I did not know what to expect from 'Asteroids Galaxy Tour' having never heard of them before being asked to pop along to Oslo in Hackney on a recent Monday evening to review. Cynically I thought I might be able pigeonhole them with other pop influenced Danish bands, their main claim to fame being the single "Around the Bend" featuring on an apple ad back in 2008, I was steadying myself for some everyman toe tapping.
From the outset these guys were different; they had the grit and edge which is sometimes a little lacklustre in Scandinavian pop acts. They opened with bassist and co-writer Lars Iversen steadily grinding out simple but effective bass lines to soul and disco beats. Lead singer Mette Lindberg, now 30 but with all the zest of a 20 something, jumped around and engaged the crowd immediately. With a mix of 70's glam and soulful tones, she is an icon and easy to see why they once supported the late Amy Winehouse on tour.
Touring their new album 'Bring Us Together', it is clear AGT have a core following of fans that wait expectantly for the hits but love the new material as well. The crowd around me was an unusual mix of middle-aged men and teens all gawping at the Danish Temptress. The rest of the band if you avert your gaze, look a somewhat weird collective who may have formed their band at a Copenhagen bus stop. The Keyboardist reminding me of Steve Coogan's 'Paul Calf' with adidas zip up top and Mancunian mullet to match as he filled the space in between with space age noises and clavinet chords.
Overall a very engaging band with plenty of punch, however I feel their efforts were pushed to greater heights by an enthused but very loyal fan base. AGT could put on a show anywhere and I feel these same 200 people would turn up; these days that's a great recipe for success and a promoters dream.
Thomas Cavanagh
