The Wannadies bring Swedish alt-rock to The Brook

If you have spent any time around indie music, you will know the name The Wannadies, and this autumn they are bringing their brand of Swedish alt-rock to Southampton. The band is set to play The Brook on Sunday 15 November, which is their first UK appearance in four years and their first show on these shores since they put out new material in 2024. It is the kind of night that will pull in both old fans and anyone who has only ever known them from a certain 1990s soundtrack.

For context, The Wannadies formed in Skellefteå, in the north of Sweden, back in 1988. Their biggest moment came with the 1994 single "You and Me Song", which climbed to number 18 in the UK Singles Chart in 1996 after it was used in the Baz Luhrmann version of Romeo + Juliet, the one with Leonardo DiCaprio and Claire Danes. The track has a long life in Britain, turning up on Coronation Street in 2003 as well. Over the years they have put out six studio albums, from their self-titled debut in 1990 through to Before & After in 2002, with their third record, Be A Girl, being the one that earned them critical acclaim and gave the world "You And Me Song" and "Might Be The Stars".

After a long break starting in 2003, they came back in 2020 with the single "Can't Kill The Musikk", and in January 2024 they released "It's You (It's You It's You It's You)", their first new material in more than two decades. The line-up you will see is Pär Wiksten on lead vocals and guitar, Christina Bergmark on backing vocals, melodica and keyboards, Stefan Schönfeldt on guitar, Fredrik Schönfeldt on bass and Erik Dahlgren on drums. Gunnar Karlsson, the drummer who founded the band, and Björn Malmquist are no longer part of it.

Opening the night is Belle Dame, a Bristol-based five-piece progressive indie outfit that actually got started in Southampton in 2021. They are described as an alternative pop-rock band with a cinematic sound and a reputation for emotional, powerful live shows, and their influences read like a who's who of the last twenty years of indie: Cage the Elephant, The Strokes, Interpol, Arcade Fire and Red Hot Chilli Peppers. They have recently released the single "Tennessee" and their debut album, Casanova's Last Gamble.

On the practical side, doors open at 7:30pm with the show starting at around 8:00pm. Tickets are £27.50, the night is age 18 plus, though 14 and over can come if they are accompanied. The show is being presented by The Gig Cartel by arrangement with X-Ray Presents. The Brook sits at 466 Portswood Road in Portswood, with a capacity of up to 600 people, so it is a proper room for a gig of this size. Getting there is easy enough by bus, with the First Group 5, the Solent Blue Line Bluestar 2 and the Uni-Link U6 all stopping nearby at Mayfield Road. If you need the box office, it is on 023 8055 5366, open 1pm to 7pm Wednesday to Saturday, and the venue runs an Equal Access Policy in line with the Equality Act 2010. It is a solid night for anyone who wants a bit of Swedish alt-rock in their autumn.