Atlantica - 01.05.2007, Page 37

36 a t l a n t i c a
brown sauce (gravy), ruby-red lingonberry jam
and two perfect spheres of mashed potatoes.
The meatballs were not what I was accustomed
to. They were suspiciously smooth – I could not
figure out how that was achieved – and doused in
the gravy. The owner of the café told me that the
meatballs were created from a secret recipe – “so
they’re different from the meatballs you’ll taste
anywhere else” – and comprised of milk, egg and
breadcrumbs. The all-beef meatballs are boiled to
reach their desired consistency, and the leftover
water forms the basis of the gravy. I wasn’t sure I
wanted to learn that much.
Outside by the hectic but enthralling Saluhallen
Market – filled with delicatessens, butchers, fish-
mongers, and vegetables sellers – people had
grabbed their take-out sushi, noodles in boxes,
and prawn salads, and were sitting on the edge of
the canal, their feet dangling over the water.
The night clubs here are the best! One is Sticky
Fingers. It is more of a rock club, but many peo-
ple have the best time, and it’s not expensive.
– Kimberly
A really wonderful Swedish band will be having
their album launch party at Sticky Fingers! … If you
see them you will love them! – Jackie
Sticky Fingers is in the Inomvallgraven district
of Gothenburg, a gathering spot for weekend
revelers and mid-week tipplers. It has live music,
mostly of the rock genre, almost every night, and
a second venue upstairs features concerts of a dif-
ferent sort (the night I attended a popular reggae
band was getting the crowd going).
Sticky Fingers started filling up at around 11
pm, as the crowds gathered in anticipation of the
gig about to begin around midnight. The smoke-
free bar was crowded with young people, mostly
under 30, dressed in trendy clothes and drinking
colorful cocktails. A heavily tattooed bartender
mixed drinks from a row of psychedelic looking
liquors arranged on a shelf above him, but no one
seemed to have had the alcohol get the better of
them. The atmosphere was fun, relaxed – Swedish
excitement in a stereotypically restrained way.
The Hearts of Black Science is a local duet
formed about a year ago by 29-year-old Daniel
Änghede and 29-year-old Tomas Almgren.
Though childhood friends, they grew up on
opposite sides of the musical tracks; Änghede
came from an electronica background while
Almgren was into heavy rock. Today, they call
their creations “electronic indie rock with a dark
touch.”
After experiencing the word-of-mouth success
only MySpace can provide, British label ClubAC30
recently signed them up with their first record
deal, and their album launch was taking place at
Sticky Fingers, the bar where they held their first
gig. To get the most authentic feel for the live gig,
they hired three additional musicians to cover
guitars and bass during the concert.
In a little green room stocked with water, nach-
os, bananas, oranges and pretzel sticks, I spoke
to them about the Gothenburg music scene
– if indeed there was such a thing beyond Ace of
Base, the Cardigans, and Eurovision ditties.
“There are lots of good bands in all different
genres,” said Änghede, a little hidden under a
black ski hat and dark rimmed glasses. “There
is something known as a Gothenburg sound.”
GothenburGa