Mando Diao
Encyclopedia
Mando Diao is an alternative rock
band from Borlänge
, Sweden
. The band got their breakthrough with the release of the album Hurricane Bar
. Their main fan base is in Sweden
, Germany
, and Japan
although their influence has recently spread to Western Europe, most notably the UK.
in 1999. A local writer described them in an article as the best unsigned band he had ever seen. This was soon followed by a record deal with EMI
Sweden. In 2002, their first album Bring 'Em In was released in Sweden. It contains early demo versions of their songs, partly recorded in the basement of keyboardist Daniel Haglund, who left the band later in 2003. In 2003, the album was released internationally by MUTE label, along with their debut single "Sheepdog". As of 2004, the band is hailed enthusiastically by the music press as one of the most sanguine newcomer bands of the year. The album Hurricane Bar
was released in 2004. Their third album, Ode to Ochrasy
, was released in 2006. By the end of 2006, the band released a DVD called "Down in the Past". Ode to Ochrasy
was released in the UK through the Nettwerk label on April 2, 2007, in a previously unreleased format including 4 bonus tracks. In October 2007, the band released their album, Never Seen The Light Of Day. Their latest album, Give Me Fire, was released on February 13, 2009.
on their tour in 2005, along with the Los Angeles
band The Colour. On their 2006 European tour, they were supported by Razorlight
and Johnossi
, and for the British leg of the tour they were a joint support act for the Dirty Pretty Things
along with Larrikin Love
.
At the end of January 2007, Mando Diao were widely covered in the Swedish media because of an incident at their live concert on January 27, 2007. They were performing at the Amplified festival at Norrlands Opera House
in Umeå
when a part of the floor the audience was standing on collapsed, leaving at least 25 fans hurt. Five people were taken to the hospital with injuries such as broken arms and legs. According to the management of Norrlandsoperan, the hall had been checked, but they had never thought the floor, consisting of several moveable parts on concrete girders over a three meter deep hole, wouldn't hold the 170 people in the room, since the fire department had given them approval for 800 people. After this unfortunate event, Mando Diao stayed in Umeå in case they could do anything to help the injured fans. They also visited the hospitalized fans personally.
Mando Diao appeared April 29, 2007 at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival
http://www.coachella.com/event/lineup/mando-diao and on July 7, 2007 they performed at the German leg
of Live Earth
http://liveearth.msn.com/artists/mandodiao in Hamburg
. Since the summer of 2007, Mando Diao has had support from a horn section consisting of renowned Swedish jazz
musicians Nils Janson
and Nils Berg.
Mando Diao singer Björn Dixgård toured Europe solo during the end of 2007.
On November 3, 2008, the band played one US date for the "Give Me Fire" tour with the Capshuns and We Barbarians at the Troubadour in Los Angeles.
On September 2, 2010, they recorded an MTV Unplugged
concert at Union Film-Studios in Berlin
, featuring guest appearances by Daniel Haglund, Ray Davies
, Klaus Voormann
, Juliette Lewis
and Lana Del Rey
. The concert was released on CD and DVD in late 2010.
Alternative rock
Alternative rock is a genre of rock music and a term used to describe a diverse musical movement that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1980s and became widely popular by the 1990s...
band from Borlänge
Borlänge
Borlänge is a locality and the seat of Borlänge Municipality in Dalarna County, Sweden, with 49200 inhabitants in 2011.- History :Originally Borlänge was the name of a tiny village, and the first historical information about it is from 1390. The village was insignificant up until about 1870...
, Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
. The band got their breakthrough with the release of the album Hurricane Bar
Hurricane Bar
Hurricane Bar is the second album from the Swedish band Mando Diao, released in 2004. The album was chosen as No. 92 of Amazon.com's Top 100 Editor's Picks of 2005....
. Their main fan base is in Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, and Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
although their influence has recently spread to Western Europe, most notably the UK.
Origin
The roots of Mando Diao date back to 1995 when Björn Dixgård and the former Mando Diao member Daniel Haglund played in a band called Butler. With band members changing over the following four years, the current line-up decided to take the project more seriously. Björn Dixgård and Gustaf Norén locked themselves up in a summer house and spent 14 months writing songs. They claim the Beatles as their original source of inspiration. Allegedly, Gustaf joined the band after he and Björn had talked all night about this band. The two renamed their band Mando Diao which, according to the band has no particular meaning, appearing to Björn Dixgård in a dream, when a man came up to him and shouted "Mando Diao!".Recordings
The now-renamed band made their first public performances in the clubs of their hometown BorlängeBorlänge
Borlänge is a locality and the seat of Borlänge Municipality in Dalarna County, Sweden, with 49200 inhabitants in 2011.- History :Originally Borlänge was the name of a tiny village, and the first historical information about it is from 1390. The village was insignificant up until about 1870...
in 1999. A local writer described them in an article as the best unsigned band he had ever seen. This was soon followed by a record deal with EMI
EMI
The EMI Group, also known as EMI Music or simply EMI, is a multinational music company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the fourth-largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry and one of the "big four" record companies. EMI Group also has a major...
Sweden. In 2002, their first album Bring 'Em In was released in Sweden. It contains early demo versions of their songs, partly recorded in the basement of keyboardist Daniel Haglund, who left the band later in 2003. In 2003, the album was released internationally by MUTE label, along with their debut single "Sheepdog". As of 2004, the band is hailed enthusiastically by the music press as one of the most sanguine newcomer bands of the year. The album Hurricane Bar
Hurricane Bar
Hurricane Bar is the second album from the Swedish band Mando Diao, released in 2004. The album was chosen as No. 92 of Amazon.com's Top 100 Editor's Picks of 2005....
was released in 2004. Their third album, Ode to Ochrasy
Ode to Ochrasy
Ode to Ochrasy is the third studio album by Mando Diao. The first single to be from the album was "Long Before Rock 'n' Roll"; the second was "Good Morning, Herr Horst"...
, was released in 2006. By the end of 2006, the band released a DVD called "Down in the Past". Ode to Ochrasy
Ode to Ochrasy
Ode to Ochrasy is the third studio album by Mando Diao. The first single to be from the album was "Long Before Rock 'n' Roll"; the second was "Good Morning, Herr Horst"...
was released in the UK through the Nettwerk label on April 2, 2007, in a previously unreleased format including 4 bonus tracks. In October 2007, the band released their album, Never Seen The Light Of Day. Their latest album, Give Me Fire, was released on February 13, 2009.
Touring
Mando Diao has been touring all over the world, though their biggest following is in Germany, Japan, and their homeland Sweden. The band supported The BraveryThe Bravery
The Bravery is an American rock band from New York City that consists of Sam Endicott , Michael Zakarin , John Conway , Mike Hindert , and Anthony Burulcich...
on their tour in 2005, along with the Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
band The Colour. On their 2006 European tour, they were supported by Razorlight
Razorlight
Razorlight are a UK based indie rock band formed in 2002. They are primarily known in the UK, having topped the charts with the 2006 single "America" and its parent self-titled album, their second...
and Johnossi
Johnossi
Johnossi is a rock duo from Saltsjöbaden, Stockholm, Sweden, consisting of songwriter, singer, guitarist John Engelbert and drummer, percussionist, singer Oskar "Ossi" Bonde...
, and for the British leg of the tour they were a joint support act for the Dirty Pretty Things
Dirty Pretty Things (band)
Dirty Pretty Things were an English band fronted by Carl Barât, a member of The Libertines. The formation of the band was announced in September 2005, after a dispute between Barât and Pete Doherty led to the breakup of The Libertines in 2004. Barât had worked with Vertigo Records and had...
along with Larrikin Love
Larrikin Love
Larrikin Love were an English four piece indie rock band from London.Consisting of Edward Larrikin , Micko Larkin , Alfie Ambrose and Coz Kerrigan , and also occasionally including violinist Rob Skipper from The Holloways or roving violinist Jonnie Fielding, the band were briefly described as...
.
At the end of January 2007, Mando Diao were widely covered in the Swedish media because of an incident at their live concert on January 27, 2007. They were performing at the Amplified festival at Norrlands Opera House
Norrland Opera
The NorrlandsOperan , is a Swedish opera company in Umeå, located in Norrland, Sweden. The ownership of NOP is divided between the Umeå Municipality and the Västerbotten County Council ....
in Umeå
Umeå
- Transport :The road infrastructure in Umeå is well-developed, with two European highways passing through the city. About 4 km from the city centre is the Umeå City Airport...
when a part of the floor the audience was standing on collapsed, leaving at least 25 fans hurt. Five people were taken to the hospital with injuries such as broken arms and legs. According to the management of Norrlandsoperan, the hall had been checked, but they had never thought the floor, consisting of several moveable parts on concrete girders over a three meter deep hole, wouldn't hold the 170 people in the room, since the fire department had given them approval for 800 people. After this unfortunate event, Mando Diao stayed in Umeå in case they could do anything to help the injured fans. They also visited the hospitalized fans personally.
Mando Diao appeared April 29, 2007 at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival
Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival
The Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival is a three-day annual music and arts festival, organized by Goldenvoice and held at the Empire Polo Club in Indio, California, in the Inland Empire's Coachella Valley...
http://www.coachella.com/event/lineup/mando-diao and on July 7, 2007 they performed at the German leg
Live Earth concert, Hamburg
The Live Earth concert in Germany was held at HSH Nordbank Arena, Hamburg on 7 July 2007.-Running order:In order of appearance:*Shakira - "Don't Bother", "Inevitable", "Dia Especial" with Gustavo Cerati, "Hips Don't Lie"...
of Live Earth
Live Earth
-Background:Founded by Emmy-winning producer Kevin Wall, in partnership with former U.S. Vice President Al Gore, Live Earth was built upon the belief that entertainment has the power to transcend social and cultural barriers to move the world community to action...
http://liveearth.msn.com/artists/mandodiao in Hamburg
Hamburg
-History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808...
. Since the summer of 2007, Mando Diao has had support from a horn section consisting of renowned Swedish jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
musicians Nils Janson
Nils Janson
Nils Janson is a Swedish jazz composer and trumpet player. He has recorded two solo albums entitled "Debut" and "Excavation", who both received good reviews in Swedish press....
and Nils Berg.
Mando Diao singer Björn Dixgård toured Europe solo during the end of 2007.
On November 3, 2008, the band played one US date for the "Give Me Fire" tour with the Capshuns and We Barbarians at the Troubadour in Los Angeles.
On September 2, 2010, they recorded an MTV Unplugged
MTV Unplugged
MTV Unplugged is a TV series showcasing many popular musical artists usually playing acoustic instruments. The show has received the George Foster Peabody Award and 3 Primetime Emmy nominations among many accolades.-Unplugged:...
concert at Union Film-Studios in Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
, featuring guest appearances by Daniel Haglund, Ray Davies
Ray Davies
Ray Davies, CBE is an English rock musician. He is best known as lead singer and songwriter for the Kinks, which he led with his younger brother, Dave...
, Klaus Voormann
Klaus Voormann
Klaus Voormann is a German Grammy Award-winning artist, noted musician, and record producer. He designed artwork for many bands including The Beatles, The Bee Gees, Wet Wet Wet and Turbonegro. His most notable work as a producer was his work with the band Trio, including their worldwide hit "Da Da...
, Juliette Lewis
Juliette Lewis
Juliette Lewis is an American actress and musician. She gained international fame for her role in the 1991 thriller Cape Fear for which she was nominated for both an Academy Award and Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actress...
and Lana Del Rey
Lana Del Rey
Elizabeth Grant better known by her stage name Lana Del Rey is an American singer-songwriter. Her stage name is a combination of the late old Hollywood actress Lana Turner and the Ford Del Rey-Early life and career beginnings:...
. The concert was released on CD and DVD in late 2010.
External links
- The Official Mando Diao Website
- Mando Diao Facebook
- Mando Diao Street team
- Video Interview Mando Diao: What is really important to you?
- 13 Songs chosen by and an Interview with Mando Diao on Klangschau.com