The Winterwaves festival in Gothenburg comes as the city emerges from a deep freeze. The heat radiating from Musikens Hus might be responsible for the thaw. The sold-out festival gathers the dark hordes for their first major gathering of 2026.
The acts brought together include Red Cell, Unify Separate, Thin Eater, Ankomst, CRED, and Das Ich. The act that brought us there is Page, who have just released their new single, “Ingenting som betyder någonting” [EN: “Nothing That Means Anything”].
The band shared pole position in our 2025 list with their Krautrock-influenced album, Inget moststånd. Sweden’s poptronica pioneers have pivoted from their Synth Britannia revival towards a more NEU-oriented style with touches of early OMD. The result is a more nuanced sound that still makes good use of Eddie Bentsson’s Moog collection.
Marina Schiptjenko has been performing some of the songs in the night’s set list since the beginning of the 1980s, but she has lost none of her prowess. Nor has her enthusiasm diminished with the years. She ties her hair back and rattles off hooks on her MicroKorg Gold with aplomb; only stepping forward to greet fans in the front rows.
Bengtsson has to operate vertically and horizontally to cope with the challenges of the stage set-up. Standing, he affects a dynamism that few acts offer. Prone, he proves the adage, “The show must go on.” Neither backline issues nor gravity can block the poptronica juggernaut.
Gothenburg is a walking city, but its denizens know how to dance. Fuelled by the DJ prowess of Bats Out of Helsingborg, the dancefloor gets a workout before Page launch into their show.
The set list covers a lot of ground: from “Start” and “Krasch” to “Som ett skal” [EN: “Like a Shell”] and “Alla som väntar” [EN: “Everyone Who Is Waiting”]. The emotional range of the songs is vast, as are the nods to bands as diverse as Gary Numan and Our Daughter’s Wedding, La Düsseldorf, and John Foxx-era Ultravox. There is subtle humour throughout. When Page sing “Vi kommer tillbaka” [EN: “We Are Returning”], it is a prelude to an encore featuring the classic tracks and crowd favourites, “Mia och Tom” [EN: “Mia and Tom”] and “Förlåt” [EN: “Sorry”].
There is an intensity to a Page show that is only partly explained by the inclusion of the Currie-esque drama of “Blöder du” [EN: “You Are Bleeding”]. The determination of the band to ensure that they are connected to the audience throughout bridges the space between the stage and the audience. Handovers for crowd contributions have none of the shallowness of modern R&B acts. Page and their audience are one in spirit and voice.
The only disappointment comes when the curtains are drawn. After more than forty-five years of work, there is a lot more Page to be sung.