Duck Soup

Duck Soup

Duck Soup is a Copenhagen ska group active since 1981. The band forms in September that year out of musicians from underground punk groups in the city, with the aim of bringing more joy and elegance into punk-informed music. It plays 2 Tone ska and draws on the style of bands such as The Specials, The Selecter and The Beat.

Early years and live reputation

The group emerges during the punk and mod revival in Denmark and becomes closely associated with central Copenhagen’s youth cultures. It plays an extended concert at the opening night of Ungdomshuset in 1982, a performance that becomes part of its local reputation. In its early period, it performs more than 30 concerts over the next couple of years, mainly at Ungdomshuset and Statens HF. A lack of interest from Danish record companies leads to the band breaking up in 1984.

Reformation and later work

The original members meet again in 1993 and reform the band. None of the members has left Copenhagen, and the reunion leads to a return to rehearsing old material and writing new songs. Since then, Duck Soup has played more than 70 gigs, mainly in Copenhagen but also elsewhere in Denmark, and has performed in Germany, Norway and Sweden.

Recordings and releases

Duck Soup releases one full-length album, Planet Ska, in 1998 on the Swedish ska label Burning Heart / Sidekicks in Örebro. The group also appears on a number of compilations. It records another CD in 2004 and later remixes the material in 2005.

Context and connections

The band develops ties with other Scandinavian ska acts, including Liberator and Skalatones, and headlines the Ungdomshuset 15th birthday party in 1997. It remains a live group and is associated with the Copenhagen underground ska scene.