IPO Stockholm 2019
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Artists From Stockholm
The Alloy Six – Formed by members of quintessential psychedelic garage rockers, The Moving Sounds and The Fourtune-Tellers, The Alloy Six play rock n’ roll influenced by the late ‘60s and early ‘70s music scene. Fuelled by Hammond organ and 12-string guitar, along with razor sharp distortion, solid drumming and spot-on bass, their sound will be an instant hit with fans of artists such as The Doors, The Electric Prunes, and 13th Floor Elevators! Their much anticipated second album, Monday Mirror, is available on limited edition vinyl or via many fine streaming services!
Dee Rangers – They combine the best of sweet power pop jangle, keyboard-laced psychedelic garage mayhem, and early pop punk a la The Ramones, and have been doing so consistently since the mid-‘90s! All You Need Tonight, their seventh (and rather aptly named) latest album resides “…largely somewhere in the ‘60s,…there is a real Scouse late 80’s / early 90’s vibe, hints of Power Pop, oodles of Mod Pop and a sort of Groovy Austin Powers 1967 vibe…” (Don Valentine, I Don’t Hear A Single blog) Fans of The Alloy Six (see above) or The Maharajas (see below) should make sure to stick around for their set! Classic Swedish psychedelic-power-garage-pop at it’s finest!
Doojiman & The Exploders – They proudly identify themselves as “angry overgrown teenagers dealing with our brain cells.” As such, they play fast, loud, irreverent garage punk that’s catchy as hell! Fans of artists from the Stooges to KISS and BTO to The Ramones and Bowling for Soup will dig ‘em! Check out their 2016 album, Sweden’s Newest Hit Makers, or any of their more recent singles to hear for yourself!
El Madrigal – The “other” band of Ola Klarlsson (also of The Alloy Six – see above), El Madrigal’s sound is largely based on Eric Lindstrom’s stable basslines and vocal harmonies, Ola’s unpredictable guitar playing, Tomas Sundin’s steady backbeat, and a voice so passionate it’s impossible not to get goosebumps when you have the pleasure of seeing them live. Their influences include Wilco, The Band, Neil Young and Crazy Horse, Budgy, Bob Dylan, and even Motörhead! Don’t miss this special performance!
Otto Niklasson Elmerås – If beautifully orchestrated soft(ish) pop with a power pop sensibility for hooks is your thing, then look no further! “Otto is a Swedish multi-instrumentalist with a truly gifted talent for melody and his debut album Mono is full of ‘60s inspired tunes that sound like a cross between Donovan, Nick Drake, and The Zombies.” (Aaron Kupferberg, Powerpopaholic) Yes, it really is that good!
The Genuine Fakes – When other artists look up to heap praise upon a band, you have to sit up and pay attention, and The Genuine Fakes are most certainly deserving of such! “The Genuine Fakes are proof of Sweden’s seemingly inexhaustible font of pop genius. Hitting all the right marks, they walk you thru the major required classes in the school of pop — chime, harmony, sparkle, and melody 101… surely these guys are on their way to being tenured professors in pop’s university.” (Ken Stringfellow, The Posies) You can begin your education with their recently released CD, Issues, co-produced by Jon Auer of The Posies, who also plays with them on the album!
The Keep Left Signs – Formed in the spring 2015 with members from the bands The Mare and The Electric Pop Group, they play adorable and timeless pop music with roots firmly planted in the soft and jangle pop of the ‘60s. There are shimmering guitars, driving arrangements and dreamy male vocals a plenty on their limited edition Tomorrow LP, and we can’t wait to see and hear them do their thing live!
The Maharajas – Do you like rock n’ roll? ‘60s garage? Maybe some wild guitars? Demented bass runs?! Snotty vocals, tambourine, drums and a cowbell? Folk-rock and wimpy organ ballads? Did we mention fuzz guitars? It’s infectious and addictive and makes you wanna drink, dance and holler. Check out their latest album, You Can’t Beat Youth, and their IPO showcase, and you’ll understand why these guys have been one of our favorite Swedish bands for many years!
The Moonbeats – A groovy combo who will help you get in touch with your inner hippy beat garage self with their driving guitars, swirling keys, and smoky vocals. Imagine a cross between The Doors and The Electric Prunes and you come close…or better yet, pick up a copy of their 2017 self-titled album and come see them live at IPO!
Rooni – Stockholm has long been known as the breeding ground of great power pop bands, and Rooni are no exception! Whether mixed with a touch of modern indie-rock or bubblegum/glam circa 1972, they deliver the insanely catchy goods that power pop fans live for! They’ve got a slew of recent singles (perhaps a hint of things to come on their next album?), one of which, Paul Stanley, made the top 40 on Alicante Live Music, alongside entries from the likes of Belle & Sebastian and Two Door Cinema Club. We can’t wait for these guys to release their next full-length!!
Slim Loris – Slim Loris blends Indie Pop/Rock with Americana and a pinch of Swedish melancholy. They “… create beautiful, melodic songs with emotional vocals that address love, inner tranquility and consciousness, and possess a charismatic singer capable of captivating any fan of Indie music”. (mostdef.blogspot.se) Their latest full length, Love and Fear, earned quite a few nods across the internet music blogs as one of the best albums of 2015, and their new EP, Wild & Untamed, which lives up to its name by adding an extra layer of intensity to the “classic” Slim Loris sound!
Small Imperfections – Any project led by the great Magnus Karlsson (also of happydeadmen, The Charade, and The Britannicas) is bound to be full of jangly poppy goodness, and Small Imperfections do not disappoint! He’s joined by a cadre of popmeisters consisting of Stephan Johansson, Daniel Westlund, Christian Granquist, and Tove Hellerup, and together they make a joyous noise that fans of ‘80s Swedish pop and Brit pop will love!
Sunshine History – We don’t normally have cover bands at IPO, but when they specialize in obscure ‘60s songs, it certainly intrigues us! Sunshine History is made up of members of Dee Rangers and The Maharajas, as well as two others, and this will be their live debut, which we are honored to showcase at IPO!
Supralunar – A power trio with the emphasis on power, while at the same time recognizing the importance of a great hook and a subtle chord change…or two or three for that matter! Supralunar’s debut full length album, aptly named A New Hope, captures the band’s persona as a new hope for rock n’ roll: It’s contemporary but with one foot in the seventies. It’s highly energetic and versatile hard rock with lots of harmonies. It’s what you might get if you put Foo Fighters in a time capsule dressed up as The Sweet. Their newest release, Ghosts, adds a touch of prog rock and ‘80s hair band homage to the mix, highlighting their ability to appeal to a wide variety of pop music tastes. Definitely a band after IPO’s heart, and we can’t wait to see them do their thing again!
The Virtues – Blending traditions from Americana Pop, Britpop, and classic Swedish pop, The Virtues will appeal to a wide array of pop fans – and have been doing so for quite some time! Their recent Yesteryears CD is actually a 10-year retrospective of their impressive career, and is a great way to get to know them! Not to rest on their laurels, their newest album, Oh Dear, earned some rave reviews and recognition as one of the best of 2017 among the pop cognoscenti. If you like Teenage Fanclub, Led Zeppelin, Sufjan Stevens, The Shins, Neil Young et al, and have not yet had a chance to check out The Virtues, you should most definitely do so…NOW!
Swedish Artists From Outside of Stockholm
Mary Maple – A five-piece power pop band from Sandviken/Stockholm whose main influences are The Who, The Beatles, The Jam, The Clash, The Primitives, Ramones as well as the Swedish bands, Docenterna, Sator and Popsicle. Their songs are filled with hooks, sharp melodies and spot on riffs. Mary Maple’s power pop sound is a splendid mix of Jonny’s distorted power chords, Lasse’s 12-string Rickenbacker jangle riffs, Stefan’s steady bass and Cederick as the solid drummer.
The Men – They played the very first IPO Stockholm in 2015, and we’re thrilled to welcome them back up from Malmo to play at our 5th anniversary show in Stockholm as part of their “Come Alive” tour, which also features stops in Hamburg, London, and Madrid! The Men will make you smile, laugh, dance, jump with their extremely refreshing version of classical R&B influenced power pop. Influenced by the best British bands of the ‘60s but with their very personal sound, all five of their albums have received enthusiastic response from international media, and in the countries where they’ve already performed they have audiences begging for more. Singer Sven Köhler (from “The Sinners”) is one of those spectacular front-men, with a real rock voice, who would under normal circumstances command 100% of the audience’s attention, if it wasn’t for the equally frantic guitarist Olof Wallberg. Tambourines and handclaps meet jerky guitars, groovy bass and drums, while every now and then a harmonica wrestles with Sven Köhler’s vocals over who can howl the loudest. This is down and dirty rock and roll at its finest, and The Men put on a performance that you will not want to miss!
Mind Motel – A psychedelic rock band from Örebro, their sound is rooted in the ‘60s Garage Rock and San Francisco sound, but there is also a new-wave of psychedelic rock, garage revival and surf inspiration found in the band’s arsenal. Their debut LP, Visions, is a concept album revolving around space travel and living, and combines the rhythmic and cerebral patterns of early psychedelic rock with wavey surftones. Fans of The Seeds and 13th Floor Elevators will dig it!
Råttanson – A DIY one-soul garage band playing a blend of garage rock, pub rock, rock, power pop, surf, punk, blues and country. “Over 30 minutes of fast, fuel-driven energy. It’s like The Monkees on acid at rush hour, sucking in some Barracudas along the way and spitting it all out in the name of garage, beat and rock ‘n’ roll. Time for some proper shaking!” (The Garage Club)
Tribe Friday – This is genuine, Swedish pop music with a touch of whiny vocals and screechy guitars set to bouncy catchy happy melodies. Their latest single, “Sixteen Minutes” has been racking up rave reviews and high placement on Nordic Alternative and Spotify playlists, and speaks of great things to come for this band!
International Artists
Caper Clowns – A quintet of young Danes from Odense who made an immediate splash on Danish radio and the world wide power pop blog underground with the release of their debut The Buca Bus late in 2016! The lead single “Pockets” was immediately chosen as the “weekly hit tip” on Danish national radio station DR P4, and received much airplay. Their latest album, A Salty Taste To The Lake, has been called “simply delicious indie power pop” and “an album which has strength in depth rather than being reliant on a couple of hit singles” by Nordic Music Review. With multiple comparisons to the likes of McCartney, ELO and Jellyfish, it’s understandable why they have quickly become a fan favorite fixture at IPOs Liverpool and Stockholm!
The Expected – By the side of the oldest church in Southern Finland, there’s a small cottage where four guys started jamming in the Spring of 2011, and we’re certainly glad they did! Dedicated to the mission of bringing great music to the masses, they blend influences from power pop, soul, R&B, psychedelica, and garage rock to create their own brand of insanely catchy pop. Fans of The Beatles, The Kinks, ELO, and The Rolling Stones will want to give their recently released EP, Coming Out, a listen (…or two…or three…)!