The third and final article in the Danish Chart Attack series presents the synth-rock seven in Dúné, who have struck a delicate balance between homework and an international breakthrough. Call them Denmark’s youngest veterans – even though the members are only about 20, they have been playing together for eight years.

“When we were 12-14 we were already known as a bunch of little psycho kids who’d go totally amok on stage,” says singer Mattias Kolstrup. “We weren’t as good then as we are now, so that wildness probably paved the way for us.”

“We still put on a high-octane live show, though. It’s become part of our image and something our core audience expects. Personally I get bored quickly when I go to gigs where not enough is happening. That’s why I’ve got such great respect for people like Mick Jagger, Iggy Pop or Ricky Wilson from Kaiser Chiefs, who crawl around on monitors and ledges and are completely unruly.”

Anybody out there?!
Kolstrup’s choice of heroes should make it crystal clear that Dúné’s music is not introvert, slow-motion shoegazer stuff that makes time move backwards. Their 2007 debut, ‘We Are in There, You are Out Here’, is crammed full of loud, melodic synth-rock that will blow back your hair and re-ignite the teen spirit in more mature rockers.

The record went gold in Denmark and sold 10.000 copies in Germany. Dúné were honored with a European Border Breakers Award in 2008, which sums up exactly what they’re trying to achieve: Reaching beyond the boundaries of their home country.

“That prize really meant a lot to us,” Kolstrup says. “We were spotted by Dreamusic, who have released our debut in Japan. They’ve given us a lucrative deal and are making our music their top priority, so we hope to make it on the Japanese market.”

Huge rock-star sums may not be flooding into their bank accounts just yet, but right now the group are happy to have the time to concentrate 100% on the music.

Rock student
“Hey, I was able to afford an HDTV and a PlayStation 3!” the singer smiles. “We’ve just finished high school and all did well – or, at the very least, we weren’t among the worst. Now, at last, we can focus all our attention on writing songs for the new album, which will hopefully be out in spring 2009. There’ll be no more worrying about homework when we’re out on the road either.”

Dúné have toured extensively in Germany, joining the wave of Danish rock that’s making such a big splash there. “We didn’t know much about Germany before we toured there,” says Kolstrup.

“But we’ve experienced a bit of German culture now, and we love it. They have a fantastic live scene. Audiences are incredibly open and positive about music, even if they don’t know it in advance. They jump up and down and cheer, and it’s usually sold out wherever we play. In the 90s Danish rock bands made do with playing at home, but our generation is more outward looking,” Kolstrup explains.

Promo craze
Is there anything that has taken you by surprise so far in your encounters with the music industry?
“After our three-day promo tour of Japan, I don’t really think anything will ever surprise me again. It was highly entertaining – but also strange and difficult. We had to be very disciplined, as the promotional work went on from early morning until midnight. The questions were more or less the same every time, and there were lots of meet-and-greets.”

“One night we thought we were finished for the day, but were led down into a big cellar where a lot of people stood up and clapped. Our video was running on a big screen, and there was a presentation about us that we didn’t understand. We went up on stage and they dressed us up as samurai. It was crazy. Luckily, we have a lot of recordings we can use as extra material for a deluxe edition of the album. It’ll be fun.”

Can you recommend three Danish names everybody should listen to?
“Kiss Kiss Kiss are really promising. They still have a way to go, but they have huge potential. VETO, who are the same genre as us, make excellent music. And Mew, who should have their new album out soon, again produced by Rich Costey who did their ‘Frengers’ album.”

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Boom Boom Magazine – The Sounds & Visions of Denmark