Danish band Mew are playing every other major festival in the Nordic region this Summer. We interviewed singer Jonas Bjerre, who doesn't seem sure what "indie" means anymore...

In festivals like Roskilde and Ruisrock you attract 20-30 000 people. This must be a good sign that indie acts (if you will) have become bigger and bigger (even festival headliners). How do you see the current music scene in poprock -genre?

Interesting question. When I was a kid "alternative" music really did seem to be underground. It wasn't until Nirvana poked the balloon and made way for all the stuff underneath that I knew about bands like My Bloody Valentine, Sonic Youth etc... Having said that, The Jesus and Mary Chain's debut single sold over 35,000 copies in the UK years before that... and consisted mostly of feedback and mumbled vocals. I think, with time, classifying different bands into different genres has become a more imprecise, and possibly, unnecessary  science.

I don't know if I consider Mew an indie band. I don't really know who to consider indie now. I don't even know what "indie" means. An artist like Kate Bush wasn't considered "alternative" or "indie" back in the 80s when Hounds of Love pushed Madonna's Like A Virgin off the #1 spot in the UK. She was considered a pop artist. But listening to her early stuff, it's really fantastically weird!  I prefer things like that, things that blur the line between "strange" and "pop". Things that captivate and invoke emotions without being cheesy and lame and predictable.

Do you get to see any live acts on festivals or is preparation taking all the time?

It really depends. Personally, I usually need some time to sit and breathe and ponder before a show, but I'll often go out and watch other bands after our own show is finished. Sometimes, rarely, I get to have a few days off and stay at a festival to hang out and see bands play. I had a day off last year at Roskilde and got to experience it. I usually pick out 5 or 6 shows a day I wanna see, then stick with them. I don't like the wandering from canopy to canopy, catching 5 minutes here, 5 minutes there.. it becomes too diluted.

Which Nordic acts would you currently recommend?

Being Danish, I know most about the Danish acts. We get a lot of music handed to us when we tour, and sometimes there's really interesting stuff, but then the years go by and you don't hear about that artist again and it fades into forgetfulness. I have friends with very good taste who always let me know when they discover new things, but it's a time-consuming process, roaming the internet for sound and experiences. I would recommend catching Oh No Ono, who are touring all of Europe right now, I just saw them in New York about a month ago and it was a great show. The guy from Edible 5ft Smiths (as in the apple, Granny Smith) has a new band now, which I think is going to be very interesting, but they are from the UK. The Figurines always impress me at their shows, they are Danish. Hmm... what else? I fear I am not very knowledgeable in the field of recommendations! (laughs).

You are also known for your animated visuals, but sometimes the time slots at festivals are so early that you are not able to use them due to sunlight. How do these shows differ from the ones where you are able to use them?

The visuals have become a big part of what we do live, but they are not a necessary part of a Mew live show. In fact we quite like the variation, just like in normal non-festival shows when we sometimes play big stages and sometimes small intimate clubs. Both are enjoyable in different ways. An outdoor festival show in daylight can be just as amazing, it's a different challenge because you are much more exposed, there is no way to hide in the dark and the smoke and the lights. There's sometimes the issue of guest vocalists and effects, we don't want to bring Mari Helgerlikova's voice (in the song Sometimes Life Isn’t Easy), for example, if we can't also show her singing on the screen. That would just be too weird. But then we just do that outro as an instrumental or I'll sing a few of the lines myself. Or we'll skip the outro altogether.

Do you get nervous before entering the stage and what is the ideal length of a festival show?

I can only speak for myself, but I do usually experience a decent amount of nervousness. The trick is to use it, the adrenalin, because it's there to strengthen your skills and your awareness. It makes your senses keener. In the modern world we humans don't fully know how to deal with the fight or flight response our bodies create when we are faced with a difficult challenge. Because we don't know how to channel that energy, unable to run away or fight some wild beast, the adrenalin ends up weakening us, making us feel nauseous. But with time and experience you learn to channel it, at least most of it, into something positive and useful.  And then you just disappear into the music. The ideal length of a festival show really depends on the listener and that person’s attention span. I like 75-85 minute sets, I think that's within our grasp, where we can give each song what it deserves energy-wise and emotionally. But that is not to say we won't sometimes play longer or shorter sets, it depends on the energy in the room and the audience as well.

What's on your rider?

These days it's pretty healthy. Hummus, fresh vegetables, wholewheat bread. Some alcohol. Socks. Nothing much fancier than that. No candy or crisps, because you eat that for entertainment and you become a sluggish fool.

Most memorable festival moment where you were involved as performers?

I think it would have to be the last Roskilde perfomance we did (in 2009). That was a pretty special night. We were so nervous because we'd only done a handful of gigs supporting Nine Inch Nails and one secret small show (in which most of our tech stuff and visuals didn't work) since completion of No More Stories. And everything just came together, it felt like we were all in unison that night, including the audience.

Most memorable festival moment where you were in the audience?

It's hard to say. I think it may have been the Afghan Whigs, the first time I went to Roskilde Festival. I must have been 15 or 16. They played insanely late, I think the concert ended while the sun rose. It was after Congregation which is still my favorite Afghan Whigs album, it's so bitter-sweet.

And finally, top three Nordic festivals and why?

Oh, I really couldn't say... Some of the smaller ones have been surprisingly amazing... I don't really want to say. None mentioned, and none of them forgotten.

Text and photos: Tero Heikkinen