A chat with Linnéa and Filippa
It’s Thursday evening, the day after Wacken, I may say. A real day after Wacken, and we had tonight at the Music Bunker in Aachen, a real old German bunker, which you have maybe noticed already. In front of me, we’ve got Filippa: and Linnéa: Yes, and they both are very happy that to get awake maybe today.
Filippa: It’s always hard to play a gig after a really big gig. 
Yesterday was a big gig, like 20,000 people.
Linnéa: Yeah, something like that.
Filippa: How many fits in this room? 200.
Linnéa: Probably.
No, it’s a 400.
Filippa: Oh, it’s a 400, yeah.
But then it’s all together. But last night or yesterday you played at Wacken wet stage.
Linnéa: Louder stage. It was a great stage. I loved playing that stage.
Filippa: It was my favorite stage on Wacken so far.
That was not the first time, Wacken, for you.
Filippa: I think it’s the fourth time.
Cool, but in this line-up, the first, I think.
Filippa: Yes.
Okay. I saw some pictures from Wacken and I think the people enjoyed it and it was a full place. What time did you kick off there?
Filippa: Quarter past three.
Linnéa: It was a perfect slot. the best time to play first day. No one is like hungover and tired yet and everybody is pumped and ready to get started.
So it’s a great slot to have.
Filippa: And sun is shining. For the first time we played in Wacken, the sun was out.
Yes, mostly it’s there very muddy, of course. Hey, of course you are over there to promote your latest release, Life & Alive. I have a question. Was there a certain strategy behind it, maybe already as before, at first putting it out digitally and now as a real product since a couple of weeks?
Filippa: It’s really weird, actually. It was the label’s decision. They did it with some other band and we just, okay, you know, they decide. But it was a lot of misunderstandings with that release, like if you have it first out digitally. Where’s the album? Well, it’s not coming out until July, but I thought it’s out now. No, it’s not out now, but it’s out now. Strange.
But did it work for the label? Were they happy in that way or?
Filippa: I have no clue. Yeah, no clue.
And they should tell you, I find.
Filippa: We sold so many physical copies. It was really nice to see people want to have the real vinyl. We put in a lot of work into it. The booklet and it’s handmade, handcrafted artwork, no AI stuff, like the real photo of the set list on the back of the album.
Yes, oh yeah, the picture of the set list was from Tom, I believe.
Filippa: Yeah, Tom Treuten. So we took that photo this spring on the Dirty and Divine tour already, so we had to decide the set list. take a photo of them and everything. And simultaneously now, releasing this live & alive, we have also been recording a new studio album.
Yes, because I saw a lot of pictures already popping up that you were in the studio already.
I think you’re getting after Red Bull or two or more, a little bit more to this world back.
Filippa: Yeah, we had a good schnitzel as well. Yes, very good schnitzel.
Linnéa: And tiny beer, tiny, tiny.
Only one tiny beer.
Filippa: Could not almost drink that one, but soon we’re back on it.
Linnéa: Yeah.
You’re already in the studio, just like you told before. New album already this year.
Filippa: No, but we have to deliver it, to all the stuff to be made, and so long time we have to wait now until it’s out. We want everyone to hear it now, because we love it!
Linnéa: Yeah.
And we’re going to love it too.
Filippa: You’re going to love it.
Linnéa: Oh yeah, you’re going to love it.
Filippa: It is the best we ever done.
That’s what the all musicians always say about the new album.
Linnéa: Yeah.
Filippa: This is real this time.
Okay, I’m going to be curious about that about the next time.
Filippa: You’re going to die. You’re going to die.
I’m going to die now.
Filippa: You’re going to die when you hear it.
Okay. Fuck I want to listen to it now
Filippa: Yeah, it’s so fucking good.
Hey, but you’re on the tour today is a club show. Yesterday Wacken, but there are also some more big gigs coming up, together with Zakk Wylde.
Linnéa: Yeah.
And what was the other one?
Linnéa: Godsmack.
Godsmack is always the name I forget.
Filippa: Judas Priest also.
Yes, that’s awesome. We saw them last week.
Filippa: How was it?
It was very good. It was a kind of best of show. Every song you want to hear, they did. Already the third song was Breaking the Law because I was making a joke to Raymond. I said, if you play Breaking the Law, we can go home. And it was the third song. But we stayed, we stayed.
FIlippa: Oh, that’s good.
Yeah, hey, Godsmack, Zakk Wylde, you already did a cool tour in the past with Scorpions and stuff like that. Is there something where you would say, boy, if we could hop on a tour or a gig with them, I would die for that.
Linnéa: We discussed that.
Filippa: It would be really cool to play with Foo Fighters, for example.
Linnéa: Yeah, Guns and Roses.
Filippa: And AC/DC.
Linnéa: Yeah, obviously.
Filippa: I’m like, hihi. But of course, that would be fun. I would die, probably.
Okay, most of them are older bands, but what is… Of newcomer bands, where you think, hey, also big band, which you also would like to join?
Filippa: It would be cool to join Halestorm or something.
Good package.
Filippa: Yeah, it’s a good package. We do sell tickets, I think. Yeah. We are friends already and same guitars, so that’s cool.
That are enough reasons to join a tour together, of course.
Filippa: Yeah, we can just borrow each other’s instruments. Perfect.
Tonight here at the Musik Bunker, are you going to do something different than the usual festival set?
Linnéa: A little longer set today.
Filippa: It’s like a mishmash of everything. Yeah.
Linnéa: Greatest hits.
Filippa: We just threw in a bunch of ideas and made a set list because it’s different times every day now. And so we have to wing it a little bit. But we kind of like that.
Linnéa: Yeah, it’s fun.
Do we have a support act tonight?
Filippa: Igel vs Shark.
Igel vs Shark. Okay. I doubt if I would keep that in mind now.
Touring is fun, of course, and coming home is also important. And I’m not going to ask, of course, are you already dying to get home? Not because you’re on tour and that’s also a nice life. But Filippa, I think home would also be nice at this moment.
Filippa: This is the second tour day, right?
Linnéa: Yeah.
Filippa: Today I feel better than I thought, but I will go home in two days already. On the day off, fly in and out quickly to kiss my girl.
I can imagine. Yes, and it’s something you’re going to miss. And just like I told before, it’s family is also very important.
Filippa: That’s what I’m going to do on my days off. But it’s also like charging your batteries to just go home and hug her.
Even on the last tour, you had your dad with you on tour, I believe.
Filippa: Yeah, and my fiancé.
And he was doing merchandise. I talked to him. He was a very nice guy. And he was very good in selling products. Have you seen this? Have you seen that?
Filippa: Yeah, he’s crazy.
He’s not on tour now with you.
Filippa: No, but he wants to come again.
Linnéa: Nice.
Filippa: Yeah, he would like to. He might join. A little bit in the spring. Like 2 weeks or something, 3 weeks.
That keeps him off, also on the road, busy, joining his daughter.
Filippa: He’s a senior, so it keeps him alive and fresh to tour a little bit.
It’s better than to stay at home, of course.
Filippa: Yeah, I think so.
You talked a little bit about the new album. What kind of direction can we expect? Typical Thundermother or is it something where you say, hey, we did something different?
Linnéa: Both. Definitely both. Some stuff is definitely classic Thundermother stuff and some songs are in a completely different direction than we’ve done before. I would say.
Filippa: You can still hear it’s Thundermother for sure. These are sound that we have, our producer is Soren Anderson.
Which you worked with before.
Filippa: Yes. And it’s still the same band, we recorded it the same way, live in the studio. And then we put stuff on top of that.
Linnéa: But there was one specific song on the album, it’s quite different.
Filippa: Which one?
Linnéa: I would say Stalker.
Filippa: Stalker. Yeah, there’s some bluegrass elements sometimes.
But even that fits with Thundermother.
Linnéa: Exactly. So it’s not completely off.
Filippa: And it’s like in a rock way. So creepy as hell.
Linnéa: Super creepy.
Even creepy as hell. I’m going to die. Creepy as hell. 2027 is going to be a fun year to live for.
Filippa: So that song is Stalker. It’s about. I talk because you’re the singer.
You being the stalker, instead of stalked. So she’s creeping around somewhere.
She’s the stalker.
Linnéa: I’m the stalker.
Filippa: In the night. Really good lyrics.
Linnéa: Yeah, they are creepy.
I mean, maybe a new single.
Filippa: Well, if you sign up to our newsletter, you can already hear it. People have already heard it.
I want to thank you for your time. I’ve got enough news to get to my listeners. Give a good show
tonight here at Musik Bunker Aachen.
Filippa: Thank you.
And hope to see you soon. Stay safe and you say hello to your family. Ladies, thank you very much
for your time and enjoy your trip.
Linnéa: Yeah, thank you.
Interview by Theo Samson – All interview & live images by Raymond Helebrand
