September 29, 2005:

New album release November 2005

TV-2 will release their 15th studioalbum "First Lovers On The Moon" on November 7, 2005.

 

August 10, 2004:

 

February 15, 2004:

 

December 28, 2003:

London Calling... again!

Friday the 6th of March at 8.00 pm TV-2 will be playing a concert at Shepherds Bush Empire, London. Purchase tickets.

 

 

March 2, 2003:

TV-2 won Danish Music Awards

At this years Danish Music Awards (The Danish Grammy) TV-2 won the prize for the best pop album and Steffen Brandt the prestigious award as the best songwriter for the new album "På kanten af småt brændbart" (At the Edge of Inflammable Waste), that was released in November 02.

 

 

October 26, 2002:

New album release November 2002

TV-2 will release their 14th studioalbum November 2002.

About 25 liveshows are scheduled in February and March 2003.

  

 

August 14, 2001:

London Calling... again!

Friday the 14th of September at 7.30 pm TV-2 will be playing a concert at Shephards Bush Empire, London. Purchase tickets.

 

 

January 29, 2001:

New album release on the 29th of January!

IIt has been exactly 3 years since TV-2 released their last studio Album, "Favorite Babe" (1998).

The long awaited new CD with Denmarks most stubborn orchestra has finally arrived. Ladies and gentleman: "AMERIKA".

This album is about rising to the occasion or going down all the way. The title song says everything comes back to you with words that were said in a weak moment, ideals and dreams that were betrayed. Friends you experienced the start of your life with, now suddenly want you to stand up to your responsibility. And in the moment you thought you got it all under control - life comes barging in with its lawless logic. Whether you win or loose, do something about it!!! You begin to understand the terms - action must be taken.

Musically the hard tried orchestra throws themselves into new alliances with the sound of today´s britpop, R & B and synthpop.

The best instruments have been incorporated, the drums are being played the right way and are mixed with samples, loops, and synths. It seems unnecessary to proclaim that TV-2 had a great time in the studio.

Listen to some of the new songs (in Real Audio) here.

 

 

January 22, 2001:

TV-2 tour 2001 in Denmark and China

After the release of TV-2' new album, the band is kicking off in Denmark in a profound spring tour that also includes Shanghai and Beijing China. The whole concert experience can be found here.

 

 

June 12, 2000:

Midtfyns Festival 2000

"Denmark's most happy live band" is staging a marathon concert to mark the 25th Midtfyns Festival. With the motto "rock till we drop", TV-2 will be playing a gala concert with invited guest soloists and other surprises (even for them). The gala concert will mark the end of the band's summer tour. It will be the only "extended version"....

 

 

November 10, 1999:

New album with symphony orchestra

"The man who longed for a sea view" is the title of a new CD which will be released on the 19th of November.

The sixteen tracks were recorded at the sold out concert with the Danish Radio Orchestra and the Peter Schaufuss ballet at the Aarhus Festival week in September 99. Working together with the English arranger and conductor Nick Ingman who has worked with Portishead, Eric Clapton and many other well known artists the album combines TV-2's more lyrical songs with the sound of a symphony orchestra.

Listen to the song De Lyse Timer (The light hours) with Real Audio or as a MP3 file by clicking here

 

 

June 27, 1999:

TV-2 with ballet and symphonyorchestra

The biggest event at the Århus Festival Week will be a special concert at which TV-2 will be performing with the international Peter Schaufuss Ballet and the Danish Radioorchestra conducted by Nick Ingman, who lately has worked with Radiohead, Eric Clapton, Portishead and the film Shakespeare In Love.The concerts will take place at The Concert Hall Aarhus 2nd - 4th of september.

Tickets are available at The Concert Hall Aarhus, call tel. + 45 - 89 31 82 10. 2 concerts are scheduled at the Falconer Theatre in Copenhagen on the 20th of november at 4 pm and 8 pm. For tickets call tel. +45 - 7015 65 65

 

 

June 21, 1999:

TV-2 on the Roskilde Festival

Sunday the 4th of July at 9.30 pm TV-2 will be the last artist to perform on the Orange Canopy Stage.

The concert wil be transmitted on the internet on this address www.musik.org

 

 

April 15, 1999:

Double Live CD release on the 10th af may!

A Greatest collection of 30 songs recorded at 9 concerts through the nineties will be released on monday the 10th of may.

It will be the first release of tv-2 on their own label: "PladeSelskabet Have a Cigar" and will be distributed by Emi/Medley.

 

 

February 7, 1999:

TV-2 won the Peoples Prize

TV-2 has been nominated in the following categories of the Danish Grammy 1999 which took place in Copenhagen 6th of February:

• Band of the year:
  "TV-2"
• Danish Singer of the year:
  "Steffen Brandt"
• Danish album of the year:
  "Yndlingsbabe" (Favourite Babe)
• Danish singer/songwriter of the year:
  "Steffen Brandt"
• Danish hit of the year:
  "Der går min klasselærer" (from Yndlingsbabe)

The band didn't make it this time but got the Peoples Prize for outstanding achievements i 1998. Last years winner Aqua were on stage in the Tivoli Concert hall to congratulate tv-2 with the prize which includes 25.000 Danish kroner.

  

 

 

June 15, 1998:

First Danish Internet concert from the last ferry across the Great Belt

TV-2 celebrated the opening of the worlds second largest hanging bridge with a concert on the sun deck of the very last ferry across the Great Belt on sunday the 14th of june 98 at 10.30 pm.

The concert was transmitted directly on the internet). In the end of 1998 the concert was broadcasted by the national danish television.

 

 

TV-2 - from left: Sven Gaul, Georg Olesen, Steffen Brandt og Hans Erik Lerchenfeld.

Biography

The band was formed in the winter of 1980/81 in Aarhus, Denmark.

Steffen Brandt, vocals, keyboards, guitar; Hans Erik Lerchenfeld, guitar; Georg Olesen, bass; Sven Gaul, drums.

Albums

1981: Fantastiske Toyota (CBS).
1982: Verden er vidunderlig (CBS).
1983: Beat (CBS).
1984: Nutidens unge (CBS).
1985: Rigtige mænd gider ikke høre mere vrøvl (CBS).
1987: En dejlig torsdag (CBS)
1987: Fri som fuglen, dobbelt-live (CBS).
1988: Nærmest lykkelig (CBS).
1990: Vi bli'r alligevel aldrig voksne (PladeCompagniet).
1991: Slaraffenland (PladeCompagniet).
1992: De unge år - Greatest Hits (PladeCompagniet, 2cd).
1994: Verdens lykkeligste mand (PladeCompagniet).
1996: Kys bruden (EMI/Medley).
1998: Yndlingsbabe (EMI/Medley).
1999: Verdens Lykkeligste Band - Live 99 (PladeSelskabet)
1999: Manden der ønskede sig en havudsigt (PladeSelskabet)
2001: Amerika (PladeSelskabet)
2002: på kanten af småt brændbart (PladeSelskabet)
2004: Hits (PladeSelskabet)
2005: De Første Kærester På Månen (PladeSelskabet)
2007: for dig ku' jeg gøre alting (PladeSelskabet)
2011: Showtime (PladeSelskabet)
2012: Bag Duggede Ruder 1981-2012 (PladeSelskabet)

Description

Starting out in the early eighties playing the minimalist new rock of that time the band TV-2 developed into a unique brand in Danish rock. Their music has its roots in rock with a style that is simple but sharp, and with lyrics that have gotten more and more complex over the years. Still, listening to the songs you will discover a playful and yet disciplined ambiguity, which has changed into a more raw kind of sensitivity lately. TV-2 has maintained a high level of quality, received numerous awards, and albums like "Rigtige mænd" (Real Men), "Vi bli'r alligevel aldrig voksne" (We'll Never Grow Up Anyway) and "Nærmest lykkelig" (Almost Happy) have been an important addition to Danish rock with songs that reflect the times we live in.

The career

TV-2 was formed after the break-up of the Aarhus symphonic-rock band Taurus which had been touring a lot since 1974 changing band members now and again. In 1978 Taurus recorded the album "Whatever Happened to the Sixties" with the current TV-2 musicians, Steffen Brandt, Hans Erik Lerchenfeld, Georg Olesen and Sven Gaul. You could hear that the band members had been listening to John McLaughlin and Jimi Hendrix, but the main inspiration was Pink Floyd. TV-2 was formed at the new year 1980/81. Without a recording contract the band recorded the debut album "Fantastiske Toyota" (Fantastic Toyota) - now with lyrics in Danish. The band borrowed 30,000 DKR (approx. 3,000 GBP) and had Cy Nicklin engineer and mix the album. As it turned out five record companies were interested, and the Danish branch of CBS succeeded in signing the band. Having to sell this new concept in partnership with TV-2 CBS embarked in a promotion campaign that was to become something of a milestone in Danish promotion work, as it included a widespread use of the then newly invented telefax. At the Roskilde Festival later that year the band's performance was a visual bombardment - white boiler-suits, blue neon, white Venetian blinds and TV-monitors. It was concept art that was really going places, but not many people had a clue as to what was going on.

The following two years and two albums were used by TV-2 to perfect the concept - the rapid tempo, the melodic tunes, the pop-rock style, use of synthesizers and drum machines - and lyrics by Steffen Brandt, of course. The lyrics of the second album - "Verden er vidunderlig" (The World is Wonderful) - was still quite concise and observant, and the music, which was produced by Nicklin yet again, had a similar style to the first record. Gradually Brandt improved his style, and he ended up being one of the finest lyricists in Denmark with a lyrical universe that reflected the everyday language among young people. The next three albums confirmed TV-2's position and they got double platinum for the album "Real Men", and the ballad "Bag duggede ruder" was released in English as well and called "Misty Windows". This song is considered, by the way, to be one of Danish pop rock's most beautiful ballads and has been voted Best Danish Song Ever by radiolisteners in 2002 and tv viewers in 2011.

As a natural consequence of the status which the group had attained on the concert stage, "En dejlig torsdag" (Lovely Thursday) was followed by "Fri som fuglen" (Free as a Bird), a live double album. TV-2 released a live album again in 1999 - "Verdens lykkeligste band - live" (The Happiest Band in the World - Live). In 1988 "Nærmest lykkelig" (Almost Happy) was released. The press pronounced it the band's best album to date. It had the character of a Steffen Brandt solo album with very personal lyrics, almost "roman .. clef"-like. The album "Vi bli'r aldrig voksne" (We'll never grow up anyway) gave Brandt rich opportunity to both play and seriously satirize the outside world's incredible ability never to learn. It was the band's fifth platinum album in a row, and the band received numerous awards and prizes as well. The following year the group celebrated their 10 years anniversary releasing "Slaraffenland" (Land of Milk and Honey, or El Dorado), and TV-2 wanted once again to play with the music and give The Aarhus Horns their recording debut. The band considered "Slaraffenland" to be kind of a cleansing process, but the audience was not particularly impressed.

TV-2 took a break, interrupted in November 1992 by a greatest hits collection, "De unge år" (The Early Years), which made room for a new chapter in their careers and resulted in splash headlines, when the group achieved double platinum sales of "Verdens lykkeligste mand" (The Happiest Man in the World) in 1994. The Danish audience loved it, and the stage was set for yet another national tour of triumph and preparations for the 13th album, "Kys bruden" (Kiss the Bride), which was also their first album for EMI-Medley. The title song from this album, "Kom lad os brokke os" (Let's Have a Good Moan) and "Sån't er livet" (That's Life) became big hits. Ending their second decade with the release of "Yndlingsbabe" (Favourite Babe) and "Amerika" TV-2 entered a new millenium. You recognized the special TV-2 sound, and yet you could hear that something had happened. The critics wondered, but they finally came up with an answer. One critic said:" It's amazing listening to TV-2. They still sound like TV-2, but the music style changes in an imperceptible but outstanding way. New angles, different intonations and surprise combinations result in a fresh and new sound". Both albums brought about several new classics. Rewarding the band's importance to the Danish language TV-2 was selected to give a special concert at the opening of an exhibition at the Danish National Museum in the presence of Queen Margrethe II and Prince Henrik. During the summer of 2002 TV-2 finished a new album, "På kanten af småt brændbart" (At the Edge of Inflammable Waste), that was released in November and received the Danish Music Award for best popalbum that year.

The album First Lovers On The Moon was released november 2005 and received 4 Danish Music Awards (equivalent to the american Grammy) for best popalbum, best hitsingle, best songwriter (Steffen Brandt) and the band received The Special Prize of Honour 2006.

In 2007 their summersingle s.o.m.m.e.r. went no.1 for almost two rainy months while the band played Northern Europes biggest festivaltour The Green Concerts.

On the 19th of november 07 the new album "for you I could do anything" was released while the band performed the new songs in front of 30.000 happy people on the town hall square in Copenhagen.
The new album went immidiately no.1 and in feburuary 08 the band received double-platinum for more than 80.000 albums sold at their sold-out 21 venue station to station tour.
2008 tv-2 got 3 Danish Music Awards nominations (the Danish Grammy) for best popalbum, hit of the year (s.o.m.m.e.r.) and coverartwork (Jo Dam Kærgaard).
2009 and 2011 the band performed on northern Europes biggest outdoor festivaltour The Green Concerts.

The 17th studioalbum SHOWTIME went immediately no. 1 february 2011 followed by a nationwide 17 venue tour.

On the 11.11.11 the band held their 30 anniversary concert in Londons legendary Shepherd's Bush Empire and was shown on national TV New Years Evening.

Now it was time to collect 21 albums including Greg Walsh and Nick Ingmans production of The man that wanted a House with a View with The Danish Radio Concert Orchestra, a DVD with the London concert and 3 books with documentaries in a solid black box with the title of the bands most popular song Behind misty windows.

Released nov. 2012 the box went gold with more than 10.000 sold and at the same time TV-2 published the songbook 50 Greatest Hits containing sheets, chords, lyrics and photos from the career.

November 12 TV-2 played the first of five special events in front of an audience of 15.000 in Aarhus presenting the songs from the first three albums.
100 songs in 180 days tour includes venues in Hongkong, Shanghai, Singapore and Tivoli in Copenhagen.

 

Additional information

In 1982 TV-2 released an album under the pseudonym "The Beautifuls" as a reaction to the outrage that followed the release of the "new wave" debut album. It was called "Om sommeren er alting anderledes" (In the Summer Everything is Different). In 1990 TV-2 released the single "The Whole World's Gonna Speak German Again", inspired by the events surrounding the fall of the Berlin Wall. The single was released both in Denmark and in Germany. The band has made a point of not simply delivering the stereotype video product on TV. "Nærmest lykkelig - live", a concert and road-movie recorded on tour, was broadcasted in 1988. In the following years you could see "De kom lige forbi" (They Just Dropped In), 1990 - a report from Greenland (the band's adopted country), "10 år der rystede verden" (10 Years that Rocked the World) - a simulated documentary based on the story of a pop band with the general emphasis on delivering rock and roll, but creating havoc in particular. In 1994 TV-2 received a pat on the back from their colleagues in the form of the Danish Musicians Union's Award (30,000 DKR - approx. 3,000 GBP). Steffen Brandt received the Dan Turéll Award in 1996. The song "Kom lad os brokke os" was used as an essay subject in a Danish examination at Danish elementary schools in 1997. In 1999 the band established their own record company, Have A Cigar. At the yearly festival in Aarhus a production of the dance-rock-performance "Manden der ønskede sig en havudsigt" (The Man that Wanted a House with a View) was shown. The Englishman Nick Ingman (George Michael, Madonna and many others) had arranged and conducted 16 Steffen Brandt-compositions and the Danish Radio Concert Orchestra played together with TV-2. The dance was choreographed by Peter Schaufuss and performed by his company. The music was released on a cd that year. The band doesn't just follow the daily trend, but they are very good at keeping up with what's happening in society. The band has worked with producers like Greg Walsh (Heaven 17, Tina Turner), Anders Glenmark, Thomas Helmig, Halfdan E., Nikolaj Steen, Thomas Troelsen and Peter Biker (Craig Davis).urner), Anders Glenmark, Thomas Helmig, Halfdan E., Nikolaj Steen and Peter Biker (Craig Davis).

 

This bandstory is published by kind permission from Torben Bille, chief editor of the book "Politikens Dansk Rock".