I’m always keen to support Nordic artists and bands that make the effort to come to the UK despite the difficulties they encounter these days with regulations, something that should have been sorted out long before now. London and Brussels – get on with it.
And Denmark seems to be the primary supply chain although I was disappointed to learn that eee gee had cancelled a couple of UK dates here this month.
One of the most frequent visitors is Copenhagen-based Mansfield who have made the journey several times since their formation in 2015, playing the likes of the Cavern Club in Liverpool, where indeed they will be appearing on 26th May, followed by a show at the Spinning Top Powerpop Half-Dayer in Stockport, Greater Manchester on the 27th (Bank Holiday Monday) along with another Danish band, Caper Clowns.
In the meantime, and en route the album ‘For All the Right Reasons’ which will be released just before their visit here (17th May), they have put out another single, ‘Dreams of Desire’, as a taster.
This one is a little departure from their usual style of Mersey Beat/Manc music. You could reasonably claim that they, a Danish band, are playing more of the music common to the northwest of England than any of the indigenous bands here are right now apart from tribute acts. In fact they might even start a Third Wave of their own.
The idea for this song came from Mansfield’s lead singer and songwriter Christian Stage wanting to write one inspired by the grittiness of The Libertines, complete with “guitars that blend in with pounding drums and groovy bass lines.”
But then a lead guitar riff for the song helped it take on a different shape, “making the music sound a bit like U2.”
I agree to an extent, that guitar tone is evidently on point but it’s more U2-Lite I would argue, not having any of the pomposity of the Dublin lads.
The groove is definitely there though in a rhythm section that takes no prisoners and that’s one of the things I like about Mansfield; you can listen to and scrutinise engaging and meaningful lyrics or dance along. Or both if you’re some sort of polymath.
“Even when you hold me tightly/I keep on wanting more
If you don’t mind, we’ll take it slowly/That’s what I’m hoping for”.
Not quite Elbow but well on the way.
The song has already been trialled live, in London, with very positive results so expectations will be high up North, where it’s grim as we know.
I can’t help thinking when I look at a press photo of Christian Stage who lived here for some time, or in this video, that he even looks like a Manc. Not so much the Fifth Beatle as the Fifth Take That-er.
The music video was produced by Andreas Valdemar.
Find them on:
Website: http://www.mansfield.dk/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Mansfieldband
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mansfieldcph/
