Iggy’s swagger invades Sweden
Godfather of punk still strutting across the globe
If you want style, Gothenburg’s got it in spades. Sweden’s second city is the epicentre of Scandinavian hipster cool – the threads are sharp, the Converse are old-school, the trouser cuffs high enough for a flash of colour-co-ordinated sock, every moustache is waxed. Gothenburg’s dudes are so laidback they’re almost horizontal. But the veneer is thin. When Stooges’ legend James Williamson lets rip with the opening riff from Raw Power, the world-weary facade cracks – and the gaggle of too cool for school middle-aged Gothenburg hipsters crowding up against the stage barrier burst into tears.
Who knows whether it’s seeing 63-year-old Iggy Pop leaping and frolicking across the Way Out West stage like an over-excited puppy that did it, or whether the dam broke when those iconic riffs roared through the air, sounding as crisp, raw and brutal as they were in 1973. Whatever the cause, Iggy and the Stooges didn’t even need to stoop to conquer. A good thing too, former Minuteman Mike Watt, now on bass duty for the band, has his leg in a plaster cast.
With Williamson back in the fold, the set centres on Raw Power, showcasing the former Silicon Valley exec’s explosive guitar work. It might be 33 years since he laid down those tracks but you can’t tell – every proto-punk chord is delivered with aggressive, surgical precision. Williamson might have retired, but he can still kick arse and then some.
But the show isn’t about Williamson, or Hopalong Watt, or Scott Asheton, or Steve Mackay – it’s about Iggy Pop, dancing, jumping, crawling and slithering around the stage like a wizened, possessed teenager.
He might have toned down his stage show slightly over the years, chucking his see-through jeans in the dustbin of fashion history, but Iggy is still rude, lewd and vulgar. It’s just that these days punk rock’s national treasure is clever enough to do it with a knowing wink.
The man was a supreme master of ceremonies, leavening his punk crooner credentials with just the right ironic flourishes.
It was Iggy’s show, and Iggy’s stage. It was a tremendous display of pure, defiant power.
Iggy’s performance is so energetic, so charismatic, so full on, it’s easy to forget how old he really is.
As he reluctantly left the stage, the aged satyr called out: “Are there any grannies out there?” It took a few seconds for the crowd to realize he was trying out a new pick-up line.
SET LIST: Raw Power / Search And Destroy/ Gimme Danger / Shake Appeal / 1970 / Night Theme / Beyond the Law / Funhouse / I Got a Right / I Wanna Be Your Dog / Open Up & Bleed / Death Trip / No Fun
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