Everyone should have a Union Chapel in their backyard. The Chapel was dedicated in December 1877, and is a Grade II* Listed Building. The Friends of Union Chapel is a group set up to maintain, improve and to stimulate wider interest in the use of the buildings. The Union Chapel Project has made important progress in developing the Chapel for community uses for, eg, concerts and meetings, and a homelessness project, while keeping it in use as a place of worship. It is a beautiful concert hall.
It was here I caught Jens Lekman, a Swedish musician who produces the kind of melancholic pop that puts a smile on your face. I can safely say that everyone would like Jens Lekman to be their friend. He open’s with “We are all gathered here for the union of Jens Lekman and the Audience” – and says that he had to change the set due to acoustics of the Chapel.
Initially it started acoustically with a solo guitar performance which rattled around the body of the building. Jens has a tone in his voice that is perfectly accentuated in this arena. The 6 piece band then joined the stage, all wearing a key around their neck as Jens did. Some symbolic message for the Cult of Lekman, I’m sure you’ll see his followers with similar parafanalia in the future.
Personally I prefered the music with the band, it filled the chapel well and on one occasion I felt a wave of emotion pass through me during the start of “Your arms around me”, a beautiful song played in a magical background.
As the band gained pace and the classic songs the audience craved were released, bouncing off the stain glass and columns of the imposing structure, Jens gestured to the audience to awake from their graves and dance. The atmosphere changes dramatically as people rose to their feet in unison and became the congregation of a gospel church, dancing in aisles and on pews. It was a great moment and one I wish my camera hadn’t run out of batteries for.
While the audience was still standing, once again he started a sermon. “Do you the audience take Jens Michael Lekman to be your partner”, a rapturous ”I do” from the crowd, ” Do I Jens Michael Lekman take the audience to be my partner” , ” I do” he responded in a deep voice to the exhilaration of the crowd. He then burst into ” A postcard from Nina”.
The show ended in solo finish, which was quite self-indulgent, where he literally had the audience performing as his choir. They were in awe of Jens, he had himself a new set of disciples. Check out his latest album “Night Falls Over Kortedala”.
Before I leave I think I should mention the support act The Blow. When I entered the chapel there was sole lady, dancing to pop. It seem like it was a little open mic like. However, I took a seat and watched the show develop. It was 1 cup comedy, 2 tablespoons story telling, 500g of pop. It got better and better for me and by the end I was bopping around. Her voice at times is tedious, but it didn’t take away from the entertainment. Worth a look.
To end. Jens will you be my friend?
Aquaglass
