Concert Review of Millencolin at the El Rey
By Jon Hughes
In the process of noticing all the high profile punk / rock reunions, it’s sometimes easy to forget who the true pioneers are. Blink-182 was fun, and No Doubt were killer, but to remain completely relevant you have to stay true to not only yourself, but your aging fan base. I’m not sure if I’ll be able to handle any more songs about heart break from Tom Delong or a reggae-themed tune from Gwen any time soon.
With that said, enter Millencolin, who played at the delightful El Rey Theatre to approximately 800 kids last Friday in Hollywood, CA. Kids would be an understatement, as most of the people who showed up have long grown up – much like myself! It doesn’t seem like it’s been this long, but the Swedish lads in Millencolin have been making punk music for the last 16 years. 16 YEARS! I was probably 14 when I first gave them a listen, and have passionately been following them ever since.
The night started on a positive note with one of my favorite tracks, Penguins & Polarbears from their 2002 release “Pennybridge Pioneers.” This managed to get everyone in a great mood, along with a few guys who decided to do what comes naturally at Punk shows: CROWD SURF.
Littered through the set of more than 20+ tracks was new material from their most recent recording, Machine 15, such as Detox, Brand New Game, Broken World and the albums title track Machine 15. Old favorites also included The Ballad, Black Eye, Battery Check, Bullion, and Mr. Clean. Any fan will tell you how important it is that these songs made it into the list, and if you’re like me and missed them in 2005 when they played at the Henry Fonda, you’ve been waiting a long time to finally hear The Ballad live.
Midway through the night, Erik Ohlsson (guitars, backing vocals) proclaimed that Los Angeles is their home away from home. Such a statement should not be taken lightly, as this band tours the world non-stop between writing and recording. The moral of this story? Don’t hesitate to catch Millencolin next time they come around, and if you want to save on import fees, pick up a shirt too.
