Göteborg Beat & Psych Soundmap
PRINTED ON RECYCLED CARD
DIMENSIONS 500mm X 707mm
When the Beatles rolled into town, performing three shows at 3pm, 5pm and 8pm at the Lorensberg Cirkus on the 27th October 1963, Göteborg never really looked back. The city shared many similarities to the Fab Four’s own home town of Liverpool. A port city, it had been imported rare Rock N Roll and Rhythm and Blues records via it’s transatlantic shipping connections and a club network of venues quickly sprung up to incorporate the proliferation of the city’s beat bands.
Starting initially in youth Clubs, The Cue Club, along with other venues such as Klubb Karl, Globe Club, Yaki-Da became a focal point for a vibrant live music scene which as well as nurturing home grown talent with bands such as Tages, Doris med Plums, Apaches, Shakers, Streaplers, Beachcombers and the ubiquitous Spotnicks, also played host to the best in British beat talent. The Animals, Small Faces, Cream, Jimi Hendrix, Spencer Davis Group, Alexis Corner, John Mayall and many others all played to rapturous crowds as venues such as The Cue Club became important to the cultural life of the city. So important that the city’s youth rioted when the Cue Club was threatened with closure in 1965.
From its initial Beat beginnings these clubs also became important in the development of ‘Prog’ and a music which rather than just following British tastes, became more focused on cultural, social and political questions more directly engaged with Sweden and the direction that it’s society should take.
As well as charting this important social history, the Beat and Prog Map also shines a light on other important civic changes. The original Cue Club, along with many other venues located on the map, no longer exist. Bulldozed to make way for the Nordstan shopping complex, these areas were seen as ‘slum’ districts by the city planners. Knocked down in the name of progress to make way for transport rationalization and greater access to consumption, there removal is symptomatic of a mindset pervasive in the 1960’s which understood social ‘progress’ and modernity in a very particular way. A mindset which has been re-evaluated ever since.
Designed by Craig Jamieson
PRINTED ON RECYCLED CARD
DIMENSIONS 500mm X 707mm
When the Beatles rolled into town, performing three shows at 3pm, 5pm and 8pm at the Lorensberg Cirkus on the 27th October 1963, Göteborg never really looked back. The city shared many similarities to the Fab Four’s own home town of Liverpool. A port city, it had been imported rare Rock N Roll and Rhythm and Blues records via it’s transatlantic shipping connections and a club network of venues quickly sprung up to incorporate the proliferation of the city’s beat bands.
Starting initially in youth Clubs, The Cue Club, along with other venues such as Klubb Karl, Globe Club, Yaki-Da became a focal point for a vibrant live music scene which as well as nurturing home grown talent with bands such as Tages, Doris med Plums, Apaches, Shakers, Streaplers, Beachcombers and the ubiquitous Spotnicks, also played host to the best in British beat talent. The Animals, Small Faces, Cream, Jimi Hendrix, Spencer Davis Group, Alexis Corner, John Mayall and many others all played to rapturous crowds as venues such as The Cue Club became important to the cultural life of the city. So important that the city’s youth rioted when the Cue Club was threatened with closure in 1965.
From its initial Beat beginnings these clubs also became important in the development of ‘Prog’ and a music which rather than just following British tastes, became more focused on cultural, social and political questions more directly engaged with Sweden and the direction that it’s society should take.
As well as charting this important social history, the Beat and Prog Map also shines a light on other important civic changes. The original Cue Club, along with many other venues located on the map, no longer exist. Bulldozed to make way for the Nordstan shopping complex, these areas were seen as ‘slum’ districts by the city planners. Knocked down in the name of progress to make way for transport rationalization and greater access to consumption, there removal is symptomatic of a mindset pervasive in the 1960’s which understood social ‘progress’ and modernity in a very particular way. A mindset which has been re-evaluated ever since.
Designed by Craig Jamieson
