Then park manager Lars-Enar Gunnarsson remembers a gigantic speaker system and a nice band.
In fact, Motörhead's very first gig of their 24 date Scandinavian tour, that went under the name ”It Never Gets Dark Tour” kicked off here, at a place place called Orrskogen Folkets Park (Black GROUSE Forest Peoples Park)
Lars-Enar Gunnarsson recalls.
- We were contacted by the band's production company and immediately accepted.
- We had a press conference at Hard Rock Café in Stockholm, where large parts of the national press were present. The band themselves thought it was fun to play in a different place. They were already used to larger venues.
What was it like in Orrskogen Folkets Park during the gig?
– We had built a large outdoor stage inside Orrskogen. They had a huge PA with sound and lights. The gig could be heard all over Malung.
How much did it cost to get Motörhead to Malung?
– I think it ended up being 150,000 Swedish kronor (about $150,000) at the time, which was a lot of money. We got some criticism for it, but financially it worked out. And the young people liked it.
– I met Lemmy and the band, they were nice guys. My English is a bit poor so there wasn't much communication between us.
Did the band have time to go sightseeing in Malung?
– No. They stayed in the Skinnargården hotel, but I don't think they had time to do much more than play, then they moved on.
– This gig in Malung is still talked about today.
Christer Klintäng from Falun was one of the more than 3,000 in the audience.
– I remember the local newspapers writing something about "Lemmy is in town, lock up your daughters," says Christer, who remembers the gig with joy.
– It was fantastic to see Motörhead in Malung, he says.
It Never Gets Dark Tour was a Scandinavian tour Motorhead did through Sweden, Finland and Norway in 1985. This tour saw a band that were in the middle of some troubled times that started two years earlier when long time guitarist Fast Eddie Clarke left the band after a dispute over a single recording of Stand By Your Man, a Tammy Wynette cover. He was replaced by Brian Robertson but that line-up only lasted a year. The group returned to the concept of dual lead guitars by hiring unknowns Wurzel and Phil Campbell.
In February 1984, the Lemmy, Campbell, Wurzel, and Taylor line-up recorded Ace of Spades for the Bambi episode in the British television series, The Young Ones. Taylor quit the band after that recording, causing Lemmy to quip: “Did I leave them or did they leave me?”. Before joining Motörhead, Phil Campbell had met former Saxon drummer Pete Gill, and the trio decided to call him to see if he would like to visit London. The try-outs went well and Gill was hired.
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| Ad for the gig in Malugn in the local newspaper. |
Now the band went into a two year long court case with their record label Bronze Records. During this court case the band found themselves without income and practially lived on the road to make some money, first was the Death On The Road Tour, then an American tour with Exciter and Mercyful fate and then heading to Germany for a five date tour. It now felt like the band had been all over the world and they were still blocked from recording and releasing a new album so where could they go. Well, why not make the biggest tour of Scandinavia the band ever had done. They had a loyal fan-base in these countries so It Never Gets Dark Tour was set up and the band performed in SMALL places in Sweden like Ängelholm, Malung, Norra Hammer to name a few. The tour lasted three months and then they headed back to American once again before finally being able to announce that the court case had settled in early 1986.
We’re back, Lemmy growled. And any fucker who thought we were dead had better head for Tibet cos that’s the only place which is gonna be safe from this band. The band were soon back on track with the 1986 album Orgasmatron and Lemmy were right. As long as he lived it was nothing that could stop the Motorman and his pals.
The Malugn show was released as a vinyl bootleg named ”Titties & Vodka” in 1985.
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| Malugn, a small town of about 4000 residents. |