Review: Gin Lady ‘Toads And Diamonds Volume One: Live In Spain’
After six studio albums, the northern Sweden five-piece psych country folk, Gin Lady, have finally done it. They have released their first-ever live album, and honestly, it feels like almost inevitable, and as it happens with most rock bands, that was always going to happen eventually. The album, Toads And Diamonds Volume One: Live In Spain, exudes joy from every pore as it’s flowery, sunny and electrifying.
The recordings come from their tour in February and March of 2025. You can hear that the crowd were into it; the energy was there, and so was the overwhelming feeling. A really good time to release a live album that shows, to those who never witnessed them at a gig, how passionate and full of magic their performance is. They put out their studio album Before The Dawn Of Time also in 2025, which was really well received, and now they’re following it up with this. It says a lot about how confident they are performing live, like they know what happens on stage is worth capturing and putting out in its own right.
Now, if you’ve never heard Gin Lady before, let me try and paint a picture of what they sound like. They’re delicate, colourful, melodic and warm. Think country folk rock with a beautiful West Coast reminiscence running through it; sunny, open, breezy in the best possible way. At times, it genuinely reminds me of the UK ‘70s country rock trio America, also the legendary Poco or the classic Crosby, Stills & Nash. That same kind of golden, hazy sonority, soft but not weak, melodic but never shallow. It’s the kind of music that feels like it was made somewhere with a lot of light and open sky, which is funny given that they come from northern Sweden.
The setlist draws from across their back catalogue and the choices are telling. They open the show with the title track from their 2016 album Call Of The Nation. It sets the tone immediately, grounds the whole thing in where this band came from. Then there are three songs pulled from their 2017 record Electric Earth, another strong chapter in their story. From there, things just keep getting better. The live versions of I’m Your Friend and Flower People are gorgeous – that delicate, melodic quality they have in the studio feels even more alive and breathing here, more spontaneous.
And then there’s Brothers Of The Canyon, which, for me, is one of the highlights of the whole set. It sounds like a sweet, tender answer to Joni Mitchell’s Ladies of the Canyon – that same kind of intimate, canyon-dusk folk beauty, but unmistakably Gin Lady, stunning. They also dip into their fascinating 2025 album Before The Dawn Of Time, with Mighty Rivershowing up and reminding you just how strong that record was. One of my favourites I shall say.
that delicate, melodic quality they have in the studio feels even more alive and breathing…
And then there’s Tingens Sanna Natur, their flagship country-folk song, and honestly one of the most enchanting highlights of their songwriting. Hearing it live, in this context, is something else entirely. And then they give us Far Beyond the Sun, a beautiful new song that pulls you in with a quiet confidence, like it already knows you’re going to love it before you’ve even reached the chorus.
What really strikes me about this album as a whole is how different it sounds from the studio versions. Everything feels looser, more psychedelic, more experimental, and far more willing to venture into uncharted territory. There is a brilliant tension running throughout the record between the band’s gift for melody and their appetite for exploration. One moment you’re drifting through delicate folk-rock harmonies and sun-drenched West Coast atmospheres, the next you’re being pulled into sprawling, cosmic excursions that seem determined to see just how far a song can travel before finding its way home again. That constant push and pull keeps the performances exciting, even for listeners who know these songs inside out.
Johnny Stenberg, who, along with the rest of the band, previously played in the progressive rock outfit Black Bonzo, has spoken about how releasing a live album on vinyl was a bucket-list ambition from the very beginning of the band’s journey. Knowing that adds an extra layer of meaning to this release, because you can hear the care and purpose behind it. This doesn’t feel like a contractual obligation, a stopgap between studio albums, or a simple souvenir for existing fans. It’s a declaration of who the band really are when the red recording light is off and the songs are allowed to breathe, evolve and take on lives of their own.
More importantly, it captures something that studio recordings can only hint at: the chemistry between the musicians and the sense of risk that comes with live performance. The extended instrumental passages never feel self-indulgent; they’re driven by communication, instinct and a genuine desire to discover something new within familiar material.
If you’re a fan of psychedelic country-folk, there is little else you could ask for. Imagine Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young’s 4 Way Street infused with the free-spirited exploration of the late ’60s San Francisco scene, while retaining the earthy soulfulness of The Flying Burrito Brothers Live in Amsterdam. That’s the territory being explored here. In a few words: a classic live album, and perhaps the most complete representation of what this band is capable of.
Label: Ripple Music
Band Links: Facebook | Bandcamp | Spotify | Instagram
Scribed by: Domenico ‘Mimmo’ Caccamo
