The lights began to shutter and when Yung Lean got on stage, the crowd went berserk to his glitchy, glass-shattering anthem, “No Agenda.”

In the Linné stage, you could hear a voice say, “You are about to witness something that you have never witnessed before,” exclaiming statements like, “Sad Boys forever!” Fanfare played in the background and the whole scene felt as if the king had finally returned. The crowd wasn’t familiar with the majority of his music the main attraction for them was to see the TikTok star that says, “Bitches come and go, bruh.” In Sweden, watching Yung Lean is like a homecoming the greatest export from that country (in terms of hip-hop) has finally returned after the release of his album, Bliss. I had seen Yung Lean perform at Smoker’s Club Fest in San Bernardino, but I knew something didn’t feel right. The latter song had me on the verge of tears as May, the pianist, somberly crooned about loneliness, as Lewis asked the crowd before, “Please no clapping to this next one.” Black Country, New Road is still with us, and just like the members that faced a couple hiccups with technical difficulties switching their instruments mid-song, they’re learning along the way. Renditions of new songs such as “BCNR Friends Forever” and “Turbines/Pig” made the multi-instrument outfit feel as if it was given new life. Everyone except the guitarist and the drummer had their own songs, and although the band was missing the edge in Isaac’s singing, there was solitude, camaraderie, and a new tenderness that the band had rarely explored in the past. The ensemble sounded as DIY as ever, complete with a sound check, switching instruments throughout the set, and switching singers from song to song. They played a set made up of completely new material and it was riveting. Would they play old songs minus their former frontman, Isaac? Would they simply play the instrumentals to their old work? The answer to both of those questions is a gleeful no. This performance comes after the release of their second studio album, Ants From Up There, and there was uncertainty in the air because no one in the crowd knew what to expect. The temperature is blazing in there, but it’s dark and gives the space much-needed intimacy. This is a massive outdoor bungalow that feels like it was borne from the Coachella Valley.

Here’s what I got to see:īlack Country, New Road is KCSB’s bread-and-butter, so it was only right that I kicked off the festival with their set at the Linné stage. For those of you who aren’t enlightened and haven’t been to the premier festival in Gothenburg, Sweden, this is a three-day festival with five stages, four theaters, and seven independent music venues spread out throughout the city. Words by Yousef Srour, Internal Music Director 21-22′

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