Find yourself in my blood stream

A new Danish band recently caught my attention. It is the group Giana Factory who recently supported Glasvegas on their European tour and also played this year’s Roskilde festival.

On Saturday they played a release gig at Vega here in Copenhagen to promote their debut EP ‘Bloody Game’ and must admit I was smitten.

The light female vocals and the electronic backdrop in the songs totally got under my skin. The three girls looked so cool on stage, and even though I know they have a male drummer, they just made me think of a modern version of a 1960s girl group – totally in control and really enjoying what they were doing. Nerd girl will definately keep her eyes on them in the future.

Everything else was borrowed on Monday night

The Streets hit Copenhagen Monday night and fortunately for us Mike Skinner’s immune system had him back on stage after a cancellation in Oslo the day before. His performances at the Roskilde festival last summer and the year before have become legendary, and the fact that he loves Copenhagen (or at least that’s what the news papers say) just persuades you to like him even more.

And Monday night at KB Hallen Mr. Skinner did help to make my start of the week a lot nicer. For some reason this guy who started out with the whole hooligan, London geezer attitude has turned into a nature-loving, all embracing, positive party maniac. I still love his music – the lyrics are brilliant and many of them have become classics in my book. So as the dark winter is closing in on us here and it was so nice disappear in to a party of jumping and singing lead by The Streets.
The set list was great – all the hits together with good ones from his new album.

Hercules and Love Affair concert

Thursday night concert at Vega
The funkiness of Greek mythology hit Copenhagen Thursday night.
Hercules and Love Affair has been in my ears for the last few months making me dream of shiny New York nightlife at studio 54. Especially "Hercules’ Theme" and "Blind" has had me swinging a little extra on my bike on the way to work.

So naturally when the Gods of cool music visit your town, you go. And even though it unfortunately was without Anthony (of Anthony And The Johnsons) the rest of the band did manage to create a party at Vega. The strength of Hercules wasn’t really there to begin with, though. The two singing goddesses; the small and masculine Kim Ann and the tall bombshell Nomi both seemed distracted or nervous for the first few songs – too bad. Nomi at first reminded me of a bored pole dancing drag queen, but she really came to life when she pulled an awesome costume change and sang 'you Belong'. Her moves definitely made the guys happy...

And in the end they both delivered some genuine disco funk to the happy crowd. Especially ‘Athena’ and ‘Blind’ had the house partying. Speaking of the crowd –it’s a fact that I’m too short for concerts… for some reason I always end up behind tall guys – last time it was cute Swedish boys- this time it was huge – really huge- dancing gay guys. But that didn't stop me from enjoying the really good music – with a Hercules lookalike on drums – that much I could see!

Friday Night Concert:

Jens Lekman at Vega in Copenhagen

Well then, Jens Lekman’s concert was moved from the small stage at Vega to the largest due to popular demand. This (finally!) gave Nerd Girl the opportunity to attack...
I’ve only known Jens Lekman’s music since I got his last album 'Night falls Over Kortedala' for x-mas and it’s been sitting in my stereo ever since. Friday night’s concert had a good crowd with laughter and cheering. But unfortunately, for a small Nerd Girl like me, a lot of tall Swedish indie guys had taken the trip over from Malmoe. Just as nice looking as Swedes can be, just as annoying is it when they are blocking your view…

So I didn’t get to see so much of Jens Lekman and his band, - I did, though, catch a glimpse or two of a very cool blond girl on the drums.

But the lack of view didn’t stop me from enjoying the music. I like his music for its happy melodies and the quirky lyrics. In the live version the sympathy and charm from the CD still shined through in every way. Jens Lekman was talkative and told funny anecdotes about his songs for example the hit: ‘postcard to Nina’. The song is about how Jens goes to Berlin to visit his friend Nina and ends up playing her fiancé for her parents so she doesn’t have to tell them she is a lesbian. The song tells us about the embarrassing dinner where poor Jens ‘plays’ the son-in-law and at the concert Jens gave us an even further description of his big German father-in-law and his attention to Jens – a funny story.

Thanks to the smoking-band in public buildings the air at Vega was clean and at some moments you could almost feel and smell the clean air of the Swedish woods and lakes in all the good music.
Apparently Jens Lekman was a bingo-host in a small Swedish town and from that he found inspiration for his song ‘Friday Night at the Drive-in-Bingo’ which he palyed last night really well.

At the end of the concert, when the crowd cheered for the fourth extra number he told us that he couldn’t resist our foot-stamping but that he really had to go, but if we wanted we could see him in the lobby and he’d sing a song in our ear.
I didn’t get to see him in the lobby though (too many people), but Jens Lekman, you can sing in my ear, any time…