A few weeks ago we asked Jonas Bjerre to name some of his favourite movies of all time from various genres. The list was quite numerous, so we’re gonna post these titles in SEVEN parts starting with drama (comedy is up next). Click on the titles to get more details from IMDb…

“I am not an elephant! I am not an animal! I am a human being! I am a man!”

In the Bedroom (Todd Field, 2001)

Looking for a strong drama with great performances? Todd Field’s In the Bedroom has it all. From the total of five Academy Award nominations, three of them went for actors alone. Sissy Spacek, Tom Wilkinson and Marisa Tomei were all nominated and the film itself was competing in the Best Picture -category. The Fowlers are living an American dream. The parents have respectable jobs and their son has just returned home from his first year in college. The son is in love with an older woman and that relationship soon leads to an unthinkable tragedy. A subtle (and realistic) drama about human emotions such as grief and forgiveness.

The Straight Story (David Lynch, 1999)

Director David Lynch is known for creating mysterious worlds where nothing is what it seems. They may also be quite hard to understand and many different “truths” may appear, depending on the viewer. Based on real life events, The Straight Story has a double meaning in a title. It refers to the main character’s last name and to the fact that this movie is set in quite an ordinary world (for its director). Wrong. It’s not ordinary at all. The film’s lead character is over 70 years old and the plot is as simple as they come. In a way, this is also a world we are not used to seeing in movies. Richard Farnsworth’s Oscar-nominated performance carries the whole film and his character’s daughter is played by Sissy Spacek.

Das Leben der Anderen (Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck, 2006)

One can only think of what it was like living in the former East Germany where the Socialist secret police listened to your phone calls. The late Ulrich Mühe (in a stunning performance) plays an agent who’s conducting surveillance on a writer and his lover and finds himself increasingly absorbed by their lives. One of the best German films of the last decade won an Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film. It’s exciting from start to finish, and was made considerably cheap (for approximately 1,5 million euros). English title: The Lives of Others.

The Elephant Man (David Lynch, 1980)

Another David Lynch feature from Jonas’ selection. This is probably the most ordinary one, and not the one mentioned before. Shot beautifully in black and white, it tells the true story of John Merrick, a 19th century Englishman who suffered from a rare disease that disfigured his body. A humane doctor (played by Anthony Hopkins) helps Merrick to regain the dignity he had lost after years spent as a circus freak. Oscar-nominated John Hurt portraits one of the most touching characters ever on screen. The ending is as sad as any scene can get, you need to develop a heart if it does nothing to you. Nominated for a total of eight Academy Awards (including Best Picture and Director), but it won nothing… unfortunately.

Cirkus (Stockholm, November 23rd)
Old Ice Hall (Helsinki, November 25th)

These two shows could not have been any different from each other. The show in Stockholm was relaxed and was held in an absolutely beautiful venue. Cirkus is a round-shaped theater- and concert hall which suited perfectly for Mew. It can be found from the island of Djurgården, right next to a famous zoo where animals of many kinds attract the tourists. The audience was a little off sometimes, but the sound was perfect from start to finish. Some 1500 people attended, but there were still quite a few empty seats left. Even though, the band is not as big in Sweden as it is in Finland, the Swedes got two shows while the Finns settled for just one. Plan Three supported both Swedish shows and Oh No Ono opened for Mew in Finland. I’m not gonna talk so much about the flawless show in Stockholm, let’s have a little rant…

Whereas everything in Sweden was relaxed, everything in Finland seemed forced. For a 40€ ticket price (most expensive for Mew ever – anywhere!!!) the Finnish audience didn’t get to see the band they paid for, and the venue is to blame. Helsinki’s Old Ice Hall is as cold as the name refers to. 4500 people (world’s biggest audience for a Mew solo show) attended the concert that can easily be named as the worst Mew show in Finland (where they have played quite a few times before). Last summer’s show at Ruisrock Festival with 20 000 people shines in comparison to this. The performance works better with a massive audience if the moderately dark sky is above you – and not the ugly ceiling. The sound was terrible most of the time. Sometimes the bass echoed from the walls covering everything else, including the singing of Jonas Bjerre. In Bamse, the bear’s speaking voice was so low that the words were incomprehensible. Only song that really seemed to work was the medley of New Terrain, Nervous and She Came Home For Christmas. As was expected, the last track from the medley got a really loud cheer from the crowd, and it came with a beautiful new bubbling snowflake animation. The backdrops were a bit different on this show anyway. The Zookeeper’s Boy didn’t have any (just extra lights) and Mari Helgerlikova was singing in the middle of the screen during the finale of Sometimes Life Isn’t Easy. Silas Graae had a nice spotlight on him during Silas the Magic Car and it looked wonderful. Bo Madsen talked about his first friend in America being a crazy Finn named Vesa, and that he was there watching the show. Also, the stage seemed small. It was like watching the old 1930’s movie format (1.33:1 aspect ratio) on a considerably wider cinemascope screen (2.35:1). But don’t take my word for it… if you know Finnish, read this extremely negative review here, and more positive ones from here and here. An English language interview with Silas, a review of the show and some pictures here.

Well, I guess Mew were great and did their best, but in the venue of this size you can’t really connect with the band unless you’re standing in the first 20-30 rows. No band has ever worked here well, as recent shows from The Prodigy and Placebo have shown. The Old Ice Hall also had two big stalls for selling merchandise and the queues were still huge. They must have made a dollar and a cent (in European currency), even though they were reasonably priced this time (t-shirts for 25€ and hoodies for 50€). Apparently the Danes are returning to this region in just a few months – please, never play this crappy venue again. Tavastia being Helsinki’s best rock club only fits 700 people, but as Jonas has often mentioned, it’s one of them venues that may offer the greatest possible intimate show for the audience. Interaction with the band would be perfect there.

The only thing that was better in Helsinki than in Stockholm was the setlist. It was overall great (and longer), other than that they always end the Finnish shows with Comforting Sounds and it tends to get predictable. During this song Jonas had a chance to save his voice by letting the audience sing a part of it, and boy, do they know the lyrics. Both of the setlists after the picture. Yes, one more rant about the photo taking. Live Nation totally screwed this up. They informed the photographers on the SAME DAY if they got a pass or not. Due to this, instead of 50 photographers from various medias around the country, 5 local ones were present. Live Nation don’t seem to care about promotion for the bands, it’s up to Sony Music here. For this reason, we are also without pictures, but this one was posted at Mewsite and you can find a few more from the link.

Stockholm setlist:

Special / The Zookeeper’s Boy / Introducing Palace Players / Am I Wry? No / 156 / White Lips Kissed / Sometimes Life Isn’t Easy / Medley / Silas the Magic Car / Hawaii / Snow Brigade —– Comforting Sounds —– Beach / Apocalypso / Saviours of Jazz Ballet / Bamse

Helsinki setlist:

Hymn / Circuitry of the Wolf / Chinaberry Tree / Special / The Zookeeper’s Boy / Introducing Palace Players / Repeaterbeater / Snow Brigade / Medley / Silas the Magic Car / Sometimes Life Isn’t Easy / Hawaii / White Lips Kissed / Am I Wry? No / 156 / Apocalypso / Saviours of Jazz Ballet / Bamse —– Beach —– Comforting Sounds

Tero Heikkinen

Most of us got to see and hear a medley of Mica, Saliva and Panda live during the And the Glass Handed Kites -tour. It was also featured on the Live In Copenhagen -dvd. Now Mew have come up with a new medley with New Terrain, Nervous (!!!) and She Came Home For Christmas. Like the previous medley, this one also is a solo performance by Jonas Bjerre, but Silas Graae jumps behind the drum set in the end. Take a look at this video here (from yesterday’s show in Oslo).

We will review the shows from Stockholm and Helsinki next. Stay tuned.

Shepherd’s Bush Empire (London, November 10th)
La Maroquinerie (Paris, November 12th)

Mew finished their UK/Ireland tour of seven shows in London’s famous Shepherd’s Bush Empire last week. Approximately 2000 people attended and the show was eventually sold-out. In England people may not be as crazy as in Nordic region, but they seemed to know the lyrics and are not shy to sing along. In a city the size of London you should be able to find enough dedicated Mew-fans, for sure. The hundred-year-old venue is a beautiful theater rather than a place where rock bands may feel at home, but it seemed to work for the visual Danes. Best place to stand would be right in the middle, from the sides you would definitely miss parts of the visuals on stage (I missed about 40% of the screen). This was the second time Mew have sold all their tickets for this venue, even when many must have been invited on guest list (the band members lived in London for a few years, as we all know). The staff at Shepherd’s Bush Empire can be very rude and they all seem to have different rules on photography issues, so it may be best if you just leave your camera home. Warming up for the last time were the decent Choir of Young Believers, who opened for Mew throughout the British Isles.

A Londoner himself, Nick Watts seemed to be rocking his socks off and the others followed his enthusiasm. Still, this show was quite ordinary compared to the amazing intimate show in Paris just two nights later. Ordinary? Surely Mew are never bad, but sometimes the interaction between audience and the band elevates to a magical level, as you may see if you keep reading this post.

London setlist:

Intro / Reprise / Hawaii / Special (Long Version) / The Zookeeper’s Boy / Am I Wry? No / 156 / Apocalypso / Saviours of Jazz Ballet / Bamse / Uda Pruda / Beach (Long Version) / Introducing Palace Players / Sometimes Life Isn’t Easy / White Lips Kissed / Silas the Magic Car / Repeaterbeater / Snow Brigade —– Comforting Sounds

*****

Part Bar, Part Café – All Mew

After London, Mew performed a show in Amsterdam and then it was Paris (where a local band called The Two opened for them). Known for bohemian and artistic lifestyles, Paris itself is a character and everywhere you look is a postcard. It could very well be the most beautiful city in the world and Mew should fit in very well. La Maroquinerie is a tiny venue that mixes wine and coffee culture with live music sets, and approximately 350 people had arrived to see the band. Mew will officially release their albums in France next year, so expect this being the last time they’ll play in such a small venue in a city of millions of habitants. Earlier this year they had warmed up for Nine Inch Nails in Paris and – as result – some of Trent Reznor’s fans were spotted at La Maroquinerie (=leather).

Although the show was attended by a high number of foreign fans, the Parisians know how to welcome an act on stage. Even Mew thought the show went exceptionally well and the locals seeing them for the first time got quite emotional during the almost 90-minute set. Mew have recently played very interesting setlists whereas it was pretty much the same show over and over again during the whole And the Glass Handed Kites -tour. Just compare these two shows and you’ll see that there’s no telling what the future gigs will turn out to be.

Some highlights of this show. Eight Flew Over, One Was Destroyed appeared after a long break. Sometimes Life Isn’t Easy was played just before the encores and this makes perfect sense, for they can now leave the stage and let Nick Watts and Mari Helgerlikova keep you company. I think this will be quite common in future shows. Also, look at Silas Graae during Hawaii Dream. He may be playing the beats with his bare hands… and may I just add that no song kicks off like Repeaterbeater does. Maybe that track should be extended like Beach has been. When the aforementioned track reaches its end, it just keeps on going and it feels great when it does so. Bo Madsen has found new interesting ways to make songs sound different and funkier than on the album, he really improvises a lot. The singing voice of Jonas Bjerre is in top form and Bastian Juel rocks the bass with complete confidence. Overall, Mew-shows don’t get much better than this. Top score.

Paris setlist:

Hymn / Circuitry of the Wolf / Chinaberry Tree / Introducing Palace Players / Special (Long Version) / The Zookeeper’s Boy / Am I Wry? No / 156 / White Lips Kissed / Hawaii / Hawaii Dream / Eight Flew Over, One Was Destroyed / Repeaterbeater / Beach (Long Version) / Sometimes Life Isn’t Easy —– Apocalypso / Saviours of Jazz Ballet / Bamse / Comforting Sounds

Tero Heikkinen
Photos by Emi Wakatsuki

On the current European Tour, Mew have been supported by many local bands. They had Siva (in Berlin), Davidsson (in Cologne), Mutiny On the Bounty (in Luxembourg) and Electric Electric (in Brussels). Right now the fellow Danes, Choir of Young Believers are supporting Mew on all the UK dates that included one show in Dublin, Ireland as well. Local bands, Cloudmachine will support in Amsterdam and The Two in Paris.

Then there are the seven dates in Nordic region. The Swedish band Plan Three will support in their home country (Gothenburg and Stockholm), Norwegian support (in Bergen and Oslo) is to be confirmed later, Finnish (Helsinki) and Danish supports (Århus and Copenhagen) will be announced next Wednesday. The Danish Oh No Ono will open for Mew on some of the Nordic dates.

Jonas Bjerre has shared a list of his favourite movies from different genres with us. We will return to it shortly.

The Danish comedy Simon & Malou (2009) was released a week ago and its soundtrack is now available via Mermaid Records. The album (Songs For a Soundtrack) contains tracks from some of the leading Danish songwriters, including Jonas Bjerre under the name Diamonds For Eyes. Listen to the song (Talking About It) from the soundtrack’s official MySpace-page where you may also find an iTunes-link for download.

Two setlists from recent shows…

DUBLIN (November 4th, 2009)

New Terrain / Introducing Palace Players / Circuitry of the Wolf / Chinaberry Tree / Hawaii / White Lips Kissed / Silas the Magic Car / Sometimes Life Isn’t Easy / Am I Wry? No / 156 / Apocalypso / Saviours of Jazz Ballet / Bamse / Special (Long Version) / The Zookeeper’s Boy —– Reprise / Comforting Sounds

GLASGOW (November 5th, 2009)

Hymn / Introducing Palace Players / Circuitry of the Wolf / Chinaberry Tree / Repeaterbeater / Sometimes Life Isn’t Easy / Hawaii / Am I Wry? No / 156 / White Lips Kissed / Apocalypso / Saviours of Jazz Ballet / Bamse / Silas the Magic Car / Comforting Sounds —– Special (Long Version) / The Zookeeper’s Boy

The question remains: Where’s Beach? The video for it should be up next week. Here’s a YouTube-link with Hymn + Introducing Palace Players.

The previous post gave you the setlist for the show at Botanique in Brussels, Belgium. The new intro – titled as Hymn – is not Reprise nor is it any other intro that we have heard prior to this current European Tour. Mew always come up with new intros even if they are played only once or twice.

Also, in Brussels they played an entirely new song titled Bamse or Bear (on the setlist) and it even had backdrops, so it will probably be played over and over again in the future. According to some frengers who were present, many of the No More Stories -tracks had new or extended backdrops (most notably Hawaii) and some older songs had alternate versions of the visuals. Remember this vague picture Mew posted a week ago? Also part of the new visuals. Looks like they spend their tour break creatively. They have also added two new smaller screens to the sides of the large one and these screens often show you separate images, like the children in Sometimes Life Isn’t Easy. The image on the small screens looks better, because the light is projected from behind, giving it a nice side effect that beams come through the screen.

With no major spoilers, the previously unreleased Bamse started with Bo Madsen behind the keyboard that Jonas Bjerre normally uses. Bo also sang and then one of the side screens showed a deformed Teddy Bear which was speaking (with a scary voice) to the audience while the calming music was played. Soon after, Jonas started to sing in the song as well. There’s a little video snippet of the song here. Let’s see if Mew will release the song as a b-side someday, or if it is just for the live shows. And… Bamse – The World’s Strongest Bear is a popular Swedish cartoon created by Rune Andréasson in the 60’s.

Mew are playing the British Isles next. We will bring you some setlists and an extensive review on the London show (November 10th). Stay tuned.