Motorpsycho News

Facebook

2010-11-02T17:59:00.000+01:00

After a three year hiatus MOTORPSYCHO NEWS will be continued on Facebook:

www.facebook.com/motorpsychonews

I feel it is about time to revive MOTORPSYCHO NEWS as the lack of up-to-date news about our favourite band is still quite evident and frustrating. This blog is dead, but Facebook lives! Obviously Motorpsycho News 2.0 will not be as profound as this blog because there is limit of 420 letters for status updates on FB (and my time is still very limited) but we -- YOU! -- can make up for that with improved interaction: Everyone can be a part of it!

I hope the resurrection of MOTORPSYCHO will prove fruitful for all of us! I am lookig forward to it! See you at a concert somehwere!

Peace!

Tourdates!

2008-04-05T10:47:00.000+02:00

"Little Lucid Moments" out 28.03.2008

18.04.2008 - (NOR) Steinkjer
19.04.2008 - (NOR) Trondheim, Rosendal
23.04.2008 - (NOR) Tromso, Driv
25.04.2008 - (NOR) Oslo, Rockefeller
26.04.2008 - (NOR) Stavanger, Folken
28.04.2008 - (NOR) Bergen, Røkeriet Verftet
29.04.2008 - (NOR) Kristiansand, Kick
17.05.2008 - (D) Berlin, Postbahnhof
18.05.2008 - (D) Köln, Live Music Hall
20.05.2008 - (D) München, Backstage
21.05.2008 - (CH) Lausanne, Le Romandie
22.05.2008 - (I) Firenze, Viper
23.05.2008 - (I) Roma, Alpheus
24.05.2008 - (I) Rimini, Velvet
25.05.2008 - (I) Milano, Alcatraz
27.05.2008 - (BE) Antwerp, Hof ter lo
28.05.2008 - (NL) Eindhoven, Effenar
29.05.2008 - (NL) Utrecht, Tivoli
30.05.2008 - (D) Bremen, Schlachthof
31.05.2008 - (D) Hamburg, Fabrik
01.06.2008 - (DK) Copenhagen, Lille Vega
19.-22.06.2008 - (USA) Terrastock Festival, Louisville, KY
19.07.2008 - (D) Burg Herzberg Festival, Fulda

Lydverket

2008-03-27T10:04:00.002+01:00

Marius Asp from NRK P3 writes:

The Norwegian music show Lydverket recently interviewed Motorpsycho – it will be aired tonight, but it can also be seen here, at The Lydverket Blog:

http://www.nrk.no/lydverket/motorpsycho-med-nytt-album/

Unfortunately, it is without subtitles, and in Norwegian. But the band discuss their taste in music and talk about how they clicked with new drummer Kenneth Kapstad through the Deep Purple track “Burn”, which was the first song they ever played together. There are also some excerpts from the upcoming album Little Lucid Moments. Feel free to link to the video!

The direct link to the 8 minute video is here. Thank you Roar! "Little Lucid Moments", Motorpsycho's new album, is due tomorrow!

Biella 1997

2008-02-18T13:30:00.000+01:00

Molde Jazz 20.07.2007 pictures

2007-10-10T09:33:00.000+02:00

Pictures from this year's Molde Jazz Festival on 20.07.2007 where the Kanon project feat. Bent, Snah, Øyvind and new Motorpsycho drummer Kenneth Kapstad played a highly adventurous and supertight set of fusion music. Thanks to Roar Johannessen!

Norwegian Ink

2007-08-30T01:59:00.000+02:00

A Motorpsycho curiosity. Thanks to Norwegian Ink!

Of eternal love...

2007-06-08T17:25:00.000+02:00

Sitting here on my desk in the most humid heat that has hit us this year so far typing letters and mails an E-mail hits my inbox. It read "Saw the news of the new drummer on Motorpsycho's website?".

Yes, I had read about Kenneth Kapstad's addition to Motorpsycho's line up this summer but I immidiately headed over the UnOff anyway only to surprisingly learn that the band has yet another European festival show scheduled. Then, checking the ever active forums for the first time in weeks I noticed an inquiry about the status of this very blog, MotorpsychoNews. Upon replying to that post I figured I might just as well share the reply with all of you:

Yes, indeed, an update is certainly long overdue and I do apologize to all returning readers. Quite frankly -- despite what I "promised" in my anniversay post -- I don't think I will be able to maintain MotorpsychoNews on the same level and with the same intensity and frequency I did in 2006.

Since September 2006 I am the manager of a Sixties Psychedelic Garage Rock band and my "job" includes the vast variety of tasks that is part of working with a band, like booking concerts, doing press and promotion work, handling the band's communication, creating a network of followers and supporters, maintaining MySpace, driving the bus, tourmanaging before the tour as well as on the road, album and artwork production, sharing all the chaos and little catastrophies but also moments of joy, hope and euphoria that charakterize a band's daily life and last but not least of course attending a great number of exciting concerts all over Germany and Europe which is the sweetest "salary" I can currently fancy because naturally I am also a hardcore-die-hard fan, that sort of species I had turned into at the age of 12 back when I first heard The Beatles and which has become my second nature! On top of that I also do the booking for two Danish bands now.

All of that leaves me with very little to almost no time for anything else. And since I am pursuing a part-time "career" in this field as well as being committed to lead "my" band down the golden road to well deserved cult fame I put my entire dedication, heart-blood, time as well as all personal and financial resources into the music and the band(s).

It certainly hurts me to not find the due and appropriate time to update MotorpsychoNews regularly. I didn't even find the time to have the decency to let you know about the current status of the blog yet, the way I do now.

However, as Motorpsycho's festival tour comes nearer I will update the blog accordingly with a summary of what has happened the past months and as the tour advances I will of course also compile a Motorpsycho Concert Chronology 2007, which has always been the focus of the content anyway (and my favourite baby!).

If you are interested in what I am up to you are of course dearly invited to check out "my" band: currently we have 24 concerts lined up all over Germany and Austria and we aim to play up to 60 shows this year -- the spring already saw us hitting the road and playing incredibly exciting and far out places like Barcelona for example -- so check out one of our Dance Concerts and meet me on the road somewhere:

The Magnificent Brotherhood
Psychedelic Garage 'n' Freakrock from Berlin
The band's MySpace

Of course I keep a Brotherhood Concert Chronology, which at the same time serves as a personal diary (no-one really reads that yet). If you know me (or the band) you will surely be able to read personal details between the lines here or there.

The other two bands from Copenhagen (DK) I am booking (in Germany) are Cherry Overdrive and Fuzz Manta -- check them out, they are great too!

I am glad this is out of the way folks! Life goes on and magic has happened to me -- my years with Motorpsycho and countless other bands on the road, on the net and on the stereo now pay well off as all loose ends seem to connect little by little. My gratitude goes out to Anders Danielsen aka The other Anders for doing the first step, to Kiryk Drewinski, lead guitarist and mastermind in the Brotherhood, for the greatest inspiration of them all and last but not least to Susann for believing since day one!

Also thanks to Paul Diersen for his E-mail which prompted this post. And of course thanks to all readers and people who wrote me for caring!

Love & Fuzz!
your Brother / Companion / Halloween Head
Äxl/Alex

Rockefeller 25.10.2006

2007-06-04T12:02:00.000+02:00

The third of three Motorpsycho shows at Rockefeller in 2006 is now up on Dime. Thanks to Gustav!

Today

2007-05-07T13:32:00.000+02:00

A lot has changed since 30.04.2007: below a picture of Susann & Alex as well as Bent Krabbe in Kreuzberg on 01.05.2006!

Pictures by Ingo & Jette! Thank you friends!

One year ago

2007-04-30T16:14:00.000+02:00

30.04.2006: Motorpsycho fans on the road for the band's spring tour 2006 between Copenhagen and Rostock. From left to right: Susann, Ingo, Jette, Alex, Anders & Aljona. Picture taken by Heidi.

More festivals confirmed

2007-04-20T15:52:00.000+02:00

Yesterday Motorpsycho have been confirmed to perform at Storåsfestivalen near Trondheim! The festival takes place 26.-28.07.2007. Adressa article here. In July the band will also play the Melt Festival in Germany as well as the Quart Festival in Norway.

Thank you Roar!

Motorpsycho to play German festival

2007-03-14T19:22:00.000+01:00

Those who took Motorpsycho's addition to the Quart Festival Line up as a possible indication that the band might head out on the road again were (sadly) proven wrong today: In a post to g35 Stickman Records stated that the band will not tour in the summer. However, Jeannette also revealed that a second festival performance this summer has been confirmed -- in Germany! Which festival cannot be announced yet. Motorpsycho has played quite a number of German festivals in the past including among others Rock am Ring, Bizarre and the Haldern Festival.

Live at Quart

2007-03-10T17:54:00.000+01:00

Big, big news that will need no comment at the moment: Motorpsycho have been confirmed to perform at the Quart Festival in Norway on 4th of July, 2007! The band will perform right before The Who!!!

Thanks to The Other Anders!

All the men in dresses

2007-03-04T18:46:00.000+01:00

Tonight will see the release-party of the new HGH album "All the men in dresses". If you are in Oslo I highly suggest to immideately head to the location of the party (see above flyer) and to celebrate! Geb's and Martin's new effort is somewhat of a continuation of their development towards pop-appeal as the new album will feature brass and choir as well as highly catchy melodies. However, it can also be seen as a departure from the Trash Grass way of doing things. It is also their first album that won't be released on Stickman Records. More about the album later, for now enjoy the party all you lucky Oslo residents!

Many thanks to Eirik Helleve for the flyer!

New-born Bent

2007-02-20T18:03:00.000+01:00

MotorpsychoNews happily welcomes little Bent to this world! The new-born son of my dear friends Jette Krabbe and Ingo Seufer was given birth this morning at 6:11! With 3390g and 52cm rather petite, Bent Krabbe seems to have adopted his parents noble and nordic temper: he spent the whole day sleeping, not making a whole lot of fuzz about being on the world. And before everyone asks: his name was not entirely chosen for the obvious reason but also for aesthetic considerations! Of course if it wouldn't have been for his famous namesake from Trondheim Jette and Ingo hadn't come up with a name as beautiful as this one! All the best to little Bent, it will be a great joy to see him grow up!

Rockland Norwegen

2007-01-12T11:22:00.000+01:00

If you live in Germany or if you happen to be able to receive the German TV station WDR tune in to a Rockpalast documentary about the "rock-country Norway" coming sunday night (15.01., 00:30 am)! The hour-long feature will throw some light on the Norwegian music scene in 2006 by visiting several Norwegian cities, as well as interviewing musicians, producers, labels & media. While Motorpsycho certainly weren't among the major new trends from Norway last year it should be interesting to see if the documentary & the interviewees give credit to the godfathers of alternative Norwegian rock music! Here is the full statement from the WDR newsletter:

Rockland Norwegen
14. auf 15.01.2007 (Sonntagnacht)
00:30-01:30
WDR Fernsehen

Ein Film von Elmas Sommer und Manuel Unger

In Norwegen leben kaum mehr als 4,5 Millionen Menschen, was in etwa der Einwohnerzahl Berlins entspricht. Dennoch kommt seit einem knappen Jahrzehnt eine stetig wachsende Zahl an international erfolgreichen Bands aus dem Nordland. Auf der Suche nach den Gründen für den konstanten Höhenflug der norwegischen Musikszene besucht das Rockpalast Team die Städte Bergen, Oslo und Tromsö, trifft Musiker, Produzenten, Labelchefs, Medienvertreter und viele andere Menschen, die ihr Land und seine Besonderheiten beschreiben. Entstanden ist eine 60-minütige Dokumentation, die eine Momentaufnahme der Musikszene Norwegens im Jahr 2006 zeigt und warum Bands wie Röyksopp, Turbonegro, Gluecifer, Kaizers Orchestra und viele andere bei uns genau so bekannt sind wie in ihrer Heimat.

Thanks to funki!

KissHerMind

2007-01-06T17:36:00.000+01:00

After a year of refusing to jump on the bandwagon I have now joined MySpace. I have always considered this very space here -- MotorpsychoNews -- my space which I always proudly countered to all the MySpace-enthusiasts. However, during the last six months, through the work with the The Magnificent Brotherhood of Eternal Love & The Happiness's Close Companions, the psychedelic Garage Rock Band band I manage, I have learned to appreciate the advantages of MySpace. Everyone's favourite network has become almost irreplaceable in the music business, particularly for small unsigned bands, having a MySpace account seems to be really essential. So, in order to merge my multiple ambitions & interests in the music business -- band manager, webmaster of MotorpschoNews, aspiring writer/critic & last but not least scientific researcher about Berlin's music industry -- I considered it best to give in to the trend & finally create a profile at MySpace of my own. If you are curious to learn something about the man behind MotorpsychoNews as well as my ambitions & intentions for this site you are most welcome to visit my profile & join me as a friend.

KissHerMind @ MySpace

Thank you! Peace!

Sail on!

2007-01-02T11:07:00.000+01:00

Happy New Year to Psychonauts near & afar!

Unlike the previous turn of the year, 2005/2006, when Motorpsycho fans had a double-album worth of new material as well as a tour to look forward to there are no Motorpsycho activities scheduled at the moment. And while it is way too early to write off 2007 as another inactive year for the band, it seems, however, as if Motorpsycho fans will have to get used to a more conventional work rhythm -- as opposed to the overwhelming release-frequency & ambitious work-ethos of the 1990s -- with at least a year off between each future album/tour-cycle.

Official statements by the band, their management or their label, Stickman Records, happen rarely & randomly. According to news on the Stickman Records homepage as well as their newsletter earlier in 2006, a comprehensive Motorpsycho double-DVD, expected to chronicle the band's videography as well as the cult-documentary "This is Motorpsycho" from 1994, is still being worked on, due for a future release -- perhaps finally in 2007?!

In September 2006 another post by Stickman stated that Bent & Snah are working on new material. Shortly afterwards the band debuted an amazing & epic new song called "Phoot's Phlower" during their fall tour of Norway in October 2006. However, after the concerts at Rockefeller Bent told a fan that they have "no plan" right now. He said he had written new material but not recorded yet.

Then, in early December 2006 various local & inside sources reveal that the band has indeed been recording in Trondheim, though we don't know if these sessions are intended for cutting new material for the follow-up to "Black hole/blank canvas". Either way, at this point it is safe to say that a spring 2007-release of new material accompanied by the traditional spring tour will not happen. For now Psychonauts will have to exercise patience for a sign of life from Motorpsycho -- but once we will see a concert-poster again featuring that so familiar drawing we will definitely know it was worth the wait...

Thanks to Wolfgang Schreinert for providing above picture of the poster announcing the Treviso 12.05.2006 concert!

Go to Luckywood!

2006-12-21T12:21:00.000+01:00

Last weekend: On tour in Brandenburg with The Magnificent Brotherhood of Eternal Love & the Happiness's Close Companions. Going up the country from Berlin down the Highway 101 to Luckenwalde, Teltow Fläming county. A small town, one mediaval church, one market place & one club for bands to play. 20.000 inhabitants, seemingly no people aged between 20 & 50 left in the city due to high unemployment rates & the general decline of the east german regions. Much to our surprise though 64 young alternativ people, the majority of them way under 18 years, show up for the concert. During the band's soundcheck & while we're hanging out in the Alhambra's backstage before & after the show the DJ's mix attracts my particular attention: appropriately interspersed with lots of classic 1960s material (Jefferson Airplane et al.) he employs lots of Motorpsycho tunes throughout the evening, including selections off of "Trust us", "Let them eat cake", "Phanerothyme", "It's a love cult" & "Black hole/blank canvas". Approaching the guy who runs the club & who booked us about that he smiles broadly & goes on to tell me that "Motorpsycho are incredibly IN here among the people!". Upon that information I leaned back impressed & satisfied & continued to groove along to "Go to California" -- I think this anecdote strikingly illustrates the phenomenon Motorpsycho & the longevity of their popularity among an independent & (left)alternative audience (in Germany).

Merry Christmas!

One year MotorpsychoNews

2006-12-15T10:41:00.000+01:00

MotorpsychoNews celebrates its first anniversary today! One year ago, in December 2005, Motorpsycho 's return from a three & a half year hiatus was imminent & my introductory post "Tour dates shaping up!" came just in time to kick off a great year 2006 for Motorpsycho fans. 174 posts later (which equals an average update frequency of every second day) I find myself rereading the introduction to this space which is still featured on the very top of this page & which I quickly & spontaneously scribbled down back then. It reads:

The aim of this blog is to accompany their [the band's] return with news, media coverage, show-reviews as well as personal reflections. This blog might very well turn into a source about all things Motorpsycho in the hope that the band will find its way back into a more regular work-groove.

I am happily astounded that MotorpsychoNews established itself as exactly that -- a source for all things Motorpsycho -- and the vast variety of topics MotorpsychoNews touched within the Motorpsycho universe still amazes me. I feel I have thoroughly accomplished the purpose articulated one year ago. That's why I will leave the original introduction untouched because it still holds up & of course I will try to work towards the same goal in MotorpsychoNews' second year too -- let's see what the band has in store for us in 2007! Maintaining this blog has been both a lot of work as well as great fun & inspiration.

Thank you to all readers who stuck with me, to all the people who contributed, commented, helped, reflected & supported, particularly to the UnOff, the people at the forum, at g35 & everybody I met & traveled with on tour, also thanks to The other Anders for continued inspiration & friendship & many translations as well as to Rolf Klausen for many guest-features & lots of translation help too! Last but not least my love & kisses go out to Susann for making life really worthwile & so much brighter & tender ever since we met in Rostock!

MotorpsychoNews will present a more comprehensive look back on the Motorpsycho year 2006 later on, for now you can browse back-issues in the INDEX or have a look at what has kind of become the heart of this site, the 2006 Concert Chronlogy spring, summer & fall!

If you feel like it please leave a comment or e-mail me for feedback!

Thank you!
Best!
Alex.

Very old friends

2006-12-13T15:12:00.000+01:00

Last spring, when Motorpsycho introduced one Øyvind Brandtsegg on vibraphone to their stage line-up for 21 out of 31 gigs in 2006 very little was known about his previous connection to the band. Inevitably his contribution to the studio version of "The Golden Core" -- one of Motorpsycho's most enduring signature tunes -- received the most attention among fans who were waiting for the tour. Furthermore an article stated that he hails from the same small town as Snah does (Steinkjer). When Bent & Snah supported Brandtsegg during an improvisational gig of his own project Kanon later in the year it became clear that he has to be regarded as an integral person in the Motorpsycho universe.

Bent, Snah & Øyvind on stage, Berlin (GER), 01.05.2006, by Jette Krabbe

Thanks to Rolf Klausen from Trondheim here is more evidence -- not new, but forgotten & obviously overlooked by most of us -- for the long-time friendship & musical relationship between Brandtsegg & Motorpsycho. Rolf found this interesting message from 1999 in the g35 archive:

[g35] Willy B lecture

* To: g35 List
* Subject: [g35] Willy B lecture
* From: "Vegard B. Havdal"
* Date: Sun, 5 Sep 1999 19:59:17 +0200 (CEST)

Hey.

I was at a 'lecture' (kåseri) thing with Willy B the rock critic and Motorpsycho collector (and I allow myself to say eccentric) in Bergen on saturday. He chatted about rock groups, why they do the things they do, and various stories. He also played obscure music, and the first thing he played was a cut with Bent, Snah and Øyvind Brandtsægg (jazz band Krøyt, vibraphone on Golden Core) from 1987 in a basement in Steinkjer. It was about a 4 minutes cut from a 25 minute jam, and what we got to hear was a passage containig that heavy, descending riff from Un Chien, right before the quiet part. So that bit is old.

I was lucky enough to talk to him afterwards, and he said he thought he couldn't talk too much about Motorpsycho, even though he wanted to. I don't think he's much of a net user, unfortunately, he really ought to be around here.

Vegard

Bent, Snah & Øyvind rehearsing early ideas for "Un chien d'espace" back in 1987?! Oh boy, they were 18 back then -- what an utterly intriguing notion of the three teenage boys spacing out in a shabby basement already foreshadowing the genius of Motorpsycho!

Øyvind refines "Un chien d'espace", Berlin (GER), 01.05.2006, by Jette Krabbe

Interestingly enough Willy B., the rock music critic who held the lecture & played that excerpt, did perform with the band earlier this year under the name The Insect Machine (compare the Concert Chronology Part III) so things came to a full circle in 2006. Also a while ago it was announced that this very Willy B. was about to write an official Motorpsycho book (compare here & here) & Rolf poses one very relevant question in his e-mail to me: what has happened to that biography?! Quite obviously, keeping the above anecdote in mind, he would be able to tell us a lot of interesting things! Let's hope something will materialize one day...

Many thanks for Vegard for his initial post to g35! And of course to Rolf for leading our attention towards it.

Hagfors Gebhardt Hello!

2006-12-09T22:27:00.000+01:00

HGH played a sweet concert at Copenhagen's Studenterhuset yesterday afternoon before supporting Kaizers Orchestra at Vega in the evening. Some impressions from the day below, pictures taken by The Other Anders. The third picture shows Rune (foreground), Susann & yours truly in the middle, plus two German Kaizers fans in the background.

Anti-pedagogics

2006-12-06T15:24:00.000+01:00

Tomorrow (thursday), HGH & Kaizers Orchestra will play the first show of an almost sold out three-night stand (Dec. 07-09) at Copenhagen's Vega that will wrap up Kaizers Orchestra's "Grand finale"-tour. As previously reported by MotorpsychoNews the two bands have toured continental Europe together during the past three weeks, a highly prestigious support slot for HGH who were introduced to large audiences during the 16 shows.

"Me & my buddy" on a mission: HGH -- Håkon Gebhardt & Martin Hagfors.

However, the brief foray to large concert stages with Kaizers Orchestra is just one facet of the two Trash Grass musicians' mission to spread their message of "love, tolerance & movement" to the world. In addition to relentless touring in support of their four long play albums on Stickman Records between 2000 & 2004 the duo has undertaken an interesting experiment prior to the tour with Kaizers Orchestra: they played to young children in elementary schools in the Trøndelag area (around Trondheim) of Norway. An article in this magazine has more information:

-HGH is doing a tour on elementary schools, performing a show called "Me & my buddy". Very playful and funny. Even 12 year old boys with "stone face" and girls who roll their eyes eventually start smiling, Martin Hagfors says. He adds: "After one show, a father told me that his son had gone straight home and made himself a guitar out of one plank and a string".

-Some of HGH's philosophy when performing for kids is that you don't have to be "good" to succeed. They call it anti-pedagogics. Both Martin Hagfors & Håkon Gebhardt got thrown out of a choir when they were kids because they sang too loud.

"We call it trash music, because it's not good unless it's bad. Having a hard time can make you strong, and dissonance can be beautiful. That's why we also play on instruments we don't really know how to play, to show that it's possible anyway. For example, I can't play the bass or piano, but i do it anyway," says Martin.

-In the show Martin & Geb are two buddies who live on a small farm in the mountains. Here they experience among other things that their cat is abducted by a UFO. This creates lots of noise and loud sorrow. Children can relate to that sorrow, many have experienced losing a pet.

"To us, the important thing was to create a show where we touch upon subjects like 'right', 'wrong', 'fair', 'unfair', etc. And also, in the show there is some jealousy kids can relate to. My character has a girlfriend on the moon, but my buddy never sees her and doesn't believe me. But he has a real girlfriend and that makes for jealousy", says Martin. They also talk about kissing, in the song "Wet your lips".

-They've used their normal songs, but created stories to wrap around them and make them fit in a show for children.

-The response has been very good, yes, and they now started using many of the stories in their regular shows.

HGH will return to Norwegian school stages after the completion of the Kaizers Orchestra tour the arcticle states. If you want to expose yourself to some anti-pedagogics you should not miss the afternoon HGH show on Friday, December 8th (3:30 pm), at Copenhagen's Studenterhuset where the band will play a special headlining free-entry promotion show in addition to the their three performances with Kaizers Orchestra at Vega. The afternoon concert -- check out the flyer next to this paragraph -- has been arranged by Adandenco, better known to the Motorpsycho community as The Other Anders. MotorpsychoNews will travel to Copenhagen tomorrow -- we are looking forward to many smile-provoking moments with the soulful music & witty humour of Martin & Geb in Copenhagen!

Thousand thanks to Holger Mannes for his engagment for HGH! Holger provided the article. Also thanks to Trondheim's Rolf Klausen for the translation!

Sideproject activities assembled in the In the family section!

More from the HGH/Kaizers-tour...

2006-12-04T12:19:00.000+01:00

Reports & reviews from the ongoing HGH/Kaizers Orchestra tour have been few & far between. But here is a review from Vienna, 25.11.2006. It mentions the HGH performance:

A capacity crowd at WUK danced through the entire night. Already the two-man support-band HGH knew how to win the audience over. Solely on toy & children’s instruments they presented their music style called “Trashgrass”, which sounds like Toy Dolls on Bluegrass & which convinced the Vienna audience not only because of their version of “Star spangled banner” performed on nose-flutes.

Here are three pictures from that Vienna show, taken by Anne-Kathrin Hartmann & originally posted on this blog.

Apart from the review-snippet above it's hard to tell how HGH were perceived by the Kaizers fans or by the press. I guess a certain over-saturation with Kaizers Orchestra -- this is the third leg of a long tour, which began in 2005 -- is responsible for the lack of reviews in the press. If you saw one of the shows the two Norwegian bands have played together so far & want to contribute some impressions e-mail me please! Comments Rune, Motorpsycho fan from Holland:

Listening to the CDs of HGH is one thing. Seeing them live is something else. I am questioning Geb's judgement, leaving MP to deal with projects like these...Kaizers rocked the joint, though! Great gig!

Some more HGH pictures can be found on a German Kaizers-fansite: a shot from Köln, nose-flutes in Bochum, the duo München, Zurich #1 & #2, Berlin #1 & #2 & one more from Hamburg.

An extra show has apparently been added to the tour in Århus, Denmark tomorrow, December 5th, compare this site.

In the family

I consider HGH news significant news for any interested Motorpsycho fan, that's why you can find coverage of their tour here at MotorpsychoNews. In honour of the deceased IN THE FAMILY-site -- greatly missed by many of us -- I will create an extra post which I will link in the sidebar for quick side-project navigation (still under construction though): check it out!

Trash Grass på Kontinentet!

2006-12-01T10:52:00.000+01:00

Geb live on stage with HGH at Rote Fabrik, Zürich (CH), last sunday (26.11.2006). HGH are currently on tour with Kaizers Orchestra. More pictures below (click to enlarge), all of them courtesy of Eat the Music.

More random stuff from the fall tour

2006-11-28T15:08:00.000+01:00

Some more visual stuff from the band's fall tour available: check out the pretty cool video footage of "Psychonaut" (complete with "Blueberry daydream") from the first night at Rockefeller (24.10.2006) on YouTube -- part one of the song here & continued in part two here! Great projections there! Thanks to Pekka Stokke!

Furthermore some interesting pictures from the second night in Trondheim (22.10.2006) can be found here, taken by Marius, a Trondheim based amateur photographer who keeps a blog here. Thanks to Vegard! This is my favourite pic of the bunch:

Read all about the band's fall tour last month here! But your help is still needed! Thank you!

HGH/Kaizers Orchestra tour now underway

2006-11-22T13:47:00.000+01:00

The last part of the Kaizers Orchestra tour in support of their last studio album "Maestro" during which they will be supported by HGH is underway since yesterday when the two bands played the first European date in Köln! As previously reported HGH will support Kaizers Orchestra during all concerts of the "Grand finale"-tour outside of Norway, an enormeous exposure for the cult Trash-Grass band which consist of Håkon "Geb" Gebhardt formerly the drummer of Motorpsycho & the American-Norwegian singer, songwriter & bandleader Martin Hagfors. Due to a massive demand two additional shows in Copenhagen have been added to the original tour-dates: the "Grande finale" will now be a three-night stand at Copenhagens Vega, December 7, 8 & 9! HGH are also scheduled to appear in an afternoon gig of their own at Copenhagen's Studenterhuset, December 8 (details to follow!)! While Kaizer's Orchestra are expected to go on a break after the tour's end, HGH are expected to release a new album next year & to go on an extensive European tour.

The "Grand finale" tour calls at:

21.11.2006 Cologne, Germany Live Music Hall
22.11.2006 Bochum, Germany Zeche
23.11.2006 Nuremberg, Germany Hirsch
24.11.2006 Munich, Germany Backstage
25.11.2006 Wien, Austria Wuk
26.11.2006 Zürich, Switzerland Rote Fabrik
28.11.2006 Berlin. Germany Postbanhof
29.11.2006 Hamburg, Germany Uebel & Gefaerlich
30.11.2006 Gent, Belgia Handelsbeurs
01.12.2006 Groningen, Holland Oosterpoort
02.12.2006 Amsterdam, Holland Melkweg
03.12.2006 Utrecht, Holland Tivoli
06.12.2006 Århus, Danmark Train
07.12.2006 Copenhagen, Danmark Vega
08.12.2006 Copenhagen, Studenterhuset (afternoon) -- HGH only
08.12.2006 Copenhagen, Danmark Vega
09.12.2006 Copenhagen, Danmark Vega

MotorpsychoNews does not aim to offer a coverage of the HGH/Kaizers tour as detailed as about Motorpsycho's 2006 tours but expect some random press reviews & notes if something will become available/published.

As always your input is appreciated: Many Psychonauts will go & see the shows if only to show their support & love for Geb -- I will travel to the second Vega show myself. If you will attend a show & feel like sharing what it is like to see HGH at a big venue supporting Kaizers Orchestra, or if you know of a review in your local press, then please e-mail me!

Btw, I have two tickets to the long sold out first show at Vega, Copenhagen, December 7, 2006 for sale because I will now attend the second night -- if you are interested in purchasing them just drop me a line! Thank you!

Kaizers Orchestra live @ Popkomm Showcase, Berlin, Germany, Kesselhaus, 21.09.2006, picture courtesy of Save Me Kaizer -- can you spot someone familiar? ;-)

Student of your history

2006-11-18T17:06:00.000+01:00

The Concert Chronology Part III (fall) has been overhauled & finalized with a lot of final updates: I have supplemented the existing comments to Trondheim I & II & Rockefeller I with really extensive & insightful notes by Jonne Kramer. Thank you so much Jonne for taking the time to sit down & review your personal tour, greatly appreciated, the best! I have also added a lot of performance notes as well as some song-timings for both Trondheim shows, Rockefeller II & Bergen II based on the available audience recordings. Some minor corrections here or there have been made to most entries, thanks to, among many others, The other Anders, Rolf Klausen, Akane, Laika, Tore, Ove, Gustav & everyone at the Forum & G35! Last but not least two more setlist scans are now available (also added to the CC), thanks a lot to Akane:

Trondheim 21.10.2006:

Stavanger 27.10.2006:

I will soon join all three parts (spring, summer & fall) of the Concert Chronology 2006 in order to create just one 2006-file. That doesn't mean though I will stop accepting contributions -- the Concert Chronology is an ongoing project & I would like to urge anyone to submit whatever he or she remembers of the show(s) he or she attended! Every detail, as small as it might seem, is worth being considered, put together they all tell the incredible story of Motorpsycho in concert! The 2006 Concert Chronology has been my favourite pet & I intend to expand my work to previous (and hopefully future) years too, hopefully with as much detail & rich documentation as for 2006. Quite obviously I do depend on your memories, contributions & submissions regarding this matter. Please show your devotion to the band & their art as performing artists & write me something about the Motorpsycho shows you attended in the past, as great or small the number might be, every contribution from you will be gladly accepted & enormously appreciated! More about that later, for now drop me a line here! Also thank you to the people who have already contributed with comments & setlist-scans!

Motorpsychodelic thanks & regards,
yours passionately!

Angry young men?!

2006-11-09T22:09:00.000+01:00

Germany's renowned major free magazine for Independent Music INTRO celebrates its 15th anniversary these days. To commemorate the anniversary Intro makes historic back-issues & articles available, e.g. issue #1 is available as pdf-download here -- the contrast to today's high-gloss magazine couldn't be more apparent. Intro has always been very Motorpsycho-friendly, in fact it's one of the few print-mags who recognises the genius of our favourite band. Recent articles included a detailed report about multiple shows of the spring tour 2006 written by devoted Psychonaut Thorsten Schmidt.

Among the featured historic arcticles is a cover story from January 1995 about the now epochal release of "Timothy's monster", back then quite a puzzling move for many fans & consumers but certainly the beginning of establishing Motorpsycho as the unpredictable & ever-changing cult-act who masterfully delivers in every musical facet there could be! While the article & interview have been well available in the UnOffs excellent media archive -- check it out! a treasure trove for information about the band -- the cover-shot hasn't been available. Intro has put it online now: Motorpsycho 1994, the five-piece band (is that really Deathprod in the background?)!

Thanks to Steven Adam for the heads-up & link to the article, the cover picture rocks!

Roadworks 98

2006-11-07T13:41:00.000+01:00

Last friday I went to see a photo retrospective of influential fashion photographer Martin Munkácsi together with my dearest upon her suggestion. While we were browsing the art- & bookshop afterwards I was somehow drawn to the postcard pictured above, picked it up & flipped it around only to see this shot by Wolfgang Tillmans (1998) is called "roadworks 98"! Couldn't help but buying it & sticking it to the wall above my desk.

Incidentally I was clearing my harddisc today & found an interesting TV-feature about the release of "Roadworks I" which has been provided to me by Ola A. Eggen from Trondheim quite some time ago! Thank you very much Ola! The ~8 minute long special features a full band interview as well as excerpts of "Vortex surfer", "California dreaming" & "The witch", recorded at Rockefeller, April 10, 1999! Now here for you to watch on YouTube:

For more "roadworks 98"-era stuff you can also download the "1998 compilation" from Dime! This 5-CD set has been carefully compiled from a variety of fan-made audience recordings, as well as some high-quality radio & TV-sources in order to assemble every recorded & available song performed in 1998. There is no duplication to material released on "Roadworks I" but sure enough the compilation includes more highlights from the shows from which the record was compiled, namely epic & mindblowing versions of "Mad sun", "Superstooge -> Funk '99", "Flick of the wrist" & "Heartattack Mac" from Utrecht as well as a hard-driven & fully articulated "Waiting for the man"-jam from Berlin! More highlights include a definite version of "S.T.G." from Copenhagen, the first ever "K9" with a noise-jam from Bergen & a five-song-excerpt of the secret acoustic gig in Köln to name but a few! This download is well worth the patience & time.

In the light of this great compilation, which provides just a little peak of what might be in the band's vault, as well as the most recent playful & successful tour it is impossible to comprehend why the band hasn't released more "Roadworks", particularly since "Roadworks I" remains their only proper live-album to date. But oh boy, don't get me started! I will be forever dreaming of "roadworks 90, 91, 92, 93, 94, 95, 96, 97, 99, 00, 01, 02, 03, 04, 06..."

Rockefeller II setlist-scan

2006-10-31T15:06:00.000+01:00

This is a setlist-scan of the second Rockefeller show, 25.10.2006. Avid readers of this blog will know that I am a sucker for Motorpsycho setlists particularly the little details contained on the individual lists. Sure enough this one is no exception: they employ their cutest German for "Neverland" & "The one who went away": "Niemandsland" & "Der einer die dahmals veg gegehen ist!". Also note the spelling of the new song "Phoot's phlower" or is this supposed to be the correct title?! Thank you very much to Oliver for the scan! Please keep them contribations coming, some of you have already written me truely in-depth notes to the most recent shows which will be used in a final overhaul of the 2006 Concert Chronology Part III (fall). If you got something to add to the spring, summer & fall shows please e-mail me & share it with us all! Thank you! Best!

More Bergen

2006-10-30T22:00:00.000+01:00

Last night's tour closing show in Bergen is up on Dime, not even 24 hours after its completion! Thanks so much to Frostbrent for the great effort! And while you're impatioently waiting for the download to finish you can now read some extensive notes about the concert in the 2006 Concert Chronology!

Bergen pictures

2006-10-30T16:45:00.000+01:00

Some pictures from the tour-closing two-night stand at Bergen's Kvarteret. These are from the first night. Taken by Line Johanessen. Thank you for the beautiful shots! Also, corrected Bergen II setlist plus some notes in the CC -- they wrapped up the tour with style!

Bergen II setlist

2006-10-30T09:40:00.000+01:00

29.10.2006 -- Kvarteret, Bergen, Norway

Attendance: ?
Set: Un Chien D'Espace, The Other Other Fool, No Evil, Kill Devil Hills -> Devil Dog, Manmower, Insert Song Title Here, Psychonaut -> Blueberry Daydream -> Psychonaut -> High Time -> Starmelt/Lovelight, Wearing Yr Smell, [...], Hyena, You Lied
Encore 1: All Is Loneliness
Encore 2: Flick Of The Wrist

Notes: Setlist incomplete & possibly out of order, a song is missing between "Wearing yr smell" & "Hyena". "All is loneliness" makes for a perfect encore, lasting 15 minutes. They omit the guitar-riff instead there is just a bassline.

Misc: discuss

Added to the 2006 Concert Chronology Part III (fall).

Thanks a lot to Laika for the setlist! If you got a correct/complete setlist & can add some notes e-mail me!

Bergen I setlist

2006-10-29T12:55:00.000+01:00

28.10.2006 -- Kvarteret, Bergen, Norway [135 min]
Attendance: ?
Set: Heaven & Hell, Wearing Yr Smell, High Time, Starmelt/Lovelight, Triggerman -> Manmower, Sinful, Wind-borne, Kill Devil Hills, Psychonaut -> Blueberry Daydream -> Psychonaut, Sail On, All Is Loneliness, Before the Flood, In the Family, Flick Of The Wrist
Encore 1: No Evil, Hyena, You Lied, Loaded
Encore 2: Neverland, The One Who Went Away

Notes: Setlist might be slightly incomplete & out of order. This show combines an intimate venue with excellent sound & a very attentive, polite but animated audience, making this a great concert experience. The room is very hot, which seemingly increases the energy-level on- & off-stage. "Heaven & hell" has not appeared on a setlist since 13.11.1997 in Nijmegen, Holland, a great rarity to give this kick ass show a knock-out 1,2,3,4 full-attack mode start-off! Also "All is loneliness" makes its 2006 debut! The band is in great shape, smiling, laughing, kicking around on stage. As in previous shows of this small tour Jacco proves that he can pull it off: he playes "more" altogether, e.g. uses a lot more cymbals than in spring. Tonight they play one of the most intense "Manmower"s, the song has grown a lot during the tour until tonight. The moment after the long jam when Snah continues playing the guitar and Jacco and picks up the real drumsticks, is intense: one moment of silence & the coda explodes! The jam inside "Psychonaut" features some unrecognised lyrics. The longest "Flick of the wrist" of the tour continues the great vibe as set-closer: it keeps going, up, down, getting more intense for each wave until it explodes into something fantastic.

Misc.: discuss

Thanks a lot for Captain Aubrey for a extensive notes & shakti for the setlist approximation! Bergen I has been added to the 2006 Concert Chronology, the second to last show of this year -- Motorpsycho will play their last show of this tour & quite possibly of the year in Bergen tonight!

Stavanger setlist

2006-10-28T23:03:00.000+02:00

27.10.2006 -- Folken, Stavanger, Norway [127 min]
Attendance: 600
Set: The Other Other Fool, No Evil, Coalmine Pony, Sinful Windborne, Kill Devil Hills -> Devil Dog, Before The Flood, Manmower, Flick Of The Wrist, Insert Song Title Here, Wearing Yr Smell, Psychonaut -> Blueberry Daydream -> Psychonaut -> High Time -> Starmelt/Lovelight -> Neverland
Encore 1: Hyena, You Lied, Loaded
Encore 2: The One Who went Away

Notes: Not sold out. Quite a few talking people in tonight's crowd not paying attention during the first hour of the show. Bent experiences problems with his bass during "Sinful wind-borne" & "Kill devil hills" throwing it to the ground during the latter, looking quite angry, but soon a smile is back on his face. "Flick of the wrist" is really long and jammy. A great rock n' roll show with a few quiet moments ("Flood", "Manmower", jam-parts in "Flick"). Highlights include "Manmower", "Flick", "Wearing yr smell", "Psychonaut -> Blueberry daydream" & "Loaded". "Hogwash" was on the written setlist, but is being substituted with "Loaded". "The one who went away" was not on the written setlist.

Misc: discuss

Thank you very much & best regards to Øystein! The set has been added to the 2006 CC! The band is on stage in Bergen right now!

Trondheim recordings

2006-10-27T21:55:00.000+02:00

Both Trondheim shows of the current tour are now up on Dime!!!

Rockefeller II notes

2006-10-26T14:25:00.000+02:00

More on Rockefeller II: The new song's working title is "Foot flower"! Read lenghty notes, the majority of them provided by Gustav Vaaje-Kolstad via g35, in the 2006 Concert Chronology! Thank you very much Gustav for providing us with your mini-review so soon after the show! Best! A well deserverd off day today before the seemingly rejuvaneted & heaviest Motorpsycho in years will perform Stavanger tomorrow!

Rockefeller II setlist

2006-10-26T00:23:00.000+02:00

25.10.2006 -- Rockefeller Music Hall, Oslo, Norway [132 min]
Attendance: 1300
Set: Un Chien D'Espace, Flick Of The Wrist, Kill Devil Hills, Manmower, New Song #2, Before The Flood, Triggerman -> Devil Dog, Psychonaut -> Hawkwind Cover -> Blueberry Daydream -> Psychonaut
Encore 1: Wearing Yr Smell, Starmelt/Lovelight, Neverland, Hyena, You Lied, Loaded
Encore 2: The One Who Went Away

Notes: Tonight: Jamspacemotorfloydhawkwind! The second new song debuts tonight, a really epic tune! The songs are back to normal tempo.

Misc.: discuss

Thanks to The other Anders via SMS!

Also check out really lenghty notes, an Oslopuls review & yet more corrections to the Rockefeller I setlist in the Concert Chronology!

Corrected Rockefeller I setlist

2006-10-25T06:43:00.000+02:00

Corrected, supplemented setlist & more notes to last night's Rockefeller show in the Concert Chronology! Looking for even more corrections, particularly regarding the encore seperation & of course more notes & observations from this amazing night, please e-mail me if you got something to share! Second Rockefeller show to take place tonight!

Rockefeller I setlist

2006-10-25T00:25:00.000+02:00

24.10.2006 -- Rockefeller Music Hall, Oslo, Norway [137 min]

Attendance: 1300 (sold out)
Set: The Other Other Fool, New Song, Manmower, In The Family, Flick Of The Wrist, She's A Lover, High Time -> Starmelt/Lovelight, Sinful Wind-Borne, Sail On, Psychonaut -> Blueberry Daydream -> Psychonaut, Neverland, No Evil, Hyena -> You Lied,
Encore: Hogwash, Change My Life, The One Wo Went Away

Notes: Set/encore seperation unconfirmed. "In the family" tour premiere. "Change my life": new song or cover -- tbc!? Total tractor trio rock, insanely loud!

Misc: discuss

Many thanks to The other Anders, via SMS! Wish I could have been there with you!

As soon as more notes will be available the set will be added to the Concert Chronology. Your notes in the CC: e-mail me! Thanks!

Little drummer boy

2006-10-24T00:49:00.000+02:00

Yesterday two video-excerpts of The Insect Machine gig earlier this month (compare the Concert Chronology) have been made available on YouTube, thanks to Jacob Solberg who has filmed the event! Apart from the very interesting glimpse into a rare Motorpsycho side- & sparetimeproject the footage also offers interesting insights into Bent's abilities as a drummer. As most Motorpsycho fans will be aware of Bent knows very well how to drum, he has previously contributed studio-drumming to selected tunes on 2000's "Let them eat cake" (liner notes). Apart from "You lose" he also does the complete drum-tracks on the band's latest effort "Black hole/blank canvas" (2006) -- the first album without Geb in 14 years -- which has received great attention among fans & has spawned some varied opinions. Unfortunately the sound featured in the footage is fairly poor but the music's early 1970s blues-rock character is evident, with some raw vibes & a juicy & rich organ.

Find the two Insect Machine songs -- "I believe" by Ray Charles & "Whisky & Rock n' Roll" (title tbc) -- below. Speaking of Bent's drumming, I'd like to supplement the Insect Machine videos with a hilarious clip of the old Motorpsycho doing some fake playback on Norwegian TV (NRK1) for "You lied (Walking on the water)" back in 1997. See how Bent, Geb & Snah switch roles -- comedy at its best!

Thanks again to Jacob Solberg for sharing the Insect Machine material & for Ola fom Trondheim for the "You lied"-clip!

Motorpsycho are to play the first of two concerts at the Rockefeller tonight!

Waiting for the one

2006-10-23T19:20:00.000+02:00

From "News From The Stickman Ranch #14, 23.10.2006":

That’s pretty much it for now. But before you start bombarding me with mails: yes, the Motorpsycho DVD is still being worked on and no, I still can ’t tell you exactly when it will be released. It’s been a monster of a project which keeps growing. (It will, in fact, be a double DVD).

I am starting to believe they, the band, are deliberately fueling our hopes in oder establish this as some kind of running gag and/or myth. The project will probably forever be referred to as "The DVD" among fans & it will probably gain a disc with each Christmas-season. ;-)

Blæst II setlist

2006-10-23T16:05:00.000+02:00

22.10.2006 -- Blæst, Trondheim, Norway [140 min]

Attendance: ~250
Set: Psychonaut -> Jam -> Blueberry Daydream -> Psychonaut, Insert Song Title Here (new song), Kill Devil Hills -> Devil Dog, Before The Flood, Wearing Yr Smell, High Time -> Starmelt/Lovelight, Triggerman -> Manmower, No Evil, Hyena -> You Lied, Hogwash
Encore: Un Chien D'Espace (w/ Øyvind Brandtsegg)

Notes: A perfect gig blowing everyone away. An amazing crystal-clear sound & a very attentive audience (says Bent: "Is it respect or boredom?") are just the icing on the cake, the band's performance is top notch! "Psychonaut" includes (parts of) "Blueberry daydream" again. "Hogwash" is very long & noisy, bursting with bass-riffs. Øyvind joins the band for the encore-selection "Un chien d'espace"! This version clocks in 34 minutes & encompasses every improvisational mode from quiet to very noisy & hard driven passages. Fantastic playing & great interaction in the band. The build-up is fantastic. During the quiet parts everyone in the room held their breaths, not a sound, except the band playing. Then, during Øyvind's solo, Bent, Snah & Jacco just stopped playing and stood there with their eyes closed, the audience dead-qiet, a mesmerizing moment! "The wheel" was on the written setlist (after "Hogwash") but wasn't played.

Misc.: discuss, festival poster

Thanks again to Rolf & everyone who commented in the forum.

This setlist too has been added to the 2006 Concert Chronology Part III. Contributions are wanted & will be gladly appreciated!

Today is an off-day before the tour will resume tomorrow with a two-night stand at Oslo's Rockefeller Music Hall!

Blæst I setlist -- corrected

2006-10-23T15:26:00.000+02:00

Corrected & supplemented setlist plus more notes for the first of the two amazing Trondheim shows (21.10.2006) added to the 2006 Concert Chronology Part III! Thanks to Jonne, Rolf, Tormod & Tore! Second Trondheim setlist to follow soon, be prepared for another bla(e)st!

Blæst I setlist

2006-10-22T09:32:00.000+02:00

21.10.2006 -- Blæst, Trondheim, Norway [122 min]

Attendance: ~250
Set: [incomplete & out of order] The Other Other Fool, No Evil, Devil Dog, Hyena, Sail on, Wearing Yr Smell, Kill Devil Hills, High Time, Sinful Windborne, Starmelt/Lovelight, Flick Of The Wrist, You Lied, Neverland, Summertime Blues, The One Who Went Away, New Song

Notes: The first of two shows in Trondheim as part of the Tjuvstart festival. Sold out. Another night without longer jams. Snah is on fire & fun to to watch.

Misc.: discuss

Some pictures:

Thanks to Fantestrik for the setlist-approximation & Knut Skogstad for the pictures! Best!

Blæst I has been added to the Concert Chronology! If you are not busy touring & saw one or two or all of the first three shows please e-mail me some notes! Motorpsycho will perform the second Blæst show tonight!

Bodø setlist

2006-10-22T00:25:00.000+02:00

20.10.2006 -- Sinus, Bodø, Norway
Set: The Other Other Fool, No Evil, High Time, Starmelt/lovelight, Triggerman -> Manmover, Flick of the Wrist, Devildog, Insert song title here (new song), Sinful, Wind-borne, Kill Devil Hills, Psychonaut, Blueberry Daydream, Hyena -> You Lied, Loaded, Wearing Yr Smell, Neverland, The One Who Went Away

Notes: The correct setlist, running order & set/encore seperation remain unconfirmed. "Blueberry daydream" might have been ommitted although it was on the written setlist while the last three numbers were not on the the setlist. The mega-rare hit "Wearing yr smell" returns (perhaps to celebrate the reissue of the CD-version of the EP the day before?) -- after three performances in 2004, this is the fourth performance in 9 years, since it was last performed in Biella 23.05.1997! All in all the setlist resembles very much the previous night's selections. The venue is very packed but the sound sucks.

Misc.: discuss

Thanks to Thomas & Motorpussy for the setlist & everyone else in the thread for notes & comments. More comprehensive & cohesive information will be greatly appreciated -- please e-mail me for comments/corrections/confirmations etc.! Thank you! This setlist has been added to the 2006 Concert Chronology Part III (fall).

Awaiting the Trondheim setlist right now because Motorpsycho are playing the first of two hometown shows this very moment, compare the tour dates!

Tromsø setlist

2006-10-20T20:47:00.000+02:00

19.10.2006 -- Driv, Tromsø, Norway [115 min]
Set: The Other Other Fool, High Time -> Starmelt/lovelight, Triggerman -> Manmower, Kill Devil Hills -> Devil Dog, New, Insert Songtitle, Flick Of The Wrist, She's A Lover, No Evil, Hyena -> You Lied, Sinful-Windborne, Neverland, Psychonaut, Summertime Blues, The One Who Went Away

Notes: The first show of the Norway-exclusive fall tour 2006. The band appears as a trio: with Jacco van Rooij on drums but sans Øyvind Brandtsegg. The setlist might be slightly out of order. "Summertime blues" & "The one" were not on the setlist, their placement is uncertain, set & encore seperation remain unclear as well. The band introduces a good number of not-played-in-a-long-while tunes: most notably "The other other fool", which was last performed in summer 2000, but also "High time", "Flick of the wrist", "Sinful wind-borne" & "Psychonaut", all of which were performed the last time during the band's real last major tour during fall 2002. "Insert song title" is a new song, most likely the same song that was debuted at the For Noise Festival, August 2006. "She is a lover" is a another new song, perhaps a cover (Pretty Things?). The trio plays hard & loud. Jacco is now much more part of the band. He also does back-up vocals & he receives less cues from Bent.

Misc.: discuss

Thanks so much to Trulsolsen for the cool documentation (both pics) & Mats for extended notes!

The setlist has been added to the 2006 Concert Chronology Part III (fall). Motorpsycho play Bodø tonight!

Live! Tonight! Motorpsycho!

2006-10-19T15:05:00.000+02:00

Tonight Motorpsycho will take Norway's roads for a 9-show-run that will visit Tromsø, Bodø, Trondheim, Oslo, Stavanger & Bergen. See the tour dates here. No dates outside of Norway are currently scheduled.

As always MotorpsychoNews aims to cover the tour in the most comprehensive manner. This can only be done with your help! All contributions will be gladly appreciated: setlists, performance- & show- comments, personal reviews, press pre- & reviews, pictures, recordings, videos, setlist- & ticket-scans, just anything, you name it! Have a look at MotorpsychoNews' previous tour-coverage in the 2006 Concert Chronology Part I & Part II to see what can be of interest. Ready to contribute? Then e-mail me! Thank you, thank you, thank you so much!

In other news, the long deleted CD-versions of the "Wearing yr smell"-, "The nerve tattoo"- & "Manmower"-EPs are available again! According to a post on Stickman Records the CD-reissues are available as of today via the mailorder. This will delight collectors & completists as they won't have to pay steep Ebay prices anymore! Thanks & cheers to Hamburg's Holger Mannes for these news .

But now, here's to some wonderful concerts, juicy setlists, stunning surprises & great vibes at the shows! Enjoy!

The Insect Machine

2006-10-09T15:10:00.000+02:00

Thanks to the folks at the forum setlist, line up & notes to The Insect Machine gig at Oslo's Blå last saturday 07.10.2006 have been added to the 2006 Concert Chronology Part III (fall)! If you got supplementary or more comprehensive information regarding this gig please e-mail me! Also looking for all kind of artefacts, namely pictures, recordings, setlist-scans, lyric sheet-scans etc.

Motorpsycho will embark on a 9-date tour of Norway from October 19 on, see the intinerary here.

More gigs

2006-10-07T21:14:00.000+02:00

Welcome the fall, welcome the gigs! October turns out to be a busy month for Motorpsycho: The band will hit the road later this month with a string of exclusive Norwegian dates, among them three two-night-stands. The opening date is now confirmed to take place October 19 in Tromsø at Driv. The tour will then hit Bodø, Trondheim (2x), Oslo (2x), Stavanger & Bergen (2x). Many shows are already sold-out. For more information see the tour-schedule!

Slightly less than two weeks left until the tour-start but Bent & Snah will appear live in person on stage in Oslo tonight during a tribute concert to commemorate legendary NRK-DJ Harald Are Lund's 60th birthday at legendary Jazz-Club Blå! Together with guitar-player/rock historician Willy B. they will perform under the name The Insect Machine! The event is not sold out yet. For more information compare this (Norwegian) arcticle! If you plan to attend this gig please let me know some details afterwards, any information (or recording) would be of course greatly appreciated!

Thank you to Simon for the Tromsø confirmation & Nils Hoffman for the Insect Machine news!

No Europe, Norwegian dates added

2006-09-29T11:32:00.000+02:00

Motorpsycho will hit the road next month with an run of Norwegian dates. At this point it has been confirmed by booking agencies in various European countries that the band will not tour outside of Norway this fall. However, due to public demand second nights at Oslo's Rockefeller & Bergen's Kvarteret have been added. The tour now calls at:

October 20 - Bodø, NOR @ Sinus,
October 21 - Trondheim, NOR @ Blaest
October 22 - Trondheim, NOR @ Blaest
October 24 - Oslo, NOR @ Rockefeller
October 25 - Oslo, NOR @ Rockefeller
October 27 - Stavanger, NOR @ Folken
October 28 - Bergen, NOR @ Kvarteret
October 29 - Bergen, NOR @ Kvarteret

Permanent tour-schedule link with more infos to be found here.

This is Motorpsycho's third tour in support of their latest effort "Black hole/Blank canvas", after a 19-date European spring tour & a festival-mini-tour in August. According to the band's label Stickman Records Bent & Snah are currently working on new material.

Tough for Motorpsycho

2006-09-16T18:30:00.000+02:00

Yesterday an article adressed Motorpsycho's finances:

Tough for Motorpsycho

A deficit in running the company Motorpsycho Management Inc. forced the rock-band Motorpsycho out on tour again in 2006.

2005 became a quiet and non-profitable year for Motorpsycho Management Inc., which runs administrative tasks and touring for the trønder rock-band Motorpsycho. Figures for 2005 show that there were only 625.143 NOK in income, and over a million in expenses. The deficit was 466.232 NOK.

"The corporation's stock-funds is lost. The board's decision to cover the expenses has been done by extensive touring in 2006" the board writes in their annual statement, given August 28th this year. In the board is board-leader Håkon Gebhardt and board-members Hans Magnus "Snah" Ryan and Bent Sæther. Daily leader in the corporation is Cecilie Lykke. Together the four own a 1/4 each of the company Motorpsycho Management Inc. Motorpsycho had their best year financially in 2002 when they accounted for over 4,5 million NOK in total incomes. In 2004 and 2005 total transactions were around 1,5 million NOK. Also in 2004 the company had a deficit.

Motorpsycho started their spring-tour at Studentersamfundet in April, and later visited 3 other Norwegian cities before the journey continued to Denmark, Germany, Belgium and Italy. This Summer Motorpsycho did a big Norwegian festival-gig, at Øyafestivalen in Oslo.

Thanks to Eirik Helleve for the news & Thomas for the translation (both via g35)!

Tjuvstart

2006-09-13T23:22:00.000+02:00

My-o-my, those lucky Trondheimers! I so miss the feeling of holding a ticket for an upcoming Motorpsycho concert!

Thanks to Knut Skogstad for the scan.

HGH to support KAIZERS ORCHESTRA

2006-09-10T15:21:00.000+02:00

Hell yeah, Ladies & Gentlemen -- HGH have just scored their biggest engagement to date: They will support the increasingly & already immensely popular fellow Norwegians Kaizers Orchestra during the second part of the final leg of their "Maestro"-tour, according to Kaizers.no!

Despite relentless touring since 2000, HGH, Norway's soulful traveling preachers in support of love, tolerance & movement, have never faced yet crowds so big! Their support slot for Kaizers Orchestra will expose them to almost 800 people (or more) every night, which is 10 to 15 times as much as a HGH headlining show would draw -- in other words: during one single night with Kaizers Orchestra HGH will perform to as many people as during an entire tour of their own!

The joint HGH/Kaizers tour calls at:

21.11.2006 Cologne, Germany Live Music Hall
22.11.2006 Bochum, Germany Zeche
23.11.2006 Nuremberg, Germany Hirsch
24.11.2006 Munich, Germany Backstage
25.11.2006 Wien, Austria Wuk
26.11.2006 Zürich, Switzerland Rote Fabrik
28.11.2006 Berlin. Germany Postbanhof
29.11.2006 Hamburg, Germany Uebel & Gefaerlich
30.11.2006 Gent, Belgia Handelsbeurs
01.12.2006 Groningen, Holland Oosterpoort
02.12.2006 Amsterdam, Holland Melkweg
03.12.2006 Utrecht, Holland Tivoli
06.12.2006 Århus, Danmark Train
07.12.2006 Copenhagen, Danmark Vega

The first part of the Kaizers tour, which comprises dates in Scandinavia, will feature Geoff Berner as support. Tickets to the shows are on sale already, expect them to sell out well in advance!

HGH features the incredible talents of Håkon Gebhardt, formerly of Motorpsycho, and Martin Hagfors of Homegroan & Groan Alone cult-fame! The duo has issued four albums so far (their debut as a trio though), available on Stickman Records.

MotorpsychoNews likes to congratulate HGH for the great opportunity to spread their message & gain exposure for their art. Also congrats to the Herren Kaizer for their great choice! I am looking forward to this great & entertaining concert evening (at either Berlin's Postbahnhof or Copenhagen's Vega)!

Thank you to Jette Krabbe, our one & only connoisseur of Norwegian music for the early heads-up & as always to The other Anders for translation help! Gasmask-picture also by Jette Krabbe, taken at Berlin's Knaack Club in 2004.

Sensory pleasures: HGH on film!

2006-09-07T10:33:00.000+02:00

Motorpsycho has spawned very few side-projects to this day, which is quite strange for a band of their creativity & work-ethos, but it's probably just another feature of their formula for significant art/music & success: to devote everything fully to the one project, no compromises. This statement reminds eerily of Gebhardt's departure from Motorpsycho last year, and yes, that's where I am heading: there is one sideproject, however, who many of us are familiar with, HGH, Geb's main outlet for creativity these days. Anyone who has attended one of their lovely concerts in Norway, Germany, Holland or Italy over the years will recall it with the sweetest smile on his/her face!

You can now watch HGH on film/DVD & bring back that sweet feeling! This is the first time ever footage of HGH is being made available! We are talking a 35 minute excerpt of one of their German shows (Osnabrück @ Ostbunker 22.01.2002), featuring following songs: Dead Cat, Paranoia, Sin Song, Garbage In The Mud, Love Song, Who Placed The Ark In Arkansas, Damned Cat, Trash Grass as well as an interview! The DVD is available for download at Dime, hop on that torrent, make it fly & spread the word of love, tolerance & movement!

Here are some screenshots:

So many thanks to Martin Schmidt (and Elektrolurch) for filming, authoring & seeding the DVD!

HGH are always on tour, check their dates here! Also, please please please support the art of Martin Hagfors -- his healing voice & songs deserve everyone's attention!

If this doesn't satisfy your hunger for sensory pleasures check out HGH in Hamburg 2001, or torrents with recordings of Motorpsycho in Japan 2003, at the For Noise Festival 2006 as well as in Brussels 2006.

Motorpsycho will tour Norway next month!

Un tape d'Brüxells

2006-09-06T12:49:00.000+02:00

On the heels of the swiss summer show, another download: this morning I made Motorpsycho's show in Brussels this spring (07.05.2006, compare the 2006 CC Pt.1) available at Etree (no sign-up required)! I promise, you'll simply love this concert for the very well-behaved & silent crowd & particularly for the extraordinary psychedelia the band creates -- one might be truly hard-pressed to find a more inspired "K9" during the 2006 tour: they weave a very delicate fabric of sounds & layers during the quiet jam parts throughout the entire show, I am tempted to say this is Øyvind's record of virtuosity, he really really shines & they allow him to conquer all spaces here! The download requires the BitTorrent technology & the FLAC-codec. Enjoy!

The band will hit the road again next month: newer news here!

Swiss show on Dime

2006-09-05T13:43:00.000+02:00

The Pully/Lausanne show from August 12, 2006 (compare the 2006 CC Pt.II) went up on Dime today! Go get it, if only for the new song & a juicy "Triggerman -> Manmower -> The wheel"-sequence! Thank you, thank you, thank you to Philip!

Kanon

2006-09-02T04:31:00.000+02:00

pic: Adressa.no

This picture was taken at last wednesday's Kanon-improvisation gig in Trondheim, featuring Øyvind, Bent & Snah among others (MN reported previously). Apparently the action at the show itself was just as hot & mindlowing as this picture suggests -- check out the 2006 Concert Chronology Part II for a few updates regarding the setlist & general proceedings by way of a mesmerized eye-witness report. If you understand Norwegian you can read a review here (this is also were the picture was taken from) -- as always, a translation for all non-Norwegians would be very welcome!

If you attended or recorded the show, please get in touch!

Many thanks to Frode K. & Knut Skogstad.

Check out more newer news here (yesterday's post).

Lots of newer news

2006-09-01T00:00:00.000+02:00

"I just want to sream...hello..." because i am back from a lovely vacation at the sea -- oh boy, I cannot remember the last time I have been that happy -- and it sure is about time I give MotorpsychoNews an update with lots of newer news!

Firstly, most importantly, just as expected, two new concert-dates have emerged in the meantime! The respective venues have confirmed Motorpsycho shows for October 20 in Bodø @ Sinus as well as for October 28 in Bergen @ the relatively tiny Kvartere t. The confirmed dates now make a neat list with no less than six confirmed Norwegian concerts, that's already one show more than the entire Norwegian leg of the spring tour did encompass! If you look at the tour-schedule it's fairly easy to fill up the gaps between confirmed concerts with potential supplementary dates: assuming they won't play the venues again they have already played in the spring (except for Rockefeller obviously) concerts in Skien, Kristianssand & Tromsø seem very likely, though the band will need an off-day at one point, from my own observation during the last years, seven concerts is the most they have played in a row without a day rest, which is still a very impressive number!

Anywho, as the baron would say, the question of the moment is: will European-continental dates emerge soon or will this tour be exclusive to Norway only? The total lack of concert confirmations- & rumours regarding European shows makes every serious psychonaut living south of Norway worry if he or she will be able to be part of the experience in the fall again -- some of us already semi-plan a trip to Norway due to missing dates down here! It's too early though to give up hope, imo, because given the expected timeframe of potential dates outside of Norway, which would be the first half-, maybe middle of November, we still got one, maybe even two more weeks for concert dates to surface; typically dates are being confirmed at least two months ahead of the actual event. It's a slight chance I refuse to let go, positive thinking on this wonderful day you might call it, but really, would it be too much to ask if they simply reversed the spring-tour country-ratio: tour Norway extensively, fair enough!, and add a handful of complementary European dates? Generally both scenarios -- a Norway-only tour & an extensive Norwegian intinerary with additional European dates -- seem likely, compare from the band's history e.g. 1998, 1999 & 2000 for exclusive Norwegian fall tours, 1997 & 2002 for comprehensive European fall tours.

Speculation aside, here is the updated tour schedule for now! Newly confirmed or rumoured dates will be added instantly; please find the link in the sidebar also!

In other news, psychonauts residing in or near Trondheim were treated to an extraordinary event yesterday: the Trondheim Jazzfestival hosted an Improv-Gig at Blæst by Motorpsycho-collaborator, vibraphonist & sound-artist Øyvind Brandtsegg yesterday (August 30, 2006) supported by a small ensemble of musicians among them Bent & Snah! Go to the festival's event page to see the complete line-up. Here's a translation of the announcement featured on that site:

"Ø. B. has got a 'cannon team' of Norwegian musicians for this evening! In order to attain the perfect gunpowder mixture he has selected musicians who each have their own unique view on improvisation and energy. Newly written material gets mixed with 'standards' who are by no means taken from the traditional jazz repertoir.

The energy of rock & the playfulness of jazz makes the boundaries for compositional momentums taken from contemporary music [sic!]. Brandtsegg has an art scholarship at the University in Trondheim, and is exploring the use of compositional techniques when improvising. His live-sampler 'ImproSculpt', when it was released, established a new standard for level and complexity for electronic instruments.

This work has been commisioned with support from the Norwegian culture-council (Norsk Kulturråd)."

If you attended this gig on wednesday & made a recording, took some notes or just want to share some observations, i.e. something that sort of resembles a setlist, e-mail me, information of all sorts is always welcome!

Finally, Motorpsycho's mini-festival tour in August spawned yet another exiting broadcast in addition to two songs from Haldern on the radio & the complete Øya-performance as webcast & partial radio broadcast. Last weekend, late at night, we got a wonderful portion of Motorpsycho's show at Haldern Festival (check the link for a backstage message by the band) on TV! Rockpalast, the infamous music program on German TV WDR, aired "Manmower"/"Kill devil hills"/"Devil dog"! The footage is beyond beautiful, especially "Manmower" is very moving. Expect a fan-made DVD of this recording to be making the rounds very soon. The pictures in this article were taken from this very footage, btw.

Speaking of pictures, I also want to urge you to check out the small gallery here, some pretty cool quality shots from Øya, though the pictures from the respective festivals certainly do look alike, thanks to Snah wearing his Joe-tee, lol. :-)

Well well well, those news make for a nice start to the second part of Motorpsycho's "Black hole/Blank canvas"-era, so here's to an eventful autumn!

Sources: Thanks to the Unoff. Also thanks to the nice folks at the phorum for keeping track of tour dates: TGBD, Laika & particularly Jonne for the potential additional dates, thanks to otherdemon for the Øya-gallery link. Many thanks to Rolf for the Jazzfestival translation. Thanks to Funki for recording Haldern from TV. And last but not least to Susann for being there & the loveliest holiday there could be...

On the beach

2006-08-19T08:24:00.000+02:00

From today on MotorpsychoNews will be shut down until the end of August because we -- my sweetheart & me -- will go to the baltic sea! I won't leave, however, without posting the mandatory Fall Tour 2006 schedule, which is still fairly rudimental but will hopefully grow & grow & grow into a full-blown tour! As always you can find a link to the tour schedule in the sidebar for quick navigation...

So long, sail on!

2006 Festival tour wrap up

2006-08-14T16:52:00.000+02:00

Bent & Snah at Øya Festival 10.08.2006, webcaststill

Motorpsycho in Europe, summer 2006: Haldern Pop Festival, Øya Festival & For Noise Festival -- that was an all too short tour but at least it brought with it a couple of new concert dates & a great webcast of the complete Øya show, a must-have documentation of Motorpsycho in concert 2006!

The 2006 Concert Chronolgy 2006 Part II has been updated with expanded notes to Øya & For Noise, an Øya review, the For Noise soundcheck playlist as well as screenshots from the Øya-webcast.

If you got any additional information, notes, pictures, sounds/recordings, setlists(scans), whatever regarding the recent three festival concerts -- do not hestitate to e-mail me, it's greatly appreciated!

Replaying that fantastic webcast over & over will certainly help you ease the craving for the next Motorpsycho show which always can't come soon enough, but for now we'll have to wait two and a half months until October for another -- hopefully comprehensive -- tour...

For Noise setlist

2006-08-13T21:38:00.000+02:00

12.08.2006 -- For Noise Festival, Pully, Switzerland [~70 min]
Set: Hogwash, Coalmine Pony, No Evil -> Hey, Jane, New Song, Starmelt Lovelight, In the Family, Triggerman -> Manmower -> The Wheel -> Devil Dog
Encore: Hyena -> You Lied, Neverland

Notes: Motorpsycho's third of three summer festival performances in 2006. They perform as a trio. Heavy rain occurs during the show, the sound is muddy, but the band plays a good show nontheless. The new song is as yet untitled according to Bent. A slow okay-ish start to the concert turns into a solid middle
part, and then turns into sheer magic by the time they perform "Triggerman". "The Wheel" is over 20 minutes long, very noisy in parts. Bent talks about losing a bass guitar in transit due to "terror bullshit", says Bent: "Thanks so much. I would have never stood in the rain for 1.5 hours for any band." And Snah refers to another band on the festival's line up: "Celtic Frost - heroes of our Childhood."

Misc: discuss

Thanks to Philip Jespersen!

The setlist has been added to the 2006 Concert Chronology Part II (summer).

First fall concert dates!

2006-08-12T13:51:00.000+02:00

It seems as if the gods have waited for Motorpsycho's very impressive, almost cinematic Øyafestival-performance to be staged until they leaked the news: the day before yesterday Rockefeller confirmed a Motorpsycho show for October 24, 2006 & yesterday Adressa.no revealed a Motorpsycho two night stand at Trondheim's Blaest, October 20.-21., 2006! This is most likely (hopefully!) just a harbinger of a more extensive tour; Rockefeller tickets have gone onsale already! That's just a short note for now only -- because it's too good a news to not be shared! -- but unfortunately I do not have the time for an appropriate update of MotorpsychoNews right now because I am thoroughly consumed by other music this weekend...:

She said-she said
You wanna go for a ride?
I got no more money to burn
And i'm gonna stay up all night-
(G. Dulli)

Don't worry, I'll take you for the ride!

Øya setlist

2006-08-11T14:01:00.000+02:00

10.08.2006 -- Oyafestival, Middelalderparken, Oslo, Norway
Attendance: ~9000
Set: Manmower - The Wheel, No Evil, Hey, Jane, Starmelt/Lovelight, Sail On, In the Family, Kill Devil Hills, Hyena, You Lied, Neverland

Notes: This show, the only Norwegian summer appearance, they perfom as a quartet again, Øyvind rejoins them. A very good & rocking show. The concert was webcast live via Norwegian tv channel NRK, the stream can be accessed here. Bent quotes The Grateful Dead's "The Wheel" in "The Wheel": "The wheel is turning and you can't hold on, can't go back and you can't stand still".

Misc.: discuss

The setlist has been added to the 2006 Concert Chronology Part II. More Øya stuff to follow...

Motorpsycho will perform Switzerland's For Noise festival tomorrow, the last of the three summer shows...

Two songs from Haldern

2006-08-09T14:12:00.000+02:00

Almost a week ago Motorpsycho performed at Haldern Festival (compare the 2006 CC Pt. II for details!). Two songs -- "Hey, Jane" & "In the family" from their set were broadcast on the radio, on local station 1Live. You can now download the two songs here (the files require the FLAC codec) & get a glimpse how the band sounds as a trio WITHOUT Geb. Caution: some terribly crooked vocals & a fairly sloppy band ahead! Thanks to Martin Schmidt for taping & uploading the broadcast!

Motorpsycho will play Oslo's Øyafestival tomorrow!

More Haldern

2006-08-07T23:24:00.000+02:00

Corrected Haldern setlist (running order), two pictures of the band on stage & couple of notes in the 2006 Concert Chronology Part II! Thanks again to Thorsten...

Haldern setlist

2006-08-05T00:32:00.000+02:00

With many thanks to Thorsten Schmidt here's the Haldern setlist. It's not 100% confirmed but most likely very close, thank you Thorsten for an exhausted but agitated late night SMS-report! :)

04.08.2006 -- Haldern Pop Festival, Rees-Haldern, Germany [75 min]
Attendance: 7500
Set: New/unknown song (?), Hey Jane, No Evil, In The Family, Starmelt/lovelight, Neverland, Manmower, Triggerman, Kill Devil Hills -> Devil Dog, Hyena, You Lied

Notes: After a sunny day heavy rain hits Haldern, resulting in up to 10 cm standing water on the grounds. Then: 75 minutes as a three-piece. No more rain, but hard conditions- they rocked the limited but thankful crowd all the same -- what a life!

Misc.: discuss

The setlist has been added to the 2006 Concert Chronology Part II, more notes to follow. The band's next concert will be at Oslo's Øyafestival, August 10.

No webcast tonight

2006-08-04T22:12:00.000+02:00

Looks like we won't see a live webcast of tonight's Motorpsycho concert, compare BeSonic's webcast schedule & the current webcast -- the band should be on stage right now...

However, there will be more chances to catch excerps of this concert on air on german media: The legendary german live music program program Rockpalast will air a four hour TV special about the Haldern Festival August during the night August 26/27.2006, 0:30-04-30, on german TV channel WDR. Rockpalast has featured Motorpsycho before with their collaboration with Jaga Jazzist at 2002's Bizarre Festival. The entire show was webcast live & aired several times on TV. It circulates as audio & video recording among fans. Let's hope they'll include Motorpsycho again in the coverage of the festival with a song or two...Another medium but in the same channel family, radio station 1LIVE, also noted for live broadcasts, will dedicate a special to the Haldern Festival, coming sunday, August 06.2006, 20:00.

In the meantime we can just sit back & wait for tonight's setlist, it will be posted to this space very soon of course.

Thanks to Rouen (via g35) for the Rockpalast news & Martin (via Motortrades) for the 1LIVE news!

Haldern tomorrow - webcast?

2006-08-03T14:51:00.000+02:00

Motorpsycho will play the first of three summer-festival concerts tomorrow (August 04th, 2006) at Germany's Haldern Pop Festival. It will be the band's first performance since their show at Darmstadt's Centralstation on May 14th 2006, the finale of the "Black hole/Blank canvas"-tour, which was the band's first proper tour of Europe since fall 2002. In addition to Haldern Motorpsycho will perform at Switzerland's For Noise & Oslo's Oya Festival -- compare the summer tour schedule for dates & details! It is being expected that the band will be back for a fall tour, though no dates are known yet.

Those of us who can't make it to any of the three festival shows can now hope for a live webcast of the Haldern appearance. The online portal BeSonic.com has announced "live webstreams of selected acts from Haldern Pop Festival" - although details are still pending. Motorpsycho are due on Haldern's stage tomorrow evening at 21:40, so just keep checking back to BeSonics news page for the possible webcast.

MotorpsychoNews aims to cover the upcoming shows as detailed as possible -- with your help: if you are going to attend one or more of the next three shows please drop me an e-mail if you feel like sharing setlists, notes, personal reviews, general observations, pictures, sounds & videos as well as ticket-, poster- & setlistscans etc -- compare MotorpsychoNews' coverage of the spring tour here!

Thank you very much to T. for the news about the webcast!

"You've seen the heavy groups...

2006-07-26T23:29:00.000+02:00

...now you will hear morning maniac music!" -- or: you can now download Paradiso, Amsterdam, May 3rd, 2006 from Dime! A great great gig, those who attended multiple shows of the European leg of the most recent tour agreed that it was among the top three performances of the tour...

DAMPSABA updated

2006-07-20T13:13:00.000+02:00

"We are Motorpsycho...

A couple of years ago the band provided the fan community with setlists to all concerts they have played up to 1999. The information contained within Bent's notes opened up a treasure trove for Motorpsycho historicians. Many fans, myself included, spent hours & hours browsing through the countless great sets & fantasizing about the dream Motorpsycho concert. Also the complete tour dates, setlists, venue specifics & occasional comments about peculiar versions or circumstances provide an irreplaceable tool for properly identifying & archiving fan-made recordings of Motorpsycho concerts.

In addition to all this fun the UnOff did create a neat searchable database called DAMPSABA, if you haven't used it before check it out now! DAMPSABA's content has been updated & overhauled to include every setlist up to May 2006 (yes, you read right, including the entire recent spring tour)! Also included are the Tussler tours of 2003 & 2004 (just like the pre-2000 Tussler sets have been included in the official sets).

The Motorpsycho community has been patiently waiting for this for years that's I want to thank Stefan G. & the UnOff on behalf of all fans for the continued effort! Here's to hopefully another 16 years with juicy Motorpsycho sets!

The band will be back in August to perform a handful of festival shows.

"...and tonight you win!"

The band live on stage at Paradiso, Amsterdam, May 3rd, 2006.
Pictures by Everket@mac.com. Thank you very much!

The DVD

2006-07-11T16:20:00.000+02:00

More water on the ever-spinning rumour-mill regarding the DVD! Take it for what it's worth...

Festival tour

2006-07-05T11:14:00.000+02:00

Bent, Snah & Øyvind @ Berlin's Postbahnhof 01.05.2006
picture by Jette Krabbe

IN JUST FOUR WEEKS Motorpsycho will return to the stage with a run of medium to small-sized festival gigs across Europe. It is being assumed that the band will play some six concerts altogether in August (as reported previously). Two festival-appearances have been known for some time: A prestigious slot on Oslo's Øyafestival bill & a show at Germany's Haldern Pop Festival.

An additional, third date has surfaced now: they will rock Switzerland again at the For Noise Festival, Pully, near Lausanne. The three-day festival, specialized in "the whole spectrum of rock music with all its nuances yet open to different sounds" (cf. For Noise info), will be held from August 10th to 12th, 2006; Motorpsycho will perform on the third day (12.08.2006), between 22:00 & 23:30. This appears to be the tenth anniversary of the festival. Other acts on the bill include Fischerspooner, Puppetmastaz, Art Brut, Yann Tiersen, Lambchop, Celtic Frost, Sylvain Chauveau & Ensemble Nocturne among many others. Tickets are available in many places, see the ticket info on the festival's website, go here or here, or to Fnac.ch . They cost between 35 & 40 CHF for one day.

No other dates are known so far & it is still uncertain if more shows will be added at all. The band will hopefully be back with a more extensive itinerary in the autumn, compare this article.

A constantly updated schedule for the summer tour can be found here (the sidebar has a link for quick navigation too). I will also keep a Concert Chronology 2006 Part II, like I did during the spring tour, see the 2006 Concert Chronology Part I.

Motorpsycho have last toured Europe's festival circuit in the summer 2002, when they took their collaboration with Jaga Jazzist on the road for seven shows & recorded "In the fishtank" in a dutch studio.

Many thanks to marc for the heads up about the For Noise confirmation! Discuss & make travel-plans here -- there is nothing like a Motorpsycho-concert to look forward to!

Magic

2006-07-01T03:51:00.000+02:00

Snah during "Hogwash" in Rostock 30.04.2006. Magic on my mind...
Pictures taken by Jette Krabbe.

More spring tour stuff

2006-06-30T21:41:00.000+02:00

Still talking spring tour 2006 here:

Firstly, finally recordings of the tour start to circulate! Download Hamburg & Darmstadt from Bt.Etree.org & Eindhoven from Dime. Trondheim II & Copenhagen do circulate already. Rostock, Berlin, Münster, Brussels & Köln will surface shortly. If you made a recording of one of the shows yourself -- no matter how -- please e-mail me; my tradelist can be viewed here.

Secondly, two more setlists have been scanned! Thanks a lot to Øystein Winsnes! If you can provide setlist scans for Trondheim I & II, Hamar, Rockefeller, Halden, Eindhoven, Münster, Biel, Milano or Treviso please e-mail me!

The first setlist Øystein was able to provide belongs to the mighty tour finale in Darmstadt 14.05.2006. It's full of adorable & charming German translations & malapropisms of song titles, namely "Das Whiel" (english pronounciation in german phonetic transcription), "Niemandsland" ("No-man's land") & of course "Un Hund das Weltraum". Also note that "Feel" was on the setlist but not played:

And here's the second one from Rimini 11.05.2006:

Links to these setlists have been added to the 2006 Concert Chronology Part I.

Thirdly & lastly, I have also added ticket scans of Hamburg, Amsterdam, Eindhoven, Münster, Brussels, Milano, Rimini & Treviso to the CC. The ticket scans were provided by Øystein too! Thanks! Since these do not feature dedicated artwork they aren't pictured here. If you can provide ticket scans to Trondheim I & II, Hamar, Oslo, Halden & Biel e-mail me!

Live picture of the band by Lars Sandaker, Trondheim 22.04.2006. Thank you!

Hamburg 02.05.2006 - VISIONS review & torrent

2006-06-22T10:59:00.000+02:00

Live in Trondheim 22.04.2006 (pic by Lars Sandaker)

Among the five German shows the band performed during their 2006 spring tour the Hamburg concert might have been the least spectacular regarding setlist choice, jams & just general momentum. The major German alternative music magazine Visions reviews the show in their current issue: While they give the band due credit for masterful musicianship & longevity they do criticise the "infinite" jams which obviously failed to captivate the reviewer (save for "The wheel" of which the reviewer typically exaggerates the running time by ten minutes, but okay, it felt like half an hour plus indeed, always does).

Read the review below! And if you want to make up your own mind about the performance go to Bt.Etree.Org for a Torrent download of a complete & very good MiniDisc recording of that night.

Motorpsycho
02.05.2006 - Hamburg, Fabrik, ca. 800 visiters
by Sascha Krüger

The new album raised hope: After the Pop /Jazz /Psychedelic-"Gedudel"* of the last years and the very first line-up change in the decade-long history of the Norwegians one looked forward again to juicy, power- and forceful rock played by one of the best trios of all times. Secretly one also hoped for a small fireworks of hits as excursion through a voluminous body of work. Latter wish remained unfulfilled -- obviosuly the double album "Black hole/Blank canvas" is presently too powerful for them to stray far from it. And that's how the show starts in the Fabrik, which boast a near-capacity crowd comprised of mostly long-haired guys (and a few girls): Four new songs of epic extent -- first the regular song itself, then a diffuse, infinite jamsession trailed onto each song. Surely the new drummer, Jacco van Rooij, who only feels a 100% comfortable with the new material is to blame for that, but more still Øyvind Brandtsegg and his so-called Bodysynth -- an utterly mad top-device, a cross between vibraphone, synthesizer and chaos-pad. Crazy sounds can be produced thereby, and the band seems to currently enjoy that! For ten or more minutes Bent & Hans Magnus, these super-instrumentalists, repeatedly dissappear behind their endless curtains of hair & create spaces for the session. A firm & short version of the only hit tonight, "Hey Jane", leads to a brief trip into the early repertoire before they return to the new material. Masterful & exciting playing & musicianship throughout -- nevertheless, despite the love for improvisation, the concert had some lenghts. The finale old again but simultaneously exemplifying the present: "The Wheel", already a 17 minute number on "Timothy's monster" turns into a half hour plus sound-orgasm, just the billowing of sounds & layers. Motorpsycho "rockdaddeln"* again -- sometimes too much.

* "Dudeln" & "daddeln" are impossible to translate German expressions, referring to pointless, superficial jamming/playing in this context. The latter is also commonly used as a synonym for "playing computer games".

Thank you to Susann for the transcription of the review! The quick & dirty translation done by BabelFish, cleaned up, edited & corrected by me. Also thanks to Lars for the nice picture & Øystein for the ticket-scan!

Interview supplement

2006-06-12T11:42:00.000+02:00

Snah's interview in my previous post had been truncated by five questions. Akane was so nice to provide the full interview now (not available on g35 or the forum before). I simply updated the post below with the new questions/answers & highlighted them with yellow font. Thanks again to Akane!

Interview with Snah

2006-06-08T09:45:00.000+02:00

Motorpsycho's latest effort "Black hole/Blank canvas" was released in March without any supporting activities by the band (e.g. interviews, videos, a single). Oddly enough though the band was only available to the Japanese press for a handful of interviews. Resident Japanese psychonaut Akane has been so nice to transcribe, translate & share one of the interviews with us, so if you haven't read it yet at g35 or in the forum you can now do so here:

SNOOZER 06/2006 (released on May 11th, 2006)
transcription & translation by Akane Nakumura

Q: How do you think about the result of the new album which was released about 3 and a half years from "It's A Love Cult"?

SNAH: I'm very satisfied with this one, which was done by only two guys. Me and Bent were only two at the recording. When Geb left the band about two years ago, I had no idea actually. I really had no idea what we were gonna better to do. But we just wanted to make the music which we really want to create, it was the only thing we could continue to do. When we were making new album, we didn't have a chance to meet other drummers, so we, two, just went to the studio, winter to spring of one year ago, we really worked very thoroughly to make songs. Then we thought that we could make enough songs, then we started recording immediately. "We'd love to record these right now!" it was just like that.

Q: How was the way of Geb who was a long time druumer for your band left the band?

SNAH: He had a lot of side projects and he started to devote time for them. It was not a bolt from the blue. We expected that he might do it, so when he said that he liked to quit Motorpsycho and wanted to go as his own name, I wasn't that much surprised. Geb lost his mind as wanting to continue this band, I think. It's just alright. Life is like that and people go on the way like that. It can't push too hard. We never had any argument or thump-up, he's still a good friend.

Q: You didn't add a new member, instead of that Bent played drums this time, what made difference through the recording by that alteration?

SNAH: It was a lot. The rhythm which serve as a basis of the band had changed. It was after 15 years since I played with Bent as a drummer. When I played with him for the first time, he was a drummer. In those days, I played the guitar with a loud noise, he played two-bass drum. But progressively he started to play guitar and bass guitar, for Motorpsycho, he always plays the bass. Sometimes he recorded drum tracks at the studio though. For the last few albums, he had a chance to play drums. For example, the 2000 album "Let Them Eat Cake", he played drums for 2-3 songs. At latest new album's rehearsal, he played drums and I played the guitar, such a thing happened a lot. By those things, it was developed something new with a lot of energy. I mean, we could make songs which was done by only the drums and the guitars. It became very different from the past 3-4 albums which we really devoted times for arrangements. This new one is valued first impression much more than those.

Q: Well, those past albums had a lot of variety of music tastes, then this one is much more focused on rock format songs, it was caused by changing the band format?

SNAH: It was needed for us. Writing songs, thinking about the arrangements with many instruments, care of the things consciously on every detail, we really couldn't stand about those. We didn't wanna devote time for those things at the studio, we thought that we'd love to capture very first impulse this time, so we really didn't wanna spend time for arrangements for months. We wanted to trim the things we never need all, then we hoped to increase the functionality of songs.

Q: Did you have things which were most important to writing songs or arranging songs for this album?

SNAH: Any "riff" was very important, we focused on the songs' functionality this time. Many songs on past some albums were hard to play on the stage. Those were really "studio albums". Those songs were arranged with complicated studio technology, so it was hard to play on the stages, really. But I think we don't need to care about that this time.

Q: The sound is going to be very simple, and another side, this album became high volume 2 discs. Of course you guys made a lot of 2 discs albums before, but why this time you chose this again?

SNAH: Those were result from how many songs we could make. When we run through for months, we are going to have many amount of songs. Not all those are going to well at the recording, but if almost of those songs have enough results, then if we think they're gonna be well done for the album, there's no reason to cut them out. We better think we hope to all of those put together for the album.

Q: Then didn't you think you cut some songs and release as one disc or you thought that you would release them to separate as two discs, like one is "Black Hole" and another is " "Blank Canvas" like that?

SNAH: Of course we explored all possibilities (laughs) . But it became a good old "double album". The albums like "Let Them Eat Cake" and "Phanerothyme" were the pieces which had limitation, it was on the pop format as 40-50 minutes. So we've done those already, then we wanted to go ahead, to create the album which never have any limitation.

Q: If disc 1 is "Black Hole" and disc 2 is "Blank Canvas", what is the difference to separate between them?

SNAH: Well, the album rides on some pace through the disc one. There's that "Black Hole", so there's "Blank Canvas". I think there's a flow, like there's climax, then go into the different dimension to open up the world from that place.

Q: What was the reason to record the album in Holland?

SNAH: Because our main sound man, Pieter Kloos lives in Eindhoven and he has his studio there. We've been working with him about 15 years, he's doing all of Motorpsycho's live sound since 1994. This time he, me and Bent, only three of us were in the studio, we seldom had touch to outside world for two months, we just did our things there. It was a very strong experience.

Q: That studio location was influenced on matter of this album?

SNAH: The place Eindhoven is like our second home town. We have a lot of friends there. We don't get drunk every night though. Holland is a very cozy country for us. Since 1993, we play there every year without question.

Q: By the way, you're an Norwegian band, but you belong on a label called Stickman Records which is based in Germany. How come you became to have it this way?

Snah: We really take precedence for our own movements and doings before any others. Maybe on a major label, which would be so hard to do. We hope to care for ourselves for our path or routing, which is the most important thing for us. We never wanna compound about when and how to release an album, which is the reason why we keep running on with Stickman.

Q: I have an image which you're, if I say, your stance is in the between on the major label which is too much emphasis the business things and on an indie label which has limitation against your own acting.

Snah: I know. Absolutely. With P-Vine in Japan, it's through Stickman. So Stickman is just like an agent who spreads our music to the whole of the world. In Scandinavia, we're dealing with Sony, but other places, Stickman works for us.

Q: By the way, one of the episodes about you which said that "When he band stays in hometown, Trondheim, the band practices 6 days in a week, at least for 4 hours.". Is it still true?

SNAH: Until Geb left the band in 2003, it was true, it was our natural routing. After that, I worked music for Norwegian Royal Theater, Bent devoted his time for, as producer, and Geb devoted his time for his own music. I guess in 2003, such a "work ethic" was gone. But in the last year, when we started to make songs for new album, it came back. It was like we were gonna do it in 5 days, 10 days in a week! We have to do those ways, if not, we can't make real satisfied album definitely. We sink in our own music deeply, we just play the music, sometimes we take an objective view against those, then we try to finish our materials.

Q: With this release, you are going to play in your hometown in April, then early May you will play in Germany and Holland. I've heard that you will add dutch drummer Jacco van Rooji as a support member for the tour, how come you play with him?

SNAH: We know him since our first European tour. He played in the band called Alabama Kids, and we became friends with the band, in the early 1990s we played together about 15 shows in Europe. So he's been our friend in person and as the drummer about 10 years. He always comes to see us play also. So we've been in touch with him naturally. He will join us as support member for some tours after this. Also we're trying to play with a keyboard player now. We don't know it's going well or no right now though. Right now me and Bent only two of us are running through together, trying to play new songs. Jacco will come over here about 10 days later, so...After the tour, from June we will play at the festivals. But in June and July, that world cup thing stops everything in Europe, so it's totally impossible to book gigs during that period. It's really crazy! I like football, but it's really freak!

Q: We hope for your next Japan tour.

SNAH: We hope to go back to Japan, if possible in fall time. We don't talk that much about it though. We spent 14 days in Japan two years ago, it was really really fun. We play at Quruili's Monster show (Hyakki Yakou).

Q: How did you think about them?

SNAH: I thought they are pretty good, really. I became to like them a lot, and I was happy to know them. Please say hi to Queruli guys. I remember about them often, with their smiles.

Q: Last year you released an album which collaborated with horn section of Jaga Jazzist, do you have someone to make music together personally?

SNAH: Of course I'd love to create music with Bent as long as I can (laughs). Any others...well...we've been collaborating with the people who are linked by fate. Also almost of them are our friends before we started to make music together. In the first place, Motorpsycho itself started like that. If you have a person who you want to make music together, but before we go into that process, I need to be a friend with them. It's very important. So our case is, we never need to ask to play with us to very standing famous musicians, or celebrity composers.

Q: Well, so the roots as guitarist of yourself were what kind of music genre or musicians?

SNAH: At the first, Frank Marino and Ritchie Blackmore.

Q: Ah!

SNAH: (laughs) Then punk came, listened to Husker Du and Bob Mould a lot. Sonic Youth was favorite also, listened to a lot. At a time, 60's music, too. Neil Young or Grateful Dead are very important to me. I've been listening a lot of other music, too. If we talk about jazz, Coltrane and so on. Talk about the guitarist, I love Sonny Sharrock.

Q: OK. would you tell us what kind of music lately and listen to a lot as a guide?

SNAH: I listen to Johnny Winter a lot anyway. And a 70's hard rock band called Frank Marino & Mahogany Rush. Also early Soft Machine albums. I listen to them a lot, too. The record I bought lately was "Black Woman" by Sonny Sharrock, which is 70's free jazz material. Sonny's wife sings like Yoko Ono and his guitar is really on free form and very strong.

The next tour

2006-05-30T13:58:00.000+02:00

Now that Motorpsycho's spring tour in support of "Black hole/Blank canvas" during which they played 19 shows across europe is finished, the countdown to the next tour -- the second of three expected tours in 2006 -- starts. A Norwegian article stated earlier in the year that the band's summer tour will be comprised of six shows. Two of these are already known: a headline performance at Oslo's Øya Festival as well as a performance at Germany's beautiful & intimate Haldern Pop Festival. Stickman Records now confirms the Motorpsycho show at Haldern for August 3, 2006, the second day of the three-day festival. No other dates are known yet.

A constantly updated tour schedule can be found here: as of now the next Motorpsycho show will take place on August 3rd -- just two months from now!

Thanks to Jana for the heads-up about the confirmed Halden date.

Setlists

2006-05-27T14:34:00.000+02:00

One of the million reasons why many fans travel to see multiple Motorpsycho shows during one tour is the everchanging, unpredictable setlist the band will play at any given show -- one can never know what tune they are going to open with, what tune they will use to space out on & what kind of one-off peformance they will pull out of their hats. Naturally a written setlists by one of the band members (or the crew) is one of the coolest & sometimes most revealing souvenirs a fan can obtain after the concert. Most setlists are individually designed, very often including malapropisms & jokes on song-titles, local references or even little drawings -- after all there is probably no better way to remember a spaced out version of "K9" than to look at the list & have it it charmingly listed as "Ein Hund das Weltraum", just as they did it on the Darmstadt (14.05.2006) setlist.

During the last tour deviations from the planned setlist were pretty common (cf. the 2006 Concert Chronology Part I), usually it was Bent who spontaneously decided to omit or add songs or change the sequence. For these occasions it is quite revealing to have a look at the actual setlist afterwards & see what they intended to play & to speculate why they (he) decided to alter it.

Here is a number of setlists from the last tour. I am delighted these include all but one setlist of the shows I saw during the tour -- It's been the greatest fun staring at, digesting, cherishing & analyzing them overwhelmed & exhausted after the concerts. A huge & warm thank you to Susann Franke for collecting, scanning & sharing them.

29.04.2006, The Rock, Copenhagen (DK)

Here they stuck to the setlist, though due to the venue's curfew they ommited the encore "You lied" which is not listed on this setlist but was listed on another setlist. And what might "Critical mast" stand for?

30.04.2006, Mau Club, Rostock (D)

The setlist to an incredible concert, as Pidah told us before the show: "Lots of oldies tonight". Gotta love the "Un chien d'Rostock[whatever]"! During the show before "You lied" Bent steps to Snah & signals him to not go into "Hogwash" after "Hyena". They omit "Before the flood" eventually & deliver "Hogwash" as a great first encore/concert closer.

01.05.2006, Postbahnhof, Berlin (D)

The most noteworthy fact about this setlist is that the "Hogwash"-reprise which was performed between "Bonny Lee" & "Plan #1" is not listed. "You lose", listed as possible first encore choice, is being left out, had they performed it the lenght of this show would have been well over two & a half hours.

02.05.2006, Fabrik, Hamburg (D)

Another night where they stuck to the setlist for the most part, with one major exception: they omit "L.T.E.C." which was obviously planned as a jam part that would lead up to "The wheel". It's one of the new songs I did not manage hearing being performed live. Most unfortunately I came just THIS close...

03.05.2006, Paradiso, Amsterdam (NL)

No setlist deviations here. I'm loving the different "design" though, as well as the way the segues are indicated.

07.05.2006, Cirque Royal, Brussels (B)

Another setlist with a major omission: they do not play "The wheel". Also another local variation on "Un chien d'espace".

08.05.2006, Live Music Hall, Köln (D)

This setlist does not divide between first & second encore. The encore is indicated as "O.A.E." hinting at Bent's perception of the common German "Zugabe"-chant (compare the notes to the Darmstadt show). Apparently they got so carried away with a very long version of "Manmower" that they decided to skip "Vanishing point" & "Before the flood" & make "Hogwash" the second encore of this outstanding & long show.

Links to these setlists have been added to the 2006 Concert Chronology Part I. If you can provide scans to other setlists please e-mail me, it's greatly appreciated!

Recovered

2006-05-20T12:14:00.000+02:00

After nursing a mild post tour blues the past days (it has been worse after my first four shows in the beginning of the month) I am back to update MotorpsychoNews.

The tour has been wrapped up last sunday in Darmstadt with a concert that drew extensively from the stantard material performed during the tour but spawned extraordinarily unique moments too. Two great German reviews of the show can be found online: Thorsten Schmidts continued tour adventures for Intro.de as well as a spot-on review for Regioactive.de. You can also download a lossless version of a digital audience recording here, this is the first recording of the recent tour to be circulated (widely).

While listening to the Darmstadt recording you can i.e. have a look at all sets the band played during this tour in the 2006 Concert Chonology Part I. During the the next two weeks I will give the CC a big final overhaul. If you you got something to add just e-mail me! Contributions of all kinds are greatly appreciated: corrections, notes, setlist scans, reviews, observations, recordings, pictures -- basically everything you feel should belong into the Concert Chronology. Thank you to past & future contributers!

Last but not least thanks to the band for bringing back the magic!

Darmstadt setlist

2006-05-16T07:41:00.000+02:00

14.05.2006 -- Centralstation, Darmstadt, Germany [155 min]
Set: Sideway Spiral III, No Evil -> Hey Jane, Triggerman -> Manmower -> Triggerman, Kill Devil Hills -> Devil Dog, Hyena -> You lied -> The wheel -> Plan #1
Encore 1: Vanishing Point, Sail On, Neverland
Encore 2: Jam -> Un Chien D'Espace -> Timothy In The Magic City -> Un Chien D'Espace

Notes: This is the last show of the tour & the band makes it a worthy & inspired final concert. The audience enjoys a PERFECT sound, this might very well be one of the clearest & most detailed sounds ever produced at a Motorpsycho show, simply stunning! Generally this is a great venue, which allows the band to stage a really wide-screen Motorpsycho show. The mood is geat & relaxed tonight, smiles everywhere as well as lots of interaction & interplay between all players. Before "Triggerman" Bent says they will try something they haven't tried before & that it might take a while. Jokingly he encourages the audience to go to the bar if it might take too long. Off they go into the wonderful "Triggerman/Manmower"-sandwich, with fluent & tender segues. This 22 minute jam climaxes in a beautiful "Manmower"-solo, THE most moving moment of the show, not of this world! "Kill devil Hills -> Devil dog" is apocalyptic, with even more feedback than usual & they nail every note! Jacco gets an introduction during an extended drum-break in "You lied". "The wheel" is very well-developped. Patiently & carefully they jam through the first passages before they introduce the main riff for a massive neverending jam, which is dominated by Snah but Bent adds a lot of extra lyrics & the jam also takes some really unexpected turns. This version clocks in 27 minutes. When they return for the first encore Bent jokingly demands that the audience gives them "the traditional German line U-A-E", making the crowd give them another short "Zugabe"-choir. He then mentions that this is the last night of the tour & adds that "first we will rock out some more & then we will space out a bit more, so everybody hang loose". The first encore rocks competently indeed, the band is very animated. By the time they return to the stage to perform a 35 minute version of "Un chien" they have captivated every listener, the whole place listens quietly & amazed. This version of "Un chien" is amazingly altered & jammed out, they add new turns & twists everywhere & the improvisation goes through several inspired ideas. Even before the very intro the band creates a 7 minutes space improvisation that picks up some of the themes that have introed "Un chien" so far. The main jam starts off with the by now familiar riff (i.e. also performed in Berlin) but soon the band telepathically goes through clearly distinct ideas, passages, tempi within the blink of an eye. One of the jams inside this most amazing "Un chien" is indeed "Timothy in the magic city", complete with lyrics. Towards the end of the suite they go into an extremely fast-paced jam. Instead of kicking back in with the main theme after Bent has sung the second lyrics Snah suddenly & puzzingly strums half a minute of real chaos guitar & THEN they go back into "Un chien" with all its might. Although the guitars are extremely out of tune in the end they extend the ending of this extraordinarily inspired, varied, rich & long "Un chien", which continues a string of extremely spaced out shows in Darmstadt (compare 2000 & 2001). A great ending to a great tour!

Misc.: discuss, Echo-online.de review

This final set completes the 2006 Concert Chronology Part I.

Amsterdam & Rimini pictures

2006-05-13T16:08:00.000+02:00

There are many great pictures taken at the Amsterdam show over at the UnOff, click here to browse them. They were taken by Joost & Astrid. Here are also a number of (rather dark) pictures from Rimini, thanks to MLG.

This is my favourite shot of the Amsterdam set Joost & Astrid provided for the UnOff:

Last night's setlist as well as all previous sets can be found in the 2006 Concert Chronology Part I. The band is about to wrap up the tour in Darmstadt tomorrow but they will be back for a short summer festival tour & a more extensive fall tour.

Treviso setlist

2006-05-13T10:57:00.000+02:00

12.05.2006 -- New Age, Treviso, Italy [130 min]
Set: Kill Devil Hills -> The Ace -> Devil Dog, Manmower, Bonny Lee -> You lose, Sideway Spiral III -> Critical Mass, Sail On, Neverland, Hey Jane, No Evil, Kill Some Day
Encore 1: You Lied -> Hyena, L.T.E.C. -> Tristano
Encore 2: Feel

Notes: Great concert! Many unusual segues tonight. The band rocks hard. There are slight issues with the sound in the beginning but it improves as they go along. This is the second time this tour that "Tristano" is played, it's a 20 minute psychedelic version, amazing! Other highlights include "Manmower", "Kill some day" & "You lose". The latter features a growing ending: melodic & powerful.

Misc.: discuss

Thanks to Manuel & Kappa.

If you got more notes or corrections e-mail me!

This set has been added to the 2006 Concert Chronology. Today the band enjoys an off-day before they'lll play the the tour finale in Darmstadt tomorrow!

Rimini setlist

2006-05-12T09:16:00.000+02:00

11.05.2006 -- Velvet, Rimini, Italy [150 - 175 min?]
Set: Un Chien D'Espace, Sancho Says, Sail On, Triggerman, No Evil -> Hey Jane, Before The Flood, Feel, Kill Some Day, The Wheel, Plan #1
Encore 1: Kill Devil Hills -> Devil Dog, Hyena, You Lied
Encore 2: Neverland, Hogwash

Notes: Allegedly a close to three hour show -- AMAZING! "Un chien" clocks in about half an hour, "Hoghwash" is comprised of about 20 minutes of loops and noises.

Misc.: discuss

Thanks to Psychohead & Claudio Aliceposta!

If you happen to rememer more of the show drop me an e-mail so that we can add some cool notes to this concert! Meanwhile the Rimini entry has been added to the 2006 Concert Chronology.

The band will play the third of three Italian dates in Treviso tonight, the second to last concert of the tour!

Köln multimedia

2006-05-11T16:18:00.000+02:00

Here is some multimedia stuff fom the Köln show. Thank you very much to Motorpsychodelic for taking pictures, filming & sharing them here! Also, make sure to read the review at Musicheadquarter.de!

Video-links to:
Jam (0:46)
Space (1:09)
Excerpt of Manmower (3:58)

Milan setlist

2006-05-11T01:41:00.000+02:00

10.05.2006 -- Rolling Stone, Milan, Italy [120 min]
Set: Sideway Spiral III, No Evil -> Hey Jane, Kill Devil Hills, Triggerman, In our tree, Sail On, 29th Bulletin, Bonny Lee, Sancho Says, Coalmine Pony, Before the flood
Encore 1: Vanishing Point, Neverland, You lied, Hyena
Encore 2: Feel

Notes: Setlist possibly slightly out of order. A rocking show which lacks major jams. Many hardcore fans were pissed off by the setlist & the lenght of the set. The venue is a crappy disco with a crappy sound & a drunken engineer apparently must have set the PA position (i.e.: issues with the FOH sound at times). The band themselves also appears to have problems hearing themselves occasionally: during one song ("In our tree"?) Bent presses his fingers to his ears & Snah was so out of tune one could think he was singing a different song. There is a curfew tonight forcing the band to cut the set short, that's why they omit "Ace" & "Kill some day" which were on the setlist before "Feel". They actually went on two minutes before the time printed on the tickets (21:00) and finished exactly two hours later with Bent's "That's all we have for tonight. Sorry.", definitely leaving the crowd thirsty for more. Reports about the crowd are mixed: while the majority is relatively well behaved, the usual talking during quiet parts & mobile-phone showing off is unfortunately there too. Bent actually has to tell the audience to calm down & be nice to each other during the "Bonny Lee"-jam! Highlights of the concert include "SWS III", "Triggerman", "29th bulletin" as well as the entire first encore which is pure energy!

Misc. : discuss positive or negative views of the show

Thanks a lot to Marco & Andreas!

The set has been added to the 2006 Concert Chronology. The band will play the legendary Velvet in Rimini today -- this venue has seen many a great Motorpsycho show in the past!

Biel corrections

2006-05-10T22:50:00.000+02:00

One major correction to last night's setlist: Instead of "L.T.E.C" as main jam they did play "Bonny Lee". The corrected setlist as well as expanded notes have been added to the 2006 Concert Chronology. Thanks to Philip Jespersen, Nils Hoffmann & Stephan Gernand!

Still looking for a picture/scan of the poster sold at this show! Notes, corrections & just about everything regarding the current shows are very welcome, please e-mail me if you want to contribute!

Motorpsycho are on stage at Rolling Stone in Milan, Italy right now!

Concert reviews

2006-05-10T15:33:00.000+02:00

Press reviews of the concerts have been few & far between. Quite expectedly the Trondheim I & Rockefeller shows got (raving) reviews but the continental press does not seem to care. There are exceptions though: our very own traveling fan Thorsten Schmidt extensively reviewed the two consecutive shows in Rostock & Berlin for Inro.de & (fellow Pearl Jam-fan & music-lover) Thomas Welsch contributed a spot-on review for Musicheadquarter.de. Click here to read the Rostock/Berlin review & here for the Köln review (both in German only).

All reviews have been added to the 2006 Concert Chronology, just scroll down to the show in question & have a look at the Misc. section.

If you know of any more concert reviews or if you want to contribute a concert review of your own to MotorpsychoNews drop me an e-mail! Thanks!

Biel setlist

2006-05-10T08:17:00.000+02:00

09.05.2006 -- Coupole, Biel, Switzerland [120 min?]
Set: Triggerman, Sail On, Kill Devil Hills -> Devil Dog, Before The Flood, Coalmine Pony, Kill Some Day, No Evil -> Hey Jane, Manmower, L.T.E.C., Plan#1
Encore 1: Hyena, You Lied, The Ace, Sheer Heart Attack
Encore 2: Feel

Notes: A very heavy show, very ROCK. The band is in great form & mood, very playful. The "Triggerman"-interlude, an extremely wonderful "Manmower" and the verses of "Plan#1" were among the only quiet parts of the show. "Sheer heart attack" makes a second appearance. There was a special show-poster for sale at this concert.

Your notes here -- e-mail me if you got something to add!

Misc: discuss, flye r

This setlist has been added to the 2006 Concert Chronology, which comprises all 2006 concerts played so far. Tonight it's Milan, the first of three Italian shows during this tour!

Münster pictures

2006-05-10T00:19:00.000+02:00

While we are still waiting for the Biel setlist to be posted we can have a look at four great shots of the band on stage in Münster, 05.05.2006. They were taken by Nils Hoffmann -- thank you Nils for sharing these with us, I think they are beautiful!

Köln setlist

2006-05-09T08:30:00.000+02:00

08.05.2006 -- Live Music Hall, Köln, Germany [150 min?]
Set: Sideway Spiral III, Sancho Says, Sail On, Coalmine Pony, Bonny Lee -> The Wheel, Feel, Kill Devil Hills -> Devil Dog, Neverland, No Evil -> Hey Jane, You Lied -> Hyena
Encore 1: Manmower
Encore 2: Hogwash

Notes: A brilliant gig! "Sancho says" returns to a setlist, it has not been played since Halden (8 shows). The sound is spectacular and they all evidently enjoy playing this venue. They did change something on Bent's & Snah's equipment resulting in Snah being the loudest player tonight. The audience is way dedicated to the band: very silent, well-behaved & into the show even during the quieter parts and as soon as they recognize the next song being played from the new tunes, there was big cheering all around because most of the people knew all songs. Everyone seems to join in the singalong to the chorus of "You lied". "Bonny Lee">"The wheel" is pure energy: after 15 minutes of building "The wheel" up they take it down as if to wrap up the jam but then Bent steps to the mic screaming & the riff kicks back in at full volume for another couple of minutes (it has been done like that before during this tour). Bent intoduces "Manmower" saying this is "something really No Quarter-ish". "Hogwash" starts out rocky but soon evolves into a full psychedelic trip that features great vibraphone work by Øyvind & what seems like an endless acceleration of the main guitar/bass riff: faster & faster & faster! More highlights include great versions of "SWS III" & "Sancho says". On the setlist but not played: "Before The Flood" & "Vanishing point" (as first encore).

Misc: discuss

Thanks to ColognePsycho, Thorsten Schmidt & Motorkasi.

See the 2006 Concert Chronology here, Motorpsycho are going to play Biel tonight, don't forget to check for the special poster!

Biel poster

2006-05-08T16:53:00.000+02:00

flyer for Motorpsycho live in Biel 09.05.2006

The band will play Biel tomorrow. A heads up to all collectors & merch lovers: According to the Coupole-newsletter there will be a special "silk-screen printed (4-colours)" poster for sale at the show.

Thank you very much to Nils for the flyer & the info!

Motorpsycho did play Brussels yesterday, see the setlist here, and they are going to play Köln's Live Music Hall today.

Brussels setlist

2006-05-08T04:14:00.000+02:00

07.05.2006 -- Cirque Royal, Brussels, Belgium [133 min]
Set: Un Chien D'Espace, Sideway Spiral III, Triggerman, Coalmine Pony, No Evil, Sail On, Manmower, Kill Devil Hills -> Devil Dog, Hyena
Encore 1: L.T.E.C., Plan #1

Notes: Quite a psychedelic mood tonight, the jams dominate: "Un chien" clocks in 30 minutes, "Triggerman" 15 minutes & "L.T.E.C." is a groovy 23 minute version. On the setlist as second encore but not played: "The wheel".

Misc.: discuss

Thanks to BoogieChild.

The set has been added to the 2006 Concert Chronology Part I.

Rimini pictures

2006-05-07T16:23:00.000+02:00

taken by MGL

Amsterdam notes

2006-05-07T11:51:00.000+02:00

Thanks to Rune from Holland we now have extended notes to Amsterdam in the Concert Chronology. Also some more notes to Münster were added. See the 2006 Concert Chronology to read the updates!

Motorpsycho will play Brussels tonight.

Off day

2006-05-06T16:57:00.000+02:00

The band & traveling fans can enjoy a well-deserved off day today before the tour will resume tomorrow in Brussels. Some time to catch up with Concert Chronology updates: I have added & reworked notes to Trondheim I, Copenhagen, Berlin, Amsterdam & Eindhoven. I have also finally added notes to the magic Rostock show. Check the 2006 Concert Chronology Part I to see the updates! Notes to the concerts in Trondheim II, Paradiso & Münster are still rather sparse -- if you got something to add it would be greatly appreciated!

Münster setlist

2006-05-06T03:54:00.000+02:00

05.05.2006 -- Skater's Palace, Münster, Germany [150 min]
Set: You Lose, Sail On, Triggerman, No Evil -> Hey Jane, Bonny Lee -> Devil Dog, Manmower, Critical Mass, Kill Devil Hills -> The Ace, Feel, In Our Tree, Trixeene, Neverland, You Lied -> Hyena
Encore 1: Un Chien D'Espace

Notes: A super rocking show, with "K9" as highlight. "Feel" & "Trixeene" make their tour-debut tonight. From the very first minute on one could tell that the band is on fire and in a very good mood (much joking about Bent's "Baby, Baby"). Especially Jacco played one hell of a concert, much less cueing by Bent this time. "You lose" is hardly reconizable for the first five to seven minutes because the band jams their way into the tune creating a long awesome build-up. Says Bent after "You loose": "We are Motorpsycho and tonight you win". There are long jams in "Triggerman", "Bonny Lee" & "Critical mass". Nice vibraphone work refines "Manmower" & "Feel", particularly "Manmower" is awesome: started out as expected but grew louder and louder from then on, quite a long and great version. The "Neverland>You lied>Hyena" stretch is a crowd favourite. Bent came out to talk to fans afterwards.

Misc.: discuss

Thanks to Michael "jtr" Wurzer for sms'ing the setlist.

The Münster set has been added to the 2006 Concert Chronology, notes to follow.

Motorpsycho will play Brussels on sunday.

Berlin videos

2006-05-05T11:49:00.000+02:00

Motorpsycho live in Rostock or Berlin (by Michael "jtr" Wurzer)

While we are still waiting for recordings of Motorpsycho's current tour to start circulating we can enjoy 19 minutes of very cool video footage (recorded on a very good mobile phone) from the Berlin show in the meantime. Here are YouTube links to

Sideway Spiral III (2:37)
Triggerman jam (0:25)
Triggerman conclusion (2:39)
Bonny Lee (2:36)
Hogwash (2:59)
Plan #1 (2:14)
Hyena pt.1 (0:50)
Hyena pt.2 (0:49)
K9 intro (02:35)
K9 conclusion (2:29)

Several digital audience recordings were made at the show as well & an audio recording will most likely be made available (for download?) very soon...

Thank you to Bernd Dunker for the videos as well as good vibes before & during the Berlin show!

More than half of the dates of Motorpsycho's current tour have been played already, still seven shows to go until the tour finale in Darmstadt. Read the 2006 Concert Chronology to learn how the band has developed during the tour, to learn what could be your favourite show so far & to ponder what they might pull off next...