The coming week, Kent will perform six comeback concerts in Stockholm in front of 230,000 spectators. The band has kept a low profile and has not given any interviews ahead of their reunion after eight years.
But in the podcast "Back to the music with Ingrid", Kent's singer and songwriter Joakim Berg tells what lies behind.
It's very simple. We get suggestions all the time and we meet, maybe not so often, but it happens and we are friends. And several of the guys were quite keen on playing again, says Joakim Berg, who adds that he, however, needed to be persuaded by the others.
Kentpromenaden
An important ingredient for Kent to find their way back to the joy of playing together is the tourist attraction Kentpromenaden in their hometown Eskilstuna, which the municipality has initiated.
Kent decided to engage in the project and it awakened old memories.
We started talking about that time and the rehearsal room we had, and it was so much fun because no one could remember how it really was, so it became like a big puzzle. And then we started finding old demo versions of songs we had forgotten.
It was so much fun to do and it probably solved a lot of knots, says Joakim Berg.
The singer also reflects on his own age and says that it may be the last chance Kent has to reunite. He doesn't want to stand on stage at a high age.
I'm turning 55 in March. It's really scary.
Really Angry Fans
Joakim Berg also brings up the reactions to the comeback. Several fans have expressed disappointment over Kent's reunion.
Some are really angry, actually, he says and laughs.
The band put a period in 2016 – and would not reunite.
I think they're upset because it was implied that we would never do this, but we never said that. We never promised it, but then (2016) I was really clear with this thing.
The performances in Stockholm should not be seen as a proper comeback.
We're not going to tour and we're not making a new album.
They will not play any new music at 3Arena either. Despite Joakim Berg admitting that he has written a lot of new material that would fit as "Kent songs" when asked by the podcast's hosts Sarah Snavely and Björn Yttling.
No, we're not going to play any new songs. We have enough.
Kent will perform six shows at 3Arena in Stockholm, March 21-23 and 25-27. It will be the first time the band has played together since the farewell concert at the same arena on December 17, 2016.
It's also almost exactly 30 years since the debut album "Kent" was released, on March 15, 1995.
