Mando Diao – Live in Stockholm – Recorded by Sveriges Radio June 27, 2013
Even though their bio refers to them as an Alternative Band, and Wikipedia categorizes them as Garage Punk, Mando Diao strike me as more of a Pop aggregation than anything else. From the sounds of this 2013 concert performance, recorded by Sveriges Radio in Stockholm, the Swedish band was backed with strings and lots of production, something you don’t really find in your average Alternative setting. Not that there’s anything wrong with that.
But then, maybe Alternative has a different meaning to Swedish audiences. Or this is a new direction for the band.
In any event, Mando Diao were hugely popular in their native Sweden and throughout Europe. They’ve been together since 2002 and have some 11 albums to their credit. Although I don’t think they’ve made many inroads into the U.S., aside from playing Coachella in 2007 and one date at The Troubadour in 2008, they are working on cracking the UK market. With the release of their latest album at the time, Infruset Guld, they were touring throughout Sweden and this concert was part of that tour. The album marked the first foray into recording songs exclusively in Swedish. So it may signal a change in direction.
I am finding the tent containing Alternative Rock to be a lot larger and more encompassing than originally expected. And that’s all good stuff.
Check them out and see what you think of this 2013 edition of Mando Diao. I’d be curious.
