One of the classic Stockholm landmarks of moving from summer into autumn is the opening of Under Bron, rising up like the phoenix from the ashes of its summer sibling Trädgården. What you can expect from the darker, tougher incarnation of the Skanstull club is world-class techno and club music – but you already knew that. We caught up with Under Bron’s Johanna Schneider to find out what’s new on the menu as they start their tenth season.
Ok, to start off, how does it feel to be going into Under Bron’s tenth season?
It feels fucking amazing! That means we’ve had nine perfect season, and yet the most perfect ahead of us!
One of the new concepts this year is making more diverse use of the early hours of club on Fridays for hosting different events. What made you want to do that, and what events are planned for these slots?
You’ve probably seen that many venues in town have been shut down recently. Our baby is still here and we think that it’s important to share the good stuff you have with other scenes, that’s why. We have karaoke stand up, flea markets and vino & kino (yes, that’s wine and movies) ahead of us.
You’re also hosting ‘pub nights’ in a new collaboration with Bitter Pils [Former LGBTQ bar in Hornstull that was recently shut due to having its license pulled by the city]. With places like theirs having been forced to shut down, did you feel you wanted to share your space with them?
This is exactly what I’m talking about. But also it’s also just us being a fan of stuff going in the city. I mean isn’t that the dream? Not just running your own stuff in your club, but also having all of your other favorite activities gathered under one roof?
Talk us through what we can expect from the club bookings this year – you’ve mentioned wanting to bring in more young arrangers and club nights, as well as the established ones?
We’re gonna work with a lot of new crews especially in the upstairs [room]. The music focus there switched pretty recently, so now we need help from everyone from the garage/jungle & urban scene to help us be reborn as a club. Downstairs we’re also gonna work with our old residents, inviting up-and-coming DJs both from abroad and from Sweden. It’s going to be ace!
There are two new late-night dining and drinking concepts on the menu this year, the Late Night Dining at Växthuset, as well as the Naturbaren (with natural wine) now being open until 04:00 on Fridays and Saturdays. Can you expand a little more on those?
Well I am a huge natural wine lover, and since discovering it I don’t want to drink anything else when I’m out anymore. I like to think of it as changing the idea of when you’re supposed to drink natural wine. Do you get what I mean? Natural wine can also be a part of staying up super late and listening to amazing music. Same thing goes for late night dining! You don’t have to eat a dirty falafel at 02 in the morning, you can also experience vegan fine dining if you hang out at ours. How cool is that?
And finally, now into the tenth season, what do you see as Under Bron’s role in Stockholm’s nightlife scene? What’s your vision of what it provides?
I mean there’s not so many clubs left, so we need to provide even better nights and content for our beloved ravers. I really hope we’ll get more competition soon thought. Competition is what make you grow!
Under Bron, Hammarby Slussväg 2, www.underbron.com. To keep track of Under Bron’s events, check facebook.com/Under-Bron/events/
Photo: Sima Korenevski
