Enjoy the Biography of Mando Diao, written by their Tourmanager Carlos Barth!
I remember the first time I heard Mando Diao. I was driving
in my car to see them for the first time, had the music way up and my only
thought was, “how are they going to make it sound like that live”?
The manic guitars and the raw, pitched vocal sounded like
they were trying to squeeze every second and every ounce out of the stereo
system leaving me exhausted when the album ended. That's was my first
introduction. Mando Diao has made an incredible journey. Using music as ticket
to get them out of their industrial steel town of Borlänge, their first album
Bring 'Em In (2003) was fresh and explosive on the Swedish Music scene. Critics
loved the adrenalin, in your face, hectic garage
rock. The tradition of 60's rock and roll and punk
attiitudes together with their uncharacteristic for Swedes, shameless and brash
attitude, quickly established Mando Diao as Sweden's most arrogant band but
they couldn't be ignored because they always delivered. The debut album was a
success, delive
underground as well as radio hits and it spread around the
world by import. The first trip overseas was an unprecented reception with
festival organizers being forced to stop
the show due to collapsing barricades during Mando Diao's first performance at
Summer Sonic in Japan Mando Diao remained productive and has delivered 5 studio
albums and 2 more records to date. With deep roots in muaix like The Kinka and
Bob Dylan, the Beatles, Rolling Stones
music created modern rock music that continued their other influences
like the Libertines, Oasis and Nirvana. As accomplished musicians, the albums
after Bring 'em in changed in characters reflecting the bands interest for
traditional melodies, urban and vintage rock. All of these influences and the
profilic songwriting team of Björn Dixgård and Gustaf Norén delivered over 80
tracks that in 2009 became a b-side collection that contains many fan
favourites and songs most bands would have used as singles rather that
nonchalantly dismissed to obscurity. Mando Diao has always had a no compromise approach
to their music. This has meant that the path to success often has been longer
and more difficult that it might overwise have been if they were willing to
compromise and it has firmly established them as an incredible and respected
musical team. The two singers and songwriting pair of Björn Dixgård and Gustaf
Norén has consistently delivered exception music. With two distinct voices and
front men, Mando Diao offers stark conctrasts in the form of punk and pop,
ballads and rock, elegance to down and dirty. In spite of the diverse nature of
each album, the audience and success continues to grow. The common denominatior
is their absolute conviction and live act. The response from audiences has
always been immiediate from the first "line around the block" shows
at the Molotov in Hamburg to headlining the largest festival stages like Rock
Am Ring. In 2008 the reaction of the audience got to such a fever that the
floor of a theater literally collapsed under the dancing crowd sending many to
hospital..
Mando Diao toured relentlessly in Europe, America, the UK,
Japan, China, Russia and South America. With over 100 shows a year, the
constant touring Mano diao has played such diverse special events like Live
Earth with Shakira in Hamburg, performances at the Spin Offices in NYC, The
village, Voice Party at SXSW Coachella Festival and Late Night with Conan
O’brian. They have been special guests for REM, Iggy Pop and Franz Ferdinand.
The awards and accolades piled up with gold albums across Europe and Japan, GQ
men of the year and many Radio, industry and government awards and
acknowledgements. Hurricane Bar (2005) with *Down In The Past" provided
the breakthrough video and radio hit, Ode To Ochrasy (2007) with "Long
Before Rock and Roll" set the record for 10 weeks at #1 on the “Tracks”
radio chart, Never Seen The Light Of Day (2008), the do-what-we-want-attitude
record featured the brutally honest and personal lyric in the favorites
"One Blood" and "If I Don't Live Today". At the end of 2008
Mando Diao found themselves in a unique position. Suddenly at the end of
recording contract and without a record company they built their own studio and
began the process of writing and recording what would become their most
successful record to date.
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Give Me Fire released in 2009 was an absolute chart topper.
The lead single "Dance With Somebody" would become the most played
song in Europe in 2009, was remixed
by GZA was featured on Pitchfork. The video, produced in
Long Beach while the band was in California doing some last minute sessions at
the end of the Give Me Fire recording, was a youtube phenomenen. To date it has
over 600 000 views in spite of being blocked 3 times by record label lawyers.
Mando Diao was asked to perform the track as heavy weight Champion Wladimir Klitschko
took to the ring for a title fight and more recently in was featured on Dancing
With The Stars on ABC TV and was featured in a mashup with Lil Wayne. Mando
Diao has outlasted many of their contemporaries, many bands that they opened
for or were popular when Mando Diao arrived have disappeared or lost their
significance while Mando Diao continues to mature and re-define popular music.
In 2010 the band was asked to record an MTV Unplugged album.
Refusing to compromise the band broke stale mold of the format and delivered
and energetic inspired and unique concert experience that was recorded in real
time, one take. The album was a critical and music lovers dream with new
interpretations of some of their most popular songs, less known treasures, two
unbelievable new songs, and epic bonfire performance with Juliette Lewis and
the classic feature with Ray Davies from The Kinks.