Psyched Up Janis

Danish indie band Psyched Up Janis formed in August 1989 when Sune Wagner (vocals/guitar) and Jakob (bass) made their performance debut in Sonderborg, Denmark, after embarking on a musical career while still at school. However, several years spent tinkering with music domiciled in bedrooms convinced them they would have to seek their fortune elsewhere. In 1992 they moved to Copenhagen, playing their first gig there at the end of the year with a stand-in drummer. A more permanent replacement was found in Martin in 1993, and in November they entered a Swedish studio to record their debut, self-financed EP, I Died In My Teens. This led to the group signing to the independent Metronome/Replay record label in Denmark, who gave the record domestic distribution. It was duly accorded a Single Of The Week award in Kerrang! magazine despite its distribution being limited to Scandinavia. With their reputation growing, they played before a sell-out crowd in Copenhagen in April 1994 on the night Kurt Cobain (Nirvana) died. Producer Craig Leon subsequently travelled to Denmark to see their performance at the renowned Montmartre club. At this performance the ceiling caved in on the band, but this did not dissuade Leon from agreeing to oversee their debut album. Recorded at Monnow Valley in Wales, one day after finalizing recordings the group appeared at the Band Of The Year concert series in Copenhagen in front of an audience of 15, 000. Further appearances at the Roskilde Festival and New Music Seminar in New York, USA, followed. By now Swell had been released internationally to excellent reviews and a Danish Grammy nomination. In September 1995 they signed to Andrew Lauder’s This Way Up Records, making their debut for the label with the Vanity EP.