
Catch Me
Rosegrove
Warfair
Don’t Get Me Wrong
Environmental Patients
Out To Get Me
Money Power Glory
None The Wiser
Burn In Hell
Pin Me Down
Two Sides
The Price We Pay
Biggest & The Best
The Truth
Do What I Say
“Let’s take it easy for a while, after all, we’re not fifty anymore!”
- Zak Tell (vocals)
Fourth stop on the tour was Amager Bio, Copenhagen, so we had a fresh and reasonably rested band to perform for us. After what support band The Interbeing had brought to the table, we really needed it!
Clawfinger is almost as much about comedy in their live shows as anything else, and we got a good sample of this already in their intro tune. The band was using Dame Shirley Bassey’s famous Bond theme song, Goldfinger, but they had made new lyrics for it, replacing the famous title with their own name, and the verses were new as well, revolving around the band instead. I sadly can’t remember all the lyrics now, but I had a blast listening to the song on the night in question.
Then of course it was time for the band in question to take the stage, which they did with effectiveness and determination. World Domination was the fitting choice for the opening track, and we could immediately sense that we were in good hands. The band was rocking hard, Jocke Skog was messing about, and to my surprise, Bård Torstensen was killing it on a four string guitar. I wasn’t surprised by him killing it, but I’ve never seen an electric four string guitar before. Perfect for the chuggy riffs, I guess. To be fair, he did change instruments a few times during the show, and did use a six-string for several of the songs as well.
“How many saw us open for Alice In Chains in -93? (low response) Yeah, that’s about five percent. So, how many were born in -93?”
- Tell (vocals)
The show was wild from start to finish, and even though the gentlemen of the band hold that they are getting older and older, you couldn’t tell from the way they wrecked the stage!
André Skaug was the same powerhouse of a headbanger as he always is, and both he and Torstensen made good use of the entire stage. Not that Zak Tell and Jocke Skog were any less engaged, Micke Dahlén being a bit more anonymous behind the drums - I get that he can’t get up and run around as the others can, but more can be done, even if you just sit down.
The comedic banter between Tell and Skog was on point between more or less every song, and yeah, I did mention that Skog was messing about during the songs as well. He got his own little solo in Don’t Get Me Wrong, complete with sampled fart noises and all, and later in the same song, he showed Torstensen how to deliver a guitar solo, even as Torstensen was still holding the guitar. Skaug didn’t give us one of his death defying stage dives, but we did get one from tell in Catch Me, and while he didn’t jump, Skaug still got close and personal with the crowd in The Truth, as he left the stage and did a lap around the whole hall, while still playing! In the same song, Skog proved what good guys these people are, as he got down in the security pit, only to pick up and hand back a cell phone he saw someone on the first row drop - how cool is that?
The crowd on their hand also woke up to action as the main band of the evening delivered the goods. Jumping, screaming, headbanging - all was ‘a go this evening, and we had no problem keeping warm. It’s literally been years since I rocked out this hard, and I loved every second of it!
The evening was of course rounded off with a loud and enthusiastic sing-along during Do What I Say, and it put the perfect dot on an already perfect show.
Concert of the year already? I know it’s only March, but everyone else needs to step up their game to top this, that’s all I’m saying.
Setlist:
World Domination
Prisoners
Nothing Going On
Recipe For Hate
Tear You Down
Hold Your Head Up
Catch Me
Rosegrove
Warfair
Don’t Get Me Wrong
Environmental Patients
Out To Get Me
Money Power Glory
None The Wiser
Burn In Hell
Pin Me Down
Two Sides
The Price We Pay
Biggest & The Best
The Truth
Do What I Say
Clawfinger
