Browsing Collection is an all-female rock band fusing raw punk energy, heavy metal riffs, and rock 'n' roll attitude. Their music is loud, fast, and unapologetically bold. Despite the heavy and intense nature of their music, they also infuse a sense of fun and irony into their songs, which is reflected in both their lyrics and their music videos.
Sonically, I would describe them as a punkier Crucified Barbara or perhaps a louder The Donnas (both of which are sorely missed, by the way).
Browsing Collection Are
- Mimi Brander – Lead Vocals, Rhythm Guitar (Mustang)
- Moa Lenngren – Lead Guitar (Explorer), Backing Vocals
- Nora Lenngren – Bass, Backing Vocals
- Carro Karlsson – Drums, Backing Vocals
Impressive Free Festival
As I was scrolling through my regular, endless feed of funny cat clips on Facebook one day, I stumbled upon some info about a free festival in Herrljunga. As soon as I saw Browsing Collection was on the bill, I got really stoked and instantly marked my calendar as the rocker in me yelled HELL YEAH, SISTER – SIGN ME UP!!
I was so stoked to see BC that everything else on the festival just felt like a bonus at that point. Whilst there, I of course took the opportunity to shoot a lot of the other shows as well.
Overall, I was really impressed with how high they were able to set the bar for this free festival. Especially considering its arranged by a county of just about nine thousand people. Larger cities should seriously take some notes!
Learn more about the festival by clicking or tapping the buttons below!
Herrljungafestivalen is a free 1-day festival with two stages. It has also been held in 2022 and 2023. I unfortunately just learned about the festival a couple of weeks prior to its 2024 installment, however.
Apart from an impressive lineup of bands and artists, the festival also offered plenty of food trucks and facilities. It also offered activities like wall climbing, table tennis, and even video games and board games during the day.
The park area which the festival took place around also had a large market with loads of stands from local merchants selling all sorts of fun stuff.
The festival felt very cosy and inviting. Hopefully, now that I know of it, I'll get to visit it again in the summers to come!
Artists performing at Herrljungafestivalen 2024
North Stage (Smaller Stage)
11.00 Opening Ceremony
11.35 Alex Lopez
11.50 Herrljunga Brassband
12.25 Tiger & Träden
13.35 Saaristola
15.20 Moreau
17.05 Tomas Rimeika
19.00 Division 7
South Stage (Main Stage)
14.25 Weiland Band
17.55 Maxida Märak
19.55 Myra Granberg
21.55 Tjuvjakt
Artists in bold text are shows CrowdSnapper covered.
Pictures from those shows will be coming!
Photos of the Festival Area
Outdoor Stage Turned Into Rock Club
Browsing Collection played at the smaller Northside stage of the festival which, at first glance, surprised me a bit. The band is relatively well known and it's easy to assume they would play the main stage. And they probably could have, but that would probably have given them a mid-day slot, since more mainstream acts occupied the large stage in the evening.
The smaller stage lent itself quite well for the band, however. Since the late summer sun had already set, it felt more like a gig at a dark and intimate rock club more than the typical festival show.
Pedals
Before the show had even started, I took the opportunity to check out some of the music gear on stage. And for you fellow guitar nerds out there, I also snuck in a few shots of the pedal boards for your viewing pleasure.
These Ladies Can Rock...and Roll
Browsing Collection proved what a great live band they are. The show had plenty of energy, and a nice positive vibe to it. I think Moa mentioned that the guitars didn't come out with enough bite or gain, but that was something they solved by playing harder. So badass.
Acoustic Version of Face in the Crowd
Most of the listeners were likely familiar with the band's Eurovision candidate Face in the Crowd, which they competed with in the Swedish trials "Melodifestivalen". Apparently, I was among the few who voted for it, as the song kinda bombed there. Because of the failure in Mello the band had been hesitant to even play it, Moa mentioned. It's entirely unwarranted, though. Because so far, Sweden hasn't had the courage to send anything with distorted guitars to Eurovision. The song slaps, period!
Anyhow, Mimi and Moa played a softer, acoustic version of Face here, followed by a few other songs that were also stripped down to acoustic renditions.
Fan's Birthday
A young fan in the crowd also got the best birthday ever and a memory for life as the band brought her up on stage and sang to her. She turned 13, I believe. That was really endeering to see!
Below are some pictures capturing that moment!
Shooting the Show
CrowdSnapper managed to get press photo accreditation to the festival which gave access to the pit of the larger Southside stage. Special thanks to the festival's project manager Jesper Jansson for giving me this opportunity!
Browsing Collection played at the pitless smaller stage, however, so I did all the shooting amongst the rest of crowd. The audience was too shy to gather at the front, though, which made it easier for me to arse around freely while shooting the band.
Since I was so close to the action, I used the standard 28-75mm zoom almost exclusively, and only reached for the tele zoom to get a few shots of the drummer. More on what gear I used in the box below!
Gear Used
Wider Shots
- Camera: Sony a7 III
- Lens: Tamron 28-75/f2.8
Close-Ups
- Camera: Sony a7R II
- Lens: Tamron 70-180/f2.8
Photos From the Show
That's enough waffling, here are some pictures from the show!
