EMPIRE OF THE SUN ^AU

Glammed-out indie dance popsters make a debut in Denmark at Roskilde Festival. Only show in Scandinavia!

In an age of single hits, it’s a joy that we still have a band around like Empire of the Sun. From the get-go, they have made unashamedly boggle-eyed, bewigged concept albums. They want them grandiose, bombastic – and of course, catchy.

The zany Aussie band is electro enough without being harsh, interesting without being over-cool and quirky without being weird. Their pop music is a heady mix of 80s throwback and hedonistic futurism. If you jammed VHS copies of Labyrinth and The NeverEnding Story into a blender and then poured them into your stereo, this is what should come out.

Empire of the Sun is skilled at writing euphoric pop melodies, just the kind of thing you want to hear tumbling out of the radio (of from a festival stage!) at the height of summer. At the same time, there's an intricacy about their productions, which are full of deft sonic touches.

The band broke through in 2009 with the album Walking on a Dream, which includes the two smash hits “We Are the People” and “Walking on a Dream”. The band has released further two albums, Ice on the Dune (2013) and Two Vines (2016), which have given more stellar singles like “Alive”, “DNA” and “High and Low”.

The live sets are extravagant affairs. Empire of the Sun are all about their visuals: They wear outlandish costumes (note the plural form), and their fantastical concepts translate to a beautiful scenography. They are also known to smash up a guitar or two.

Nothing beats listening to Empire of the Sun in the summer heat. One thing maybe, and that’s seeing Empire of the Sun live. Don’t miss their very first concert in Denmark when they play Roskilde Festival 2019. This will be their only show in Scandinavia!