Music moves in Copenhagen
Press Information
March 2007
Music moves in Copenhagen
Junior Senior and Safri Duo have stormed the pop charts. David Bowie approached Kashmir to work with them on their latest album, on which Lou Reed also guests. Trentemøller remix's on Pet Shop Boys latest album. And since The Raveonettes were discovered by the influential Rolling Stone Magazine they, too, have helped promote Denmark on the international music scene. Danish music is reaping success in a wide range of genres from dance music to heavy rock and this great diversity is also reflected in the music scene of its capital, Copenhagen.
Copenhagen has a unique musical vibe, which, over the last decade, has become internationally recognised in the music world as a cool and stylish trendsetter. A good example is the open-air concerts at Tivoli, the world famous pleasure gardens. Every Friday, for the normal price of admission to the gardens, visitors have the chance to see major international acts such as Maria Carey and Elvis Costello as well as locally grown stars who have broken through internationally, such as The Raveonettes and Mew in these 'Friday Rock' shows.
Major international venues
Vega is not merely the nightclub voted the best in the city in 2005, it is the capital's leading music venue and it has a major influence on Copenhagen's music scene. Vega's programme is diverse, covering rock, pop, hip-hop and soul, and it has been one of the driving forces behind the introduction of electronic music to Copenhagen. Vega attracts big names but it is best known for the intimate nature of its concerts. Store Vega is the stage on which to see established names such as the Danish band Carpark North, as well as major international stars like Prince, Björk, Kylie Minogue and David Bowie. Lille Vega typically hosts concerts by upcoming artists, but the acts that appear here often turn up on the larger stage later in their careers. Furthermore, VEGA opens its doors to club evenings with international star-djs such as Dimitri from Paris, Bob Sinclar, Fatboy Slim, and DJ Shadow.
Another draw of the Copenhagen music scene is Copenhagen JazzHouse. Following the closure of the legendary Monmartre jazz club, Copenhagen was without a major, international standard jazz venue until the JazzHouse opened in 1991. Copenhagen has an internationally renowned jazz history, which means that the JazzHouse is able to attract world class acts. Chick Corea, Niels Henning Ørsted Pedersen and Niels Lan Dokyhave all showcased their unique talents on this intimate stage in central Copenhagen. The programme here varies from jazz-funk to fusion, Nordic jazz, free jazz and modern, as well as which Copenhagen JazzHouse is also one of the city's most popular nightclubs.
Over in Nørrebro there is usually a long queue outside the venue Rust. Pilgrims come to enjoy all kinds of electronic music such as underground hip-hop, dance hall, electro and house, as well as to see acts perform on the legendary rock stage. This small stage, close to the audience, offers an intimate concert experience. Concerts take place regularly in Rust every Thursday, as well as on other days of the week. The live stage focuses on upcoming or alternative names from the indie rock, pop, hip-hop and electronic music scenes, such as Z Star (UK), & Northwood (UK/DK) and Camille Jones (DK).
Pumpehuset is one of Copenhagen's largest concert venues. The hall is primarily a rock venue, but its programme also includes other genres such as pop and jazz. Pumpehuset draws major names, a third of whom are international stars such as Macy Gray, Def Leppard and Melanie C. The remainder are Danish artists, including Blue Foundation, Randi Laubek and Outlandish.
The smaller stages
New bands cut their teeth on smaller stages, which is also where audiences enjoy the more relaxed atmosphere for which the Copenhagen music scene is famed.
Stengade 30 is a small venue, great for checking out the music bubbling on the Danish underground scene. Stengade showcases different kinds of new music from rock to hip hop, and dance to jazz. The artists come from Denmark, elsewhere in Scandinavia and the rest of the world, and include acts like Baby Woodrose (DK), Green Carnation (N), The Legends and DJ Darren (NZ).
In the 'Free city' of Christiania is another of Copenhagen's alternative music venues, Loppen. The stage offers a broad range of musical acts. You can hear rock, pop, country and hip hop at Loppen and, though the likes of Bob Dylan have played here, many of the names are unknowns – or at least they are when they first appear here - (Smashing Pumpkins is one of many acts that has gone on to greater things after playing Loppen). Acts tend to be equally divided between Danish and overseas names.
Culture Box is the new playground for non-commercial cultural events. At week-ends, Culture Box hosts club events such as showcases, electronic events, fashion shows and movies. The music profile is non-commercial, with an extensive range of different kinds of music, including Techno, House, Electro, Electronica, Abstract Hip-Hop, Drum'N'Bass, Dub, Reggae and Electronic Jazz. Culture Box will be the main venue for the Copenhagen Label Collaboration's electronic music festival.
Of course, 'it don't mean a thing if it ain't got that swing', which is where Mojo Blues Bar comes in. The country's leading blues venue offers live music every evening from a range of blues, country and folk. The acts are predominantly Danish, such as Troels Jensen, but some international artists such as Paul Banks (USA) and Roy Rogers (USA) also play here.
Two major festivals and a new one
There are two events in particular which are not to be missed if you are looking to tune in to Copenhagen music.
Every year towards the end of June Northern Europe's largest music festival, the Roskilde Festival, takes place not far from Copenhagen. The festival attracts around 65,000 music fans and is renowned for showcasing major names. A famously friendly, party-loving crowd get to experience world class acts and a wide range of music, from rock, pop, house and r'n'b to the warmth of West Indian reggae. Some of the stars who have played the festival recently include Metallica, Duran Duran, Green Day and Snoop Dogg.
Just one week later comes the Copenhagen Jazz Festival, which always begins on the first Friday in July, and lasts ten days. The festival has grown considerably since it began in 1979 and today clubs, bars, parks and streets throughout the city play host to around 700 concerts and events drawing upwards of 100,000 visitors. The programme features all kinds of jazz, from traditional to future sounds of jazz, while the performers are a blend of both Danish and international musicians, such as Palle Mikkelborg, Herbie Hancock and Keith Jarrett.
One of the world's biggest music events, the MTV European Music Awards, came to Copenhagen at the beginning of November, 2006. The television spectacular featured many of the hottest names in music. In the week leading up to the show, a Copenhagen Music Week put the Copenhagen music scene in the spotlight. Copenhagen Music Week is exclusively dedicated to music. We bring the best of the Danish music scene with live concerts, bands, dj parties, video art, showcases and music events. It all happens in autumn at some of the most remarkable venues and music spots in Copenhagen.
The jazz scene is spread throughout the city's small bars. La Fontaine hosts live jazz every weekend while Republik Weimar covers the full gamut of genres from live jazz to electro.
Copenhagen's smaller festivals
Public Service is the name of a smaller, open-air Nordic electronic music festival that takes place over three days in August. This is one of Copenhagen's latest musical events; its founders are music lovers keen to offer a broad range of different electronic music from sunshine chill-out to dance-happy top names to wild experimentalists. Three acts that appeared in 2005 were Trentemøller (DK), Bulgur Brothers (SE) and Freestyle Man (FIN).
For five days in the middle of August the Clubbinghagen festival offers a programme full of live concerts, DJs and performances ranging from neo-folk punk to indie pop. In 2005 the majority of acts were Danish but there were some notable overseas names - particularly from Britain - including Negative for Francis and Queens of Noize. The festival's audience is both experienced clubbers from Copenhagen, and visitors to the city.
For five days in September the Copenhagen Blues Festival arranges 50 concerts with international and Danish blues names – among them Nine Below Zero (UK), Boo Boo Davis (US) and Lillian Boutté (US) -in 18 large and small stages across Copenhagen.
'A celebration of Copenhagen nightlife', Copenhagen Distortion is the biggest annual clubbing and nightlife event of the year - a massive party lasting five days and nights! The festival always starts on the Wednesday before the first Sunday in June. The difference between Distortion and other music festivals is that Distortion is not only a music festival. It celebrates urban landscapes, mobility, improvisation, late-night chaos, nightlife clichés, fashion, hype, community networks, even cutting-edge marketing as much as it does music.
A new collaboration between Danish electronic record labels has come together to promote the electronic music scene in Copenhagen. They are called Copenhagen Label Collaboration and are the hosts of an electronic music festival in Copenhagen. During the festival the best from the Danish electronic scene will be presented in collaboration with visuals, arts and video installations.
The big bang
And then there are those shows that are too big for Copenhagen's intimate concert venues. As the music capital of the north, Copenhagen must be able to host the world’s greatest names and for those occasions there is PARKEN - Denmark's national football stadium with space for 40-45,000 people. The arena has played host to the likes of Robbie Williams, Simon and Garfunkel and U2. Meanwhile, Forum has seen full houses for Britney Spears, Lenny Kravitz and Coldplay, who have all drawn capacity crowds of 10,000. KB-Hallen and Valbyhallen have space for between 3-5,000 - which they need when Garbage, Franz Ferdinand, Travis or Oasis are in town.
Mentioned above:
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Roskilde festival (lJune-July) |
Copenhagen Jazzfestival (July) |
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Public Service |
Clubbinghagen |
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Copenhagen Blues Festival |
Vega |
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Copenhagen Distortion www.cphdistortion.dk |
Copenhagen Label Collaboration |
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Culture Box |
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Copenhagen JazzHouse |
La Fontaine |
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Pumpehuset |
Rust |
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Stengade 30 (Nørrebro) |
Loppen (Christiania) |
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Republik Weimar |
Mojo Blues-Bar |
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Amager Bio |
Parken |
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Forum |
Valby Hallen |
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KB-Hallen |
Tivoli's Friday Rock |
The smaller venues change from week to week. For the latest music information visit www.aok.dk
or pick up a copy of the music events guide 'In & Out', published with The Copenhagen Post every Friday.
