Introducing: Bodebrixen

Ja Ja Ja continues to gather pace. The club night that celebrates Nordic music returns on Thursday 18th March at The Lexington on London’s Pentonville Road. This time around the curator is one Steve Lamacq, who has chosen Hafdis Huld from Iceland, Katzenjammer from Norway and Bodebrixen from Denmark to play live at the show. For full details visit the Ja Ja Ja website.

Entering the world of Bodebrixen, means entering the lives of Andreas and Aske. Two Danish boys, whose hearts beat for music that makes you want to dance and smile, and acknowledge your true geeky self. The boys met in 2006 at a jazz summer camp. As they decided to team up, they entered MySpace, and within three weeks they landed a record deal. In the following period, Bodebrixen had a lot of media attention.

The music is placed in the tension field between I’m From Barcelona and The Whitest Boy Alive. The song writing in Bodebrixen takes a lot of inspiration from Swedish song writing tradition, and the craftsmanship of writing good, simple songs.

We caught up with them below….

For people out there that have never heard of you. Give us three reasons why they should?
1. We play some of the most joyful indiepop in the world.
2. You can’t stand still. Our music is a good soundtrack for your party…
3. We have some great songs…

Tell us a little about where you’re from. Do your surroundings affect the music that you create?
Yes, but mostly because we wanted to get away and escape to Sweden…

If you could have played on or written any song, what would it be?
Andreas: Well that’s a very difficult question. I would say: “A Day in the Life”, The Beatles
Aske: Hm… I would like to have written “God Only Knows” by The Beach Boys. It must be the ultimate pop-song…and maybe play the piano on “The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down”.

How did the band come in to being? And where did the name come from?
We started as an alternative jazz duo. Aske played the piano and Andreas played the drums. After a while we wanted to chance the style of the music. So we tried to write something more mainstream. We got a gig some weeks later so we had to write something. At the same time we discovered that both of us liked Swedish pop music. So we tried to write some catchy songs. In the spring of 2007 we recorded a demo at our school and created a myspace profile. After three weeks a record label wrote us. We were kind of stunned, because we hadn’t those things in our mind. But about to month after we had a record deal. The name of the band is Aske and Andreas’ surnames. Respectively Bode and Brixen. As mentioned we started as a jazz band, and we didn’t know what to call our self. So we decided (in a vey “jazzy” way) to name the band Bodebrixen.

What is the most memorable gig you have played, and what can we expect of your live set at Ja Ja Ja?
The gig at Roskilde Festival last summer was an amazing experience. We have also played two great gigs in Iceland. But the gig we played at The Lexington in January was also a memorable concert. The audience took part in the concert – and we like that! To the set at Ja Ja Ja you can expect a concert which hopefully will be a party for every person at The Lexington. (Maybe except for the people who have to clean up afterwards).

If you were asked to curate your own Ja Ja Ja night, which three acts would you choose and why?
Hymns From Nineveh (DK) – we know Jonas and he’s one of the most talented songwriters in Denmark at the moment. It’s kind of Sufjan Stevens-ish but with its own universe. Berndsen (IS) is a really fun band. We played with them in Reykjavik and they have some incredible (almost annoying) catchy songs. And last we will invite The Megaphonic Thrift (NO) – they play melodic rock-music. They have some really fine melodies and they play them really really well live…

We’d like you to make us a Nordic themed mix-tape. Which five tracks would you choose?
Jens Lekman – Kanske Är Jag Kär i Dig
Múm – If I Were A Fish
Loney Dear – I Was Only Going Out
The Tough Alliance – Something Special
Peter Bjorn & John – It Don’t Move Me

Bodebrixen: “Dead Man”