The Danish outfit TÅRN is here, there and everywhere. In October last year, the group hailing from Odense released a critically acclaimed third album, and we’re stoked to have them back at SPOT Festival this year. We had a chat with front figure Erik Apollo about the band, the past, the future and what we can expect from their appearance at the festival this spring.
Q: How did you start as a band? What was the shared vision?
A: ”We started out by renting a small room in a moldy basement in Odense and playing wannabe-songs In both English and Danish. I guess at some point we had a shared vision of being a real symbiotic band. The kind of band that naturally has the same taste in clothing, attitude, cheap beers and sound even. Over time, we discovered that in order to benefit from our differences within the band, we had to let go of the idea of the 100% symbiotic band and expand to other bands and, most importantly, immerse each other’s differences and needs within the band.”
Q: One of your main songwriters went solo after the debut album – how has that affected your music?
A: “I meet Asger through a girl called Nikoline (Sut Min Klit), and we both played in her band until we kinda had enough.. Asger wrote songs in english and I started playing the drums in his band. Eventually, that band turned in to TÅRN. Musically, I always looked up to Asger and thought of him as the frontman, so it was a big blow when he quit the group. At the time, i wasn’t really sure if I wanted to be the center of attention but at the same time, this was a big opportunity for me. We just released “Ud Ad Mit Vindue” and the hype from our Roskilde festival concert was still going, so I couldn’t wish for a better time to step it up.”
Q: You are playing SPOT again this year, what are your ambitions this time around?
A: “This year’s concert is going to be something very special, I promise. We are playing two shows and our show in Ridehuset, Friday at 20.00 is the main event. Big Badaboom!”
Q: Your songs are in Danish – and you have a good audience in Denmark. But what about international goals? The other Nordic countries? Maybe even the international market?
A: “It’s only a matter of time before we take on Norway, Sweden, and even Greenland. All people from all nationalities are invited to our show at SPOT. We would love to see booking agents from the nordic countries and even German booking agents at our show this year.”
(Photo: Zuhal Kocan)
Q: The songs on your third album ”Åbne Cirkler” are about grief, break ups, and love. What’s the reason for this focus? Are they personal lyrics inspired by your own experiences?
A: “Yup, “Åbne Cirkler” is a very personal album… we did put a lot of love into all aspects of writing and composing the album, but for me to go in to details about the songwriting on “Åbne Cirkler” would just be to undermine what’s been said already. So… yea… listen if you like and make up your own mind <3”
Q: How do you create the music in the band? What comes first – your lyrics or the music? And who writes the music in the group?
A: “There is no formula to how we do things, but on “Åbne Cirkler” we did most of the writing and recording in a forest in Jutland, and Søren Buhl from Blaue Blume played a big part in the making of “Åbne Cirkler”. We always strive to balance the organic expression with the more produced sound and we’re eager to continue that search.”
Q: Many people say that rock is a dead genre – you guys show us it is not so clear-cut. What do you actually think about the verdict that rock is dead? Do you even care at all about that genre discussion?
A: “We still think it’s kinda weird to be labelled as a rock artist, but when we play live we do tend to foster a bigger sound with electric guitars and organic dynamics. When we play a show, we don’t like to play it safe and the structure of our songs varies a lot. For us, this is what’s keeping the good stuff alive and for people who likes labelling sound, maybe that’s keeping part of the good ol’ rock alive?”
Q: After SPOT – What are your plans for the band?
A: “To continue doing what we love! Write songs, go on tour and meet our fans. We enjoy playing all kinds of concerts, both the small and intimate and the big ass ones.”
Q: Where do you see the band five years from now?
A: “On our way to play the first all-Europe tour! That would be epic. At some point, I also think we are going play a big show on the icecap of Greenland accompanied by a lightshow with lasers.”
