IPO Stockholm 2018
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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 debut album, Turn Out The Lights, is out now!
The Beautiful Art of Decay – Influenced by The Velvet Underground, The Stooges, and Ziggy Stardust era Bowie, this Stockholm quintet are “the other ones…the ones on the other side of the street…the ones your mother warned you about”…in other words, they write and play great rock n’ roll. Check out their We Are The Other Ones EP to see and hear what we mean! Their next EP is being launched one song at a time on their Soundcloud and Spotify pages…check back often to hear them all!
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! Fans of The Alloy Six (see above) or The Maharajas (see below) should make sure to stick around for their set and check out their latest EP, Surprise, Surprise, on – of course – 7” mono vinyl! Classic Swedish psychedelic-power-garage-pop at it’s finest!
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 most recent CD, Liner Notes, and watch out for a new one (co-produced by Jon Auer of The Posies and mixed by Anders Hellgren of The Merrymakers!), to be released later this year!
In Deed – Their roots go back to the flourishing Swedish indie power pop scene of the ‘90s and early ‘00s, and they are among the true exemplars of what many among us have come to love as one of THE best power pop scenes of all time! Their first album in 16 years (!), Everest, is quite a disc, as it’s a fine combination of softly rockin’ power pop (not a misnomer), and a few harder edged tunes. Hooks, harmonies and cool chord changes abound, amid a bit of psych, with many of the tunes sounding like they could (or should) be on the radio. One of our new favorites from Uppsala, and we’re honored they made IPO Liverpool part of their first UK tour, as well as joining us much closer to home for IPO Stockholm!
La Paz – Deep, dark, and intense, while retaining an uplifting folk pop sense of melodicism: This is La Paz, a three guy/1 gal prog pop outfit from Stockholm. Imagine Stevie Nicks fronting Rush, and you almost get the picture…or better yet, just come to their IPO showcase to see and hear them for yourself!
Lindström – Karlsson – Otherwise known as two thirds of El Madrigal, Eric Lindström and Ola Karlsson are sufficiently dynamic all on their own! El Madrigal’s sound is largely based on Eric’s stable basslines and vocal harmonies, Ola’s unpredictable guitar playing, 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 duo performance!
Lula – First time this has ever happened at IPO: we had a last-minute cancellation, and this band came along about an hour before that set would have taken place, asking to play. I listened to their music on an iPhone, and it sounded cool to me, so I said “yes”! They’re Lula, from Stockholm, and they’ve definitely got the glam thing going! New York Dolls fans, take special note!
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 Man – Don’t let the name fool you…The Man is actually comprised of the duo of Andreas Johansson and Peter Ågren, and together they create some of the most lushly arranged soft pop ballads we’ve heard in quite a while! Think of The Beatles, Barry Manilow, Nilsson, Brian Wilson, ELO, and Elton John all rolled into one…if you don’t believe us that they could be that good, just check out their IPO showcase and keep an eye out for a new album, which is due out soon!
Massive Lights – A powerful new indie rock quartet who have been perfecting their sound since 2016 and are ready to share it with the masses! Their debut EP, Is This How It Starts, highlights the tight mix of Linnea’s vocal attack and precision as well as Erik’s and Martin’s guitar melodies and harmonies. They’ve been recording new material and are (pardon the pun) poised for something massive!
Mister Ferrari – A quirky pop quartet featuring mixing it up with everything from ‘80s-inspired Brit pop to upbeat sunny surf pop to down and dirty rock with unforgettable hooks. They may be hard to pin down, but they’re just as equally hard not to like!
The Plastic Pals – Take the fiery guitars of bands like Television, Flamin’ Groovies and The Dream Syndicate, add a pinch of Lou Reed and The Velvet Underground and a dash of magic melodies with a dark edge. Bring to a boil with a soulful and groovy base of drums and bass. Stir well and season to taste with the finest spices from the legacy of rock ‘n roll – from Hank to Hendrix, from Gram to The Long Ryders, from The Beatles to Alex Chilton, from Townes to Paul K, from Coltrane to Television, and the list goes on. There you have the taste and the sound of these guitar slingers from Stockholm. Check out their latest CD, Turn The Tide, and watch for a brand new one, Psychic Reader, to be released later this year…we can hardly wait!!
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 they’ve just released a brand 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 – A power pop quintet with credentials well recognized by those “in the know,” Small Imperfections is comprised of Magnus Karlsson (former member of happydeadmen, The Charade and The Britannicas) on vocals and guitars, Daniel Westlund on vocals, bass and production, Stefan Johansson (frequent guest player with The Jeremy Band – see below – as configured for IPO Stockholm on drums), Christian Granquist on keys and Tove Hellerup on vocals. As such it’s no wonder that they’ve got the jangle, harmonies, and chord changes that fans of any of the aforementioned artists, as well as fans of Per Gessle or Soundtrack of Our Lives will love!
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 latest album, aptly named A New Hope, represents 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. Definitely a band after IPO’s heart, and we can’t wait to see them do their thing again!
The Tangerines – A Stockholm-based band whose main men, Per and Håkan, are no strangers to the industry, as they were also founding members of Swedish recording artists Rain Refrain in the late 80s. Together they have continued to explore the art of the three-minute pop song, with three internationally acclaimed albums to their credit. When they last appeared at IPO Liverpool – way back in 2007! – several people in the audience voted them the Best Band at the entire festival! If you love bands such as The Byrds, The Beatles, Dwight Twilley, The Hollies, and Abba – to name but a few! – then you owe it to yourself to check out The Tangerines!
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
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
The Why Oh Why’s – A cool band from Flen, whose edgy melodic small town garage-rock/pop with lyrics about youth, love and to be or not to be is…not to be missed! Their recently released debut self-titled album has earned them comparisons to such greats as The Stooges and The Rolling Stones, as well as to their countrymen, The Hellacopters and The Hives! Pretty cool!
International Artists
Caper Clowns – A quartet 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 has continued to receive airplay on a daily basis ever since. With multiple comparisons to the likes of McCartney and ELO, it’s understandable why they rose to the top of several 2016 year end “best of” lists and were an obvious choice to invite back again to IPO Stockholm!
The Jeremy Band – The eponymous band led by one of the most genuine, nicest people on the pop scene, as well as one of the most prolific pop artists around. His gentle, John Lennon-influenced pop is as spiritual as it is melodic, and you can hear this for yourself on all of his CDs. This Kalamazoo resident and his band can stake their rightful place in the IPO Hall Of Fame!
The Lieblings – “Powerful, energetic pop music, ‘90s power pop, fuzzy guitars, great singing, catchy-as-hell songs…” (OneChord.net) are just some of the accolades heaped upon this Finnish quartet. Formed of Andy J. Prinkkilä, Coma Silvennoinen of The Sugarrush, Sam Shingler, and Katja Tolonen, they un-leashed their debut album, Take Us To Your Leader, to great reviews in 2013, and have not looked back, as their song, “Isle of Man” was recognized by OneChord.net as one of the top 25 Finnish songs of 2017! Their latest album, Let Them Have It, is available as a digital download.
David Minchin from The Innocents – Though he’s now based in Berlin, Minchin will forever be known among the power pop cognoscenti as one of the main men of those Tasmanian power pop devils, The Innocents. From their early Pop stardom as Beathoven in Australia (best new group 1978) to their current incarnation as ageing hippies with a weekly wage, The Innocents continue to be true to their roots. David has also been recording solo material, produced by the venerable Michael Carpenter, and look for a release soon!