Mew

Mew is a Danish alternative rock band from Hellerup, Denmark, active since 1995. The group’s core line-up is Jonas Bjerre on vocals, Johan Wohlert and Silas Utke Graae Jørgensen on drums, with Bo Madsen as the original guitarist. During live shows, the band is supported by Dr. Nick Watts of Headswim on keyboard and by Mads Wegner on guitar.

Style and sound

The band’s music is described as alternative rock, indie rock, shoegaze, dream pop and crossover prog. It is also associated with experimental pop, and the group has described its own approach as a blend of pop and more experimental elements. Bo Madsen has also referred to the band’s sound as “indie stadium”.

Career

The members start playing music together in 1995. Mew first gains broad attention in Denmark with Frengers, although their debut album, A Triumph for Man, is already well received by critics in 1997. They later attract wider attention outside Denmark after touring Europe in support of R.E.M.

The band releases Half the World Is Watching Me in 2000, And The Glass Handed Kites in 2005, No More Stories/Are Told Today/I'm Sorry/They Washed Away//No More Stories/The World Is Grey/I'm Tired/Let's Wash Away in 2009, +- in 2015 and Visuals in 2017. They also release the compilation Eggs are Funny in 2010. Their debut album is re-released in 2006, and Half the World Is Watching Me is re-released in 2007.

On And The Glass Handed Kites, the band includes contributions from J Mascis of Dinosaur Jr. The group tours with acts including Nine Inch Nails, Kings of Leon and Sigur Rós, and also supports Bloc Party in the United States and Kasabian in the United States and Canada.

Line-up changes and touring

Johan Wohlert leaves the band in 2006 and returns in 2014, appearing on all subsequent releases. Bo Madsen leaves in 2015, after which the band continues with the remaining members. In 2007, Mew plays its first headlining tour in America with Oh No! My! as support.

Awards and recognition

At the 2003 Danish Music Critics Award Show, Mew wins Album of the Year and Band of the Year. Before that, the band is relatively little known outside Denmark, but its profile grows further through later releases and international touring. In 2012, the band performs new material at Roskilde Festival, and in 2018 it tours to mark the 15th anniversary of Frengers.