The Lotta Lindgren Project Discovered

They were right to refresh it.

A lick of paint, trendy exposed pipework, and the removal of most of the balcony has given the venue Fasching a more open-spaced feel, and most importantly, the music room to breathe.

For those who have never been to Fasching, it’s often compared to London’s Ronnie Scotts and it’s Stockholm’s main venue for live jazz and soul events.

The new-look was at least a positive surprise on my arrival, while news of the cancellation of the band I’d come to see, Ever Say Ever, wasn’t. 

However, the evening at Fasching would still have a soulful flavour but with a much shorter review from me!

I’d heard about the band The Lotta Lindgren Project, so I was in no hurry to leave Fasching’s new surroundings and settled in with the bubbling Friday night atmosphere.

Dressed all in black, the petite singer Lotta Lindgren performed effortlessly, accompanied by an excellent band with two back up singers, one of which I recognised as Liselotte Östblom from Ever Say Ever.

Lotta’s music could happily be classed as Scandinavian soul, but also offers a clever mix of jazz and fusion. But who needs to be categorised? Scandinavian soul is a broad genre created solely to present and highlight undiscovered soulful artists, and Lotta’s vocals are delightfully and undeniably soulful. The names Erykah, Jill, Angie and Amy spring to mind but you can’t hang your hat on one of these as she’s creating something of her own.

Lotta is right… this is her project and she’s doing it her way.

A stand out tune was In My Room, and Lotta announced that it was a requested song, and I understand why.

I still look forward to eventually seeing Ever Say Ever but I shall definitely be adding Lotta Lindgren to my list of ‘must-see again’ artists.