I spent the Swedish national day at Liseberg by photographing Samir & Viktor and LBSB. I got to know the same morning of the concerts that I was photographing their shows but fortunately I had already done my research earlier the week. With these two acts, I was already very familiar to Samir & Viktor from before so I didn't had to do a lot of research since I've followed them for a while. LBSB was very new for me and I had no idea what to expect from them at least not when they are performing live. First out on stage was Samir & Viktor.
I've seen Samir & Viktor live multiple times over the years and their concerts truly shows a lot of their personalities. With it being a new summer and a new tour, they have changed up their set a bit from previous years. They have made several changes in their set which is definitely to it better and here are some of the changes:
1. Jamalde left Samir & Viktor.
For many years Jamalde was the DJ, backupdancer and some times even a backup vocalist for Samir & Viktor's shows. As he is pursuing his own career at the moment, he's no longer the main DJ during the Samir & Viktor shows.
2. New DJ.
As Jamalde is not longer the DJ, Samir & Viktor have changed it up and brought along a new DJ which is the artist and Youtuber: Sebastian Tadros. The guys were making jokes about Sebastian being a younger version of Samir but the more I think about it, it's actually believable! Sebastian is very energetic on stage and is contributing not only behind the mixer table but also around the stage dancing with the rest of the team. At one part of the show he also makes it to the audience and are singing along with them during one of the songs.
3. Backup dancers!
One of the major change in the set was the two backup dancers Daniela Kierdorf and Nathalie Kindhult. I think bringing them along is a good move. Samir & Viktor are for sure very energetic themselves but having the dancers amplifies the show a lot. The fact they are there, I think it also helps Samir & Viktor being more synced and thoughtful of where they are on stage since they need to be aware of the dancers positions when moving around.
4. Lights in the back
Samir & Viktor usually have some kind of backdrop when performing on stage. But this time they also had brought their own lighting. It might not have been visible on that particular day since the sun was very harsh but it's a nice detail and it looks better on the first look. But also when the smokes appears on stage.
5. Outfits changes
Something I appreciated to see was the outfits changed the dancers had through out the show. A small detail but worked well with it being different parts of the show.
6. More synced and focused
I've heard numerous of times that some photographers might have a hard time photographing Samir & Viktor on stage because they are "too energetic" which I think it's just a dumb reason. I can admit it's a bit tricky to photograph them since they are not always synced with each other which makes it hard to capture them in their good assens at the same time. But I have to give them props for being a lot more synced this time and having more moments together than being off on the opposite side of the stage all the time.
I want to give Samir & Viktor props for upgrading their show in this many ways and making it much better than before. All the listed things was some of the factors that I missed about their previous set so I'm glad they improved it. Both Samir & Viktor are very energetic and can be very inpredictable which makes every each one of their shows different from another. Which is only a good thing!
LBSB were completely new for me both at seeing them live and by even hearing their music. I only have came across their name a few times over the years but I had never digged into their music at all. It's a bit funny how I think the first time I got some kind of introduction to them was on Samir & Viktor's IG story.
In my research of the group, I found out that LBSB stands for "Lika Bär Smakar Bäst" which means "Same Berries Taste Best". The refer themselves as "Berry 1", "Berry 2". "Berry 3" and "DJ Berry". First thing I noticed was their masks and the fact they don't want to share their names. The reason behind this is because they feel like the music and the inside are what counts. And not their personal fame. In an interview they said that later on in their career they had realized it's easier to remember the masks than a face. I have to admit though, I was a bit unsure about the masks and how it would present on stage. Specially as a photographer because the facial expressions are one of the major factors that I tend to focus on when capturing my photos.
As soon as LBSB hit the stage and they performed their first song, I wasn't worried about their masks. The energy they delivered on stage made up for covering their faces. LBSB were moving from side to side and took turns of the different parts of the stage.
LBSB were also joined by two backup dancers and two extra guys playing saxophone and the trumpet. The backup dancers were the only ones on stage who were not wearing any masks which was a nice surprise for me.
One of the songs that LBSB performed was "Chilla". I had listened to it during my research and actually I found it better live than in studio version. The live drums and saxophone enhanced the rythm and mood in the song more.
The black drop was black but they still had thought about the design with not only having their name visible but also their trademark: "the masks".
I like the matching outfits and since they were yellow which is my favorite colour, they stood out more. Haha
In one of the later parts of the show, the dancers went down to the audience to hand out drinks. I’m assuming these drinks were some kind of sponsorship/collaboration with a brand. A smart move if I may say so myself.
Something that I didn’t expect to see at LBSB’s set was live instruments. They had a trumpet and a saxophone playing some of the songs in the set. DJ Berry was not not only in charge of the mixer table but also playing on the drums which I don’t think I’ve seen a DJ do before.
Overall, I really enjoyed the show. The energy was on top throughout the set and I also appreciate the fact they gave a spotlight to one of their backup dancers so she could do her own solo part. Even though I didn’t knew most of the songs they were performing I could still enjoy hearing them.
After the show, LBSB came out to greet the fans and family that were waiting by the stage. I took the opportunity to tell them how much I appreciated the show, pitched myself and I also took a portrait of them.
If the opportunity appear and I will be given another chance to photograph LBSB, I wouldn’t turn down the offer.
That was it for this time!
Until next time, ingat!
/Lizel
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