A bucket list is a personal inventory of goals, dreams, and experiences you want to achieve or check off in your lifetime. The term stems from the English idiom "kick the bucket," which is a colloquial way of saying "to die". My bucket list is short. Always has been. After Wednesday evening it's even shorter. I can tick off the personal milestone of watching 16 Horsepower perform live. I didn't expect that to happen since they disbanded in 2005. I discovered the genre too late and missed the two Stockholm shows in 2002 and 2003. I got a new chance. 16 Horsepower is reunited (one-time-only) for a 2026 European tour and US festival. The tour features the original core trio of David Eugene Edwards (vocals/guitar), Jean-Yves Tola (drums), and Pascal Humbert (bass). They are joined by the guitarist from Wovenhand, Chuck French. The tour schedule is crammed. 16 Horsepower will tour in France, Belgium, Germany, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Netherlands and Switzerland from May 14 to June 7. From what I understand the shows are sold out. The venue in Stockholm was obviously chosen with great care. Fållan (The Pen) accommodates 2 400 guests and is fully fitted with high-end tech. The venue is located in an old industrial building in the derelict Meatpacking District (Slakthusområdet) in Stockholm. Nowadays, the Meatpacking District is being transformed "through sustainable urban development with a focus on food, culture and experiences". Sounds pretty awful to my ears, to be honest. Thousands of new homes and workplaces and a large range of restaurants, trade and services are going to replace the old area. The gentrifying process is expected to be completed around 2033.
The key to happiness is low expectations. Reducing expectations can minimize disappointment. A reunion tour means risk, obviously. The concert was set out to start 8.00 PM. In practise, concerts aren't that punctual. 16 Horsepower knows how to build up tension. An empty stage, a smoke machine starts doing its thing, and the smoke is lit up by yellow stage light. The speakers are pumping out suspense music. One of my accompanying friends labeled it "tribal electro chanting on repeat". Very apt. Exactly 8.30 PM the band comes on stage. No smiles, no wavings or greetings of any kind. Just down to the music directly. This is what I came for. The sound quality is perfect. The stage is bathing in stage light like it was the 1970s (see the attached photos which were taken by my friends). Goths comes in many shapes and forms. Some people could be identified as OG's (original goths). They were around the first time. Other people were new to the genre or just music lovers. People were of all ages. About one third of the audience were women, which always is a positive thing. One thing is for sure. No one had stumbled in after work by mistake. 16 Horsepower quickly took a firm grip of their audience. Normally, I'm easily distracted and easily irritated. A middle-aged woman began to acting out in front of me. She started to dance with oriental hand movements like it was Woodstock 1969. You don't dance to 16 Horsepower. That's an unwritten rule. Anyway, I forgive her for expressing herself.
The greatness of 16 Horsepower lies in their perfect balance between delicacy and roughness. They move seamlessly between these two extremes. 16 Horsepower was in really good shape, well-rehearsed and proficient. David Eugene Edwards alternates between guitar, banjo and accordion. The accordion is played in an attacking way, like in the songs "American Wheeze" and "Harm's Way". The tempo is furious with no stage banter. Their lyrics stand the test of time. The religious imagery isn't mannerism. It's the real thing. Maybe David Eugene Edwards vocal abilities isn't as good as it used to be. Time and tide wait for no man. The setlist seems to be identical on the tour. The selection of songs has an emphasis on their early albums. Two songs from the EP "16 Horsepower" and eight songs from "Sackcloth 'n' Ashes", five songs from "Low Estate", four songs from "Secret South" and two songs from "Folklore". Personally, I would have exchanged a couple of songs in favor of "Wayfaring Stranger", "Coal Black Horses" and "Sinnerman". But, this is marginal note. All in all, a great selection of songs. The highlights were "I Seen What I Saw", "Haw", "Straw Foot", "Splinters", South Pennsylvania Waltz", Black Soul Choir", "Black Bush", "Poor Mouth" and "Hutterite Mile". The very reticient David Eugene Edwards ends the concert by saying "thank you so much" in Swedish. And then it's all over. It was all I hoped it would be. I'm ready to kick the bucket.
Setlist (as I perceived it)
1. I Seen What I Saw (Sackcloth 'n' Ashes)
2. Haw (16 Horsepower)
3. Dead Run (Low Estate)
4. Brimstone Rock (Low Estate)
5. Straw Foot (Secret South)
6. Splinters (Secret South)
7. American Wheeze (Sackcloth 'n' Ashes)
8. Prison Shoe Romp (Sackcloth 'n' Ashes)
9. Heel on the Shovel (Sackcloth 'n' Ashes)
10. South Pennsylvania Waltz (16 Horsepower)
11. Sac of Religion (Low Estate)
12. Strong Man (Sackcloth 'n' Ashes)
13. Black Soul Choir (Sackcloth 'n' Ashes)
14. Black Bush (Sackcloth 'n' Ashes)
15. Phyllis Ruth (Low Estate)
16. Harm's Way (Sackcloth 'n' Ashes)
17. Clogger (Secret South)
18. Poor Mouth (Secret South)
Encore
19. Hutterite Mile (Folklore)
20. Blessed Persistence (Folklore)
21. For Heaven's Sake (Low Estate)