We went to see The Dead South at Gothenburg Film Studios last night, not really knowing what to expect. Bluegrass and folk aren’t genres I usually listen to, but I had heard a few songs before and was curious.
The Dead South is a Canadian band known for their mix of bluegrass, folk, and a bit of a rougher, darker sound. They play with banjos, mandolins, cellos, and guitars, creating fast-paced, rhythmic songs with a bit of an outlaw vibe.
The venue, Gothenburg Film Studios, is on Hisingen (Gothenburg’s biggest island), which also happens to be where I live. Even though it’s only a 25-minute walk away, we lazily took the bus two stops and ended up at a pizzeria before heading to the venue. The area around it has changed a lot over the years, shifting from mostly industrial to a mix of creative spaces, modern buildings, and great spots by the water. Gothenburg Film Studios itself is mainly used for film production, but they also host concerts and other events. It’s not a fancy venue, more of a large event space with a concrete floor. The open square layout made it easy to get a good view of the stage. We stood slightly left of the center, not too far to the side, so we still had a clear view of the stage, which was set up to look like a street from a classic Wild West film. There was no drum set or any synthesizer or piano on stage. What we could see were four microphones up front and a cello and different kinds of guitars lined up in the back.
Before The Dead South took the stage, Australian singer Henry Wagons warmed up the crowd. His animated performance, bordering on silly, was peppered with banter as well as jokes and stories from ”real life”. He engaged the audience and he was clearly enjoying himself. A really nice surprise was that he opened with State Trooper by Bruce Springsteen.
From the first song, the Dead South had great energy, and the audience responded right away. Even though I didn’t know almost any of their songs, I found myself tapping along and enjoying the lively atmosphere. Three of the four guys on stage took turns singing and they also sang a lot in harmonies.
Lead singer Nate Hilts‘ vocals reminded me a little of The White Buffalo throughout the evening, In Yours to Keep, Danny Kenyon’s gritty vocals sounded raspy but strong. It’s fun how he wore his cello around his neck as if it was a normal guitar. Next to him Scott Pringle added an emotional depth with his singing and mandolin (and bells on one of his feet) . To the far right Colton Crawford‘s foot-stomping bass drum and banjo added an irresistible rhythm. Their music really has a distinct style, though I did feel that some songs blended together a bit after a while.
Their look was also part of the show. They all wore white shirts, black ties, jeans, and suspenders, with black hats to complete the style. The lead singer stood out a little with his black blazer and bolo tie, but otherwise, they had a uniform with an almost old-timey feel.
The highlight of the night, for me, was In Hell, I’ll Be in Good Company. As soon as the first notes were played, followed by the characteristic whistling part, the crowd cheered, and you could tell this was the song everyone had been waiting for. It had a hypnotic, foot-stomping groove and a choreographed ”dance” that looked corny, but worked well.
One thing I couldn’t help but notice during the concert was how much taller the crowd seemed compared to the show we went to in Belgium last week. Maybe it’s just a coincidence, but it really felt like Swedes, on average, are taller. One guy in particular stood out. He was even taller than Oliver, who usually is the tallest people at shows (apart from in the Netherlands of course). This guy must have been over two meters and of course he was standing just in front of me. Oliver was the one who pointed out that he bore an uncanny resemblance to Bert from The Big Bang Theory and after that, we couldn’t unsee it. It gave us something to laugh about.
Overall, I enjoyed the concert, way more than I expected! Even if bluegrass isn’t my usual go-to, The Dead South put on a good show, and I’d definitely consider seeing them again.
This is where I usually post the setlist. Unfortunately I don’t have one at this time. I couldn’t find any on setlist.com and I don’t know the band’s catalogue well enough to have scribbled it down myself.
Stray Bullet 
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