Molotov Jive
Encyclopedia
Molotov Jive is an indie rock
group from Karlstad
, Värmland
, Sweden
, formed in late 2003 by vocalist and songwriter Anton Annersand and drummer Johan Hansson (nicknamed Johnny Handsome). Main influences for the band in the early days were The Beatles
, The Smiths
and The Who
, and with their second album in 2009, titled Songs for the Fallen Apart, a more epic and type of songwriting in the likeness of 1970s Bruce Springsteen
, The Killers and The Clash
made its presence noted.
Molotov Jive were signed to Swedish indie giant Bonnier Amigo Music after their first show outside their native Karlstad, a "battle of the bands" type show at Nalen in Stockholm. In March 2006 their first single was released, "The Luck You Got" which got a notable amount of airplay on Swedish radio, followed in June by second single "Made In Spain".
On 25 October 2006 Molotov Jive released their debut album "When It's All Over I'll Come Back Again", with, among others, you can find "Made In Spain" which they shot the video for in Barcelona
, Spain
.
The band went on to release two further singles, Weight off my Shoulder, and the free download single "Valentines Day" on 14 February 2007. In 2007 the band made their first foray into mainland Europe with shows in London followed by a sizable support tour with Sugarplum Fairy
. This resulted in European deals for their album "When It's Over I'll Come Back Again", which went on to be released there in October 2007. Their first major headline European tour coincided with the release of the album, followed in January 2008 with another support tour with UK band The Enemy
.
While recordings of second album "Songs For The Fallen Apart" were taking place with producer Tom Hakava, in Decibel Studio in Stockholm in 2008, Molotov Jive toured with many UK acts, including Arctic Monkeys
, The Coral
, Razorlight
, Dirty Pretty Things
and US punk band The Dirtbombs
.
On 29th of January 2009 Molotov Jive released second album "Songs for the Fallen Apart" in Scandinavia, including the single "Paint The City Black" which received massive airplay on Swedish radio throughout 2009. Reviews of "Songs For The Fallen Apart" noted that the band were leaving the Garage rock sound for something more epic and grandiose. was released in Mainland Europe on the 26 June, through Indigo/Strangeways.
The Band embarked on another Headline tour of Europe in October/November 2009.
As of 2010 the band have spent their time writing for their third album and played occasional live shows. Most notably supporting Suede at Cirkus in Stockholm on december 1st 2010. This show was the first time Molotov Jive performed as a five piece band, adding synths and extra percussion to their outfit.
Lead vocals, Songwriting, Rhythm guitar
Anders Wennberg
Bass player and backing vocals (also plays Trumpet on single "Paint The City Black")
Johan Hansson
Drums, percussion and backing vocals
Oskar Olofsson
Lead Guitar
Oskar grew up in the small industrial town of Forshaga
, 20 kilometers north of Molotov Jive's birth city, Karlstad.
Indie rock
Indie rock is a genre of alternative rock that originated in the United Kingdom and the United States in the 1980s. Indie rock is extremely diverse, with sub-genres that include lo-fi, post-rock, math rock, indie pop, dream pop, noise rock, space rock, sadcore, riot grrrl and emo, among others...
group from Karlstad
Karlstad
Karlstad is a city, the seat of Karlstad Municipality, the capital of Värmland County, and the largest city in the province Värmland in Sweden. The city had 61,685 inhabitants in 2010 out of a municipal total that during the first quarter 2010 was 84,885 inhabitants...
, Värmland
Värmland
' is a historical province or landskap in the west of middle Sweden. It borders Västergötland, Dalsland, Dalarna, Västmanland and Närke. It is also bounded by Norway in the west. Latin name versions are Vermelandia and Wermelandia. Although the province's land originally was Götaland, the...
, 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....
, formed in late 2003 by vocalist and songwriter Anton Annersand and drummer Johan Hansson (nicknamed Johnny Handsome). Main influences for the band in the early days were The Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
, The Smiths
The Smiths
The Smiths were an English alternative rock band, formed in Manchester in 1982. Based on the song writing partnership of Morrissey and Johnny Marr , the band also included Andy Rourke and Mike Joyce...
and The Who
The Who
The Who are an English rock band formed in 1964 by Roger Daltrey , Pete Townshend , John Entwistle and Keith Moon . They became known for energetic live performances which often included instrument destruction...
, and with their second album in 2009, titled Songs for the Fallen Apart, a more epic and type of songwriting in the likeness of 1970s Bruce Springsteen
Bruce Springsteen
Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen , nicknamed "The Boss," is an American singer-songwriter who records and tours with the E Street Band...
, The Killers and The Clash
The Clash
The Clash were an English punk rock band that formed in 1976 as part of the original wave of British punk. Along with punk, their music incorporated elements of reggae, ska, dub, funk, rap, dance, and rockabilly...
made its presence noted.
Molotov Jive were signed to Swedish indie giant Bonnier Amigo Music after their first show outside their native Karlstad, a "battle of the bands" type show at Nalen in Stockholm. In March 2006 their first single was released, "The Luck You Got" which got a notable amount of airplay on Swedish radio, followed in June by second single "Made In Spain".
On 25 October 2006 Molotov Jive released their debut album "When It's All Over I'll Come Back Again", with, among others, you can find "Made In Spain" which they shot the video for in Barcelona
Barcelona
Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain after Madrid, and the capital of Catalonia, with a population of 1,621,537 within its administrative limits on a land area of...
, Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
.
The band went on to release two further singles, Weight off my Shoulder, and the free download single "Valentines Day" on 14 February 2007. In 2007 the band made their first foray into mainland Europe with shows in London followed by a sizable support tour with Sugarplum Fairy
Sugarplum Fairy
Sugarplum Fairy is a pop-rock band from Borlänge, Sweden. The members took the name from a version of the Beatles' song "A Day in the Life" where John Lennon counts the song in by saying "sugar-plum-fairy, sugar-plum-fairy"...
. This resulted in European deals for their album "When It's Over I'll Come Back Again", which went on to be released there in October 2007. Their first major headline European tour coincided with the release of the album, followed in January 2008 with another support tour with UK band The Enemy
The Enemy (UK band)
The Enemy are an English rock band formed in Coventry in 2006, signed to Warner Music Group . In June 2007, The Enemy played twice at Glastonbury Festival, first in the 'Guardian Lounge' on Saturday and then the much larger 'Other Stage' on Sunday. They also headlined on the Saturday night of T in...
.
While recordings of second album "Songs For The Fallen Apart" were taking place with producer Tom Hakava, in Decibel Studio in Stockholm in 2008, Molotov Jive toured with many UK acts, including Arctic Monkeys
Arctic Monkeys
Arctic Monkeys are an English indie rock band. Formed in 2002 in High Green, a suburb of Sheffield, the band currently consists of Alex Turner , Jamie Cook , Nick O'Malley and Matt Helders...
, The Coral
The Coral
The Coral are an English band formed in 1996 in Hoylake on the Wirral Peninsula in England. The band first emerged during the early 2000s and found success with their debut album The Coral and follow up Magic and Medicine...
, 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...
, 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...
and US punk band The Dirtbombs
The Dirtbombs
The Dirtbombs are an American garage rock band based in Detroit, Michigan, notable for blending diverse influences such as punk rock and soul while featuring a dual bass guitar, dual drum and guitar lineup...
.
On 29th of January 2009 Molotov Jive released second album "Songs for the Fallen Apart" in Scandinavia, including the single "Paint The City Black" which received massive airplay on Swedish radio throughout 2009. Reviews of "Songs For The Fallen Apart" noted that the band were leaving the Garage rock sound for something more epic and grandiose. was released in Mainland Europe on the 26 June, through Indigo/Strangeways.
The Band embarked on another Headline tour of Europe in October/November 2009.
As of 2010 the band have spent their time writing for their third album and played occasional live shows. Most notably supporting Suede at Cirkus in Stockholm on december 1st 2010. This show was the first time Molotov Jive performed as a five piece band, adding synths and extra percussion to their outfit.
Band members
Anton AnnersandLead vocals, Songwriting, Rhythm guitar
Anders Wennberg
Bass player and backing vocals (also plays Trumpet on single "Paint The City Black")
Johan Hansson
Drums, percussion and backing vocals
Oskar Olofsson
Lead Guitar
Oskar grew up in the small industrial town of Forshaga
Forshaga
Forshaga is a locality and the seat of Forshaga Municipality, Värmland County, Sweden with 6,355 inhabitants in 2005.-Notable natives:* Stefan Holm, high jump Olympic champion in 2004.* Oskar Olofsson, guitarist in Swedish indie rock group Molotov Jive....
, 20 kilometers north of Molotov Jive's birth city, Karlstad.