Do you know the feeling you get, when the band you really want to see, brings a support band along, that you want to see almost more than the main band itself?
Yeah, that’s pretty close to how we felt when Jesper Binzer was bringing Gus G. along for yet another night. We were there, and so were they, this was going to kick ass!

“Good evening Helsingborg! Everybody doing alright? I believe this is my first time here.”
- Konstantinos ‘Gus G.’ Karamitroudis (guitar)

After becoming aware of the band for the first time last night, we had hurried after them to Sweden, and their next gig supporting Jesper Binzer.
Now knowing the performance style of the band, and especially main man Gus G., the first thing we both noticed when walking into The Tivoli in Helsingborg was, “They’ll never fit on this small stage!”
Truly, the stage wasn’t as big as it had been in Pumpehuset, and with Binzer’s stuff taking up most of the space, there was nearly no space left for Gus G. and his companions to move about on. And you know they want to move about! For this very reason, the first thing that happened, was that Gus G. ordered the front monitors to be removed off the stage - now at least he could move around a bit, and get to to do all those wonderful show-off’y poses that’re in his arsenal.

In comparison, the Swedish crowd was also a bit calmer than their Danish counterparts. There were more Danes than us here, but surely the main body of participants were indeed Swedes, and maybe that in itself affected the level of support for the band? Swedes (and this is a personal observation by a native Swede living in Denmark) have a tendency to be a bit more restricted in their emotional outlet than Danish, especially when not containing alcohol. Considering further the price of alcohol in Sweden in general, and at The Tivoli in particular, I guess the intoxication factor was negligible in this equation.
The band didn’t go without support though - appreciative shouting and applauding followed every song, and Dennis Ward (bass/vocals) and Gus G. managed to entice a short but good sing along session for the final track of the evening, I Am The Fire, out of the audience.

“Tack så mycket! Skål, skål!”
- Gus G. (guitar)

Short but good could very well be the tagline of the show. Somehow, the gig felt a bit more rushed this night. I didn’t actually time it, so it’s hard to say whether the band actually did spend less time on stage, or if it’s simply my own perception of it, being now more familiarised with what was going to happen.
Either way, the band delivered in style once again - the trio of Gus G., Dennis Ward, and Felix Bohnke is a delight to watch on stage - they are explosive, entertaining, and elevating performers. You owe it to yourself to check them out if you get the chance.

Setlist:

Fearless
My Will Be Done
Burn
Brand New Revolution
Letting Go
Mr. Manson
Money For Nothing (Dire Straits cover)
I Am The Fire