by Astrid W

Stockholm has often been called the world’s most beautiful capital, due to its gorgeous mix of water, parks/green land, and the land that it's all built on. And having lived here all my life, I do love it for feeling so CLEAN. Perfectly good tap water that has been deemed the best in the world is just the icing on the cleanliness cake! Stockholm has a rich cultural life and it is here young bands often move to when they try to “make it.” The music scene is very much alive with bands like Suburban Kids With Bibilical Names, The Concretes and The Legends, to name a few! In summer, few things beat sitting at an outdoors bar by the water, people-watching, as the sun sets at about ten thirty and rises again at about three thirty in the morning around late June!

Baba Sonic
Wednesdays at Helenes krog, the basement (separate entrance from Mariatorget), Hornsgatan 31. T-Bana station Mariatorget. 10pm-3am. Age limit: 18. 60 kronor entrance, free before 23:00..
Baba Sonic is one of those club nights that’s been around for ages. Good old-fashioned indie fun for the youngsters of Stockholm. The DJs usually vary, but in general they play indie with a leaning toward the more poppier side. Always worth a visit!
(www.myspace.com/baba_sonic)

Fritz’s Corner
A couple of times per month on various venues, see website for more details and opening hours (use google translate if you don't know Swedish). Age limit: It's usually 20 (18 for members of Fritz’s Corner), but it can vary some nights.
Fritz’s Corner’s describe themselves as a pop and rock club who focus on live music. Some bands who have played this spring: Subsonics, Totalt Jävla Mörker, The Realistics, Hell On Wheels, Jesse Malin, Grand Tone Music, Shout Out Louds, Superheroes, etc.
(www.fritzscorner.nu)

Apart from these clubs, you should have an eye out for Club King Kong (www.facebook.com/gid462197), Cosy Den (www.facebook.com/gid=5119526374) and Klubb Trubbel (www.facebook.com/klubb.trubbel). They are filled with indie pop but they're playing on different places and not on a regular schedule. (JS)

Venues

Debaser
Den Franska Bukten, Karl Johans Torg 1, T-bana Gamla Stan, Outdoor bar from 3pm-1am. Age limit: 20 years. Den Franska Bukten: Wednesday – Saturday, 7pm–3am.
Debaser has quickly become a Stockholm favourite for me. Good clubs and great gigs, but what was before just storage space at the back of the club has now been turned into a panoramic bar called DFB; Den Franska Bukten, and it's a lovely place to chill out. In the summertime, the outdoor part of Debaser in the front is also a nice place to eat, watch acoustic gigs, have a couple of drinks and just take it easy. Check the website to see what’s going on at the moment.
(www.debaser.se)

Debaser Medis
Medborgarplatsen, T-bana Medborgarplatsen, Age limit: 20 years. Often free on weekdays and weekends before midnight, then normally around 100 kronor entry.
Debaser's "other venue". Big place, sometimes there are two floors open. Bigger acts play here, such as Justice and Crystal Castles. Lately it feels like if the clubs here focus a little more on the electronic side of the indie-scene, but make sure you check the website for details. (JS)
(www.debaser.se)

Debaser Humlegården
Humlegården, T-bana Östermalstorg, Age limit: 18 years. No entry. Open all days in the summer between 11.30am-01am.
Debaser's third venue in Stockholm. Small outdoor bar in a park where you can eat some good food while you're listening to great music. No live acts and the music is generally lower here so it's nice if you just want to have a beer and chat with your friends. Only open in the summer. (JS)
(www.debaser.se)

Trädgården ("The Garden") or during the winter its called Under Bron ("Under the bridge")
Hammarby Slussväg 2, T-bana Skanstull, Age limit: 20 years(?). Wednesday-Thursday open 6pm-01am & free entry. Friday-Saturday open 6pm-3am, entry is free until 8, then it's 50-150 kronor depending on how late you arrive.
A quite big outdoor and indoor club located by the water, under the bridge that connects södermalm with gullmarsplan. Looks and feels like a small festival. (JS)
(www.tradgarden.com)

Strand
Hornstulls Strand 4, T-bana Hornstull, Age limit: 18-20 years depending on the day/club. Open Monday-Tuesday 4pm-1am, Wednesday-Thursday 4pm-2am, Friday 4pm-3am, Saturday 2pm-3am. Entry fee varies.
A place nicely located by the water, divided into a restaurant section and a club section. The restaurant section has nice food and good music and there's no entry charge. In the club section you can find both local and international acts playing. Between the bands you can play some fussball or table tennis. Some clubs attract alot of people and it can get crowded, so if you want to avoid the lines be here early. (JS)
(www.hornstullstrand.se)

Sommar! ("Summer!)
Flemminggatan 2, T-bana Fridhemsplan and bus #1 or T-bana Centralen and a five minute walk. Age limit: 18 or 20. Fridays-Saturdays 7pm-3am. Free until 8pm, 100 kronor between 8pm-11pm and then 130 kronor.
Another outdoor club by the water open in the summer. Cheap beer and wine before 11pm. This place mainly attracts the younger crowd. Local acts play early (somewhere between 8pm and 10pm). (JS)
(www.sommarutropstecken.se)

Bonden Bar
Bondegatan 1, T-bana Medborgarplatsen, Wednesday-Saturday 8pm-1am. Age limit: 20. Often free entry.
Different clubs here every night, but mainly indiepop ones with live acts. (JS)
(www.bondenbar.se)

Indigo
Götgatan 19, T-bana Slussen. Monday to Friday 5pm-1am, Saturdays 3pm-1am.
Easy-going bar where people of all ages and styles mix. Food is on the menu but not too cheaply. A relaxed, nice bar to get the right Södermalm feel .

Pet Sounds Bar
Skånegatan 90. T-bana Medborgarplatsen. 4pm-1am.
The world famous record store of more than 20 years has now started a bar, where the feeling is as intimate and friendly as it is in the store on the same street. Food, bar, and a fun place for music nerds!

Landet
LM Ericssons väg 27, T-bana Telefonplan, Age limit: 18, Monday-Tursday 5pm-midnight, Friday-Saturday 5pm-1am.
A really nice restaurant hosting smaller clubs with live acts on the second floor. Downstairs there's a really nice restaurant. A lot of students from the art school Konstfack on the other side of the street. Located just outside the city. (JS)
(www.landet.nu)

Snotty
Skånegatan 90. T-bana Medborgarplatsen. 4pm-1am.

Nada
Åsögatan 140. T-bana Medborgarplatsen. Open til 1am.

Record Shops

Pet Sounds
Skånegatan 53, T-bana Medborgarplatsen. Monday-Friday 11am-6pm, Saturday 11am-5pm
Known as one of the best record stores in the world, Pet Sounds really is a special record shop. The staff areknowledgeable, friendly and always willing to help with things like finding you similar artists to those you already like. Now with a café part and book/DVD section, this place is a bit pricey, but so nice it’s worth it!
(www.petsounds.se)

Record Hunter
S:t Eriksgatan 70, T-bana S:t Eriksplan. Monday-Friday 11am-6pm, Saturday 11am-4pm.
This great store is a must to visit on your record-shopping tour of Stockholm. Friendly staff here too, the top floor has new records, some fanzines and DVDs, whilst the basement has a huge selection of used records, and good ones too! A favourite.
(www.recordhunter.se)

Freak Scene
S:t Eriksgatan 64, T-bana S:t Eriksplan. Monday-Friday 11am-6pm, Saturday 11am-3pm
This is a tiny record shop filled with obscure records. Used and new, vinyl and CD, it’s all there. Although mainly focusing on punk and heavier music, there’s also quite a lot of indie and soul to be found here.

Skivbörsen
St. Eriksgatan 71, only open Fridays and Saturdays.
Piles of cheap second hand records and CDs. (IW)

Nostalgipalatset
St. Eriksgatan 101
Excellent store for 60s rock and soul. (IW)

Local Bands

Suburban Kids With Biblical Names
This duo have swept us all of our feet! With their charming pop music it’s hard to not smile when hearing them or seeing them live. Also recommended is the record label they are on and their site, for some great Swedish pop music!
(www.labrador.se/artists/suburban.php3)

The Legends
Another cute pop Swedish band on the Labrador label. Listen to songs on the Labrador site:
(www.labrador.se/artists/legends.php3)

The Concretes
These veterans have gained a big following outside of Sweden and praise in the press. Swoony, dreamy pop music. The drummer and journalist Lisa Milberg is together with her boyfriend, journalist Andres Lokko, one of the most influential people on the Stockholm scene when it comes to contacts, club nights and bands!
(www.theconcretes.com)

Skansen
Skansen is a big outdoors park, with a zoo part and a lot of Swedish history incorporated into it with buildings from different eras etc. So if you’re interested in getting to know Swedish history a bit better, and would like to see animals like bears and wolves, this might be worth a visit. Gorgeous view over Stockholm from there as well.
(www.skansen.se)

Links that might be helpful:

www.stockholm.se – The official site
www.alltomstochkolm.se – Site with events and calendar, everything from shoppig to night clubs.

Additional reviews by Johannes Schill of Hello! Surprise! and Ian Watson

Record Hunter photograph copyright Derek See of the peerless Derek's Daily 45 blog

If you'd like to recommend a club, bar, record shop, band or any indie delight for inclusion in the Indie Travel Guide, please email us. If we've included a link to your band/shop etc, it would be lovely if you could link back to us. Thank you!