‘Gimme Gimme Gimme’ The Royal Concept!
For the better part of three decades, the Swedish music scene was generally represented by the schmaltz of ABBA, the four-hit-wonder appeal of Ace of Base, and the incomprehensible ramblings of The Swedish Chef. But, something happened a few years ago. Indie pop rock acts like Peter Bjorn & John and Lykki Li broke through to the mainstream, while house hunters Swedish House Mafia invaded dance clubs worldwide. The latest band to come out of Nordic country – The Royal Concept – seem poised for stardom as well.
A cross between The Strokes and Phoenix (and yes they’re totally fine being classified as such), the quartet recently dropped their five-song EP, and single “Gimme Twice” has more hooks than Heidi Fleiss and is already heating up on alt-rock stations – at least the one I listen to (SiriusXM’s Alt-Nation).
On a recent balls-hot Thursday afternoon, David Larson (vocals), Filip Bekic (guitar), Magnus Robert (bass) and Frans Povel (drums) stopped by the Music Conservatory of Westchester in White Plains, NY for an interview and to perform two songs for “A-Sides.” The interview and “Gimme Twice” can be seen below, while their live version of “Goldrushed” can be viewed exclusively at asidesmusic.com
Watch the interview, love the song, and grab the infectious EP. As a matter of fact, I dig the EP so much, I’ll give away five copies for five random people who comment below or on the asides site.
Interview
“Gimme Twice”
“Goldrushed”
About A-Sides with Jon Chattman
Jon Chattman’s music series features artists (established or not) from all genres performing a track, and discussing what it means to them. This informal series focuses on the artist making art in a low-threatening, extremely informal (sometimes humorous) way. No bells, no whistles — just the music performed in a random, low-key setting followed by an unrehearsed chat. In an industry where everything often gets overblown and over manufactured, I’m hoping this is refreshing.