The band was formed in the winter of 1980/81 in Aarhus, Denmark.
Steffen Brandt, vocals, keyboards, guitar; Hans Erik Lerchenfeld, guitar; Georg Olesen, bass; Sven Gaul, drums.
Albums
1981: Fantastiske Toyota (CBS).
1982: Verden er vidunderlig (CBS).
1983: Beat (CBS).
1984: Nutidens unge (CBS).
1985: Rigtige mænd gider ikke høre mere vrøvl (CBS).
1987: En dejlig torsdag (CBS)
1987: Fri som fuglen, dobbelt-live (CBS).
1988: Nærmest lykkelig (CBS).
1990: Vi bli'r alligevel aldrig voksne (PladeCompagniet).
1991: Slaraffenland (PladeCompagniet).
1992: De unge år - Greatest Hits (PladeCompagniet, 2cd).
1994: Verdens lykkeligste mand (PladeCompagniet).
1996: Kys bruden (EMI/Medley).
1998: Yndlingsbabe (EMI/Medley).
1999: Verdens Lykkeligste Band - Live 99 (PladeSelskabet)
1999: Manden der ønskede sig en havudsigt (PladeSelskabet)
2001: Amerika (PladeSelskabet)
2002: på kanten af småt brændbart (PladeSelskabet)
2004: Hits (PladeSelskabet)
2005: De Første Kærester På Månen (PladeSelskabet)
2007: for dig ku' jeg gøre alting (PladeSelskabet)
2011: Showtime (PladeSelskabet)
2012: Bag Duggede Ruder 1981-2012 (PladeSelskabet)
2014: Greatest Greenland / Kalaallit Nunaat Nuannarisara (PladeSelskabet)
2015: Det Gode Liv (PladeSelskabet)
2018: Tæt Trafik i Herning (Pladeselskabet)
2022: The Holbæk Recordings 81 (Pladeselskabet)
Description
Starting out in the early eighties playing the minimalist new rock of that time the band TV-2 developed into a unique brand in Danish rock. Their music has its roots in rock with a style that is simple but sharp, and with lyrics that have gotten more and more complex over the years. Still, listening to the songs you will discover a playful and yet disciplined ambiguity, which has changed into a more raw kind of sensitivity lately. TV-2 has maintained a high level of quality, received numerous awards, and albums like "Rigtige mænd" (Real Men), "Vi bli'r alligevel aldrig voksne" (We'll Never Grow Up Anyway) and "Nærmest lykkelig" (Almost Happy) have been an important addition to Danish rock with songs that reflect the times we live in.
The career
TV-2 was formed after the break-up of the Aarhus symphonic-rock band Taurus which had been touring a lot since 1974 changing band members now and again. In 1978 Taurus recorded the album "Whatever Happened to the Sixties" with the current TV-2 musicians, Steffen Brandt, Hans Erik Lerchenfeld, Georg Olesen and Sven Gaul. You could hear that the band members had been listening to John McLaughlin and Jimi Hendrix, but the main inspiration was Pink Floyd. TV-2 was formed at the new year 1980/81. Without a recording contract the band recorded the debut album "Fantastiske Toyota" (Fantastic Toyota) - now with lyrics in Danish. The band borrowed 30,000 DKR (approx. 3,000 GBP) and had Cy Nicklin engineer and mix the album. As it turned out five record companies were interested, and the Danish branch of CBS succeeded in signing the band. Having to sell this new concept in partnership with TV-2 CBS embarked in a promotion campaign that was to become something of a milestone in Danish promotion work, as it included a widespread use of the then newly invented telefax. At the Roskilde Festival later that year the band's performance was a visual bombardment - white boiler-suits, blue neon, white Venetian blinds and TV-monitors. It was concept art that was really going places, but not many people had a clue as to what was going on.
The following two years and two albums were used by TV-2 to perfect the concept - the rapid tempo, the melodic tunes, the pop-rock style, use of synthesizers and drum machines - and lyrics by Steffen Brandt, of course. The lyrics of the second album - "Verden er vidunderlig" (The World is Wonderful) - was still quite concise and observant, and the music, which was produced by Nicklin yet again, had a similar style to the first record. Gradually Brandt improved his style, and he ended up being one of the finest lyricists in Denmark with a lyrical universe that reflected the everyday language among young people. The next three albums confirmed TV-2's position and they got double platinum for the album "Real Men", and the ballad "Bag duggede ruder" was released in English as well and called "Misty Windows". This song is considered, by the way, to be one of Danish pop rock's most beautiful ballads and has been voted Best Danish Song Ever by radiolisteners in 2002 and tv viewers in 2011.
As a natural consequence of the status which the group had attained on the concert stage, "En dejlig torsdag" (Lovely Thursday) was followed by "Fri som fuglen" (Free as a Bird), a live double album. TV-2 released a live album again in 1999 - "Verdens lykkeligste band - live" (The Happiest Band in the World - Live). In 1988 "N�rmest lykkelig" (Almost Happy) was released. The press pronounced it the band's best album to date. It had the character of a Steffen Brandt solo album with very personal lyrics, almost "roman .. clef"-like. The album "Vi bli'r aldrig voksne" (We'll never grow up anyway) gave Brandt rich opportunity to both play and seriously satirize the outside world's incredible ability never to learn. It was the band's fifth platinum album in a row, and the band received numerous awards and prizes as well. The following year the group celebrated their 10 years anniversary releasing "Slaraffenland" (Land of Milk and Honey, or El Dorado), and TV-2 wanted once again to play with the music and give The Aarhus Horns their recording debut. The band considered "Slaraffenland" to be kind of a cleansing process, but the audience was not particularly impressed.
TV-2 took a break, interrupted in November 1992 by a greatest hits collection, "De unge år" (The Early Years), which made room for a new chapter in their careers and resulted in splash headlines, when the group achieved double platinum sales of "Verdens lykkeligste mand" (The Happiest Man in the World) in 1994. The Danish audience loved it, and the stage was set for yet another national tour of triumph and preparations for the 13th album, "Kys bruden" (Kiss the Bride), which was also their first album for EMI-Medley. The title song from this album, "Kom lad os brokke os" (Let's Have a Good Moan) and "Sån't er livet" (That's Life) became big hits. Ending their second decade with the release of "Yndlingsbabe" (Favourite Babe) and "Amerika" TV-2 entered a new millenium. You recognized the special TV-2 sound, and yet you could hear that something had happened. The critics wondered, but they finally came up with an answer. One critic said:" It's amazing listening to TV-2. They still sound like TV-2, but the music style changes in an imperceptible but outstanding way. New angles, different intonations and surprise combinations result in a fresh and new sound". Both albums brought about several new classics. Rewarding the band's importance to the Danish language TV-2 was selected to give a special concert at the opening of an exhibition at the Danish National Museum in the presence of Queen Margrethe II and Prince Henrik. During the summer of 2002 TV-2 finished a new album, "På kanten af småt brændbart" (At the Edge of Inflammable Waste), that was released in November and received the Danish Music Award for best popalbum that year.
The album First Lovers On The Moon was released november 2005 and received 4 Danish Music Awards (equivalent to the american Grammy) for best popalbum, best hitsingle, best songwriter (Steffen Brandt) and the band received The Special Prize of Honour 2006.
In 2007 their summersingle s.o.m.m.e.r. went no.1 for almost two rainy months while the band played Northern Europes biggest festivaltour The Green Concerts.
On the 19th of november 07 the new album "for you I could do anything" was released while the band performed the new songs in front of 30.000 happy people on the town hall square in Copenhagen.
The new album went immidiately no.1 and in feburuary 08 the band received double-platinum for more than 80.000 albums sold at their sold-out 21 venue station to station tour.
2008 tv-2 got 3 Danish Music Awards nominations (the Danish Grammy) for best popalbum, hit of the year (s.o.m.m.e.r.) and coverartwork (Jo Dam K�rgaard).
2009 and 2011 the band performed on northern Europes biggest outdoor festivaltour The Green Concerts.
The 17th studioalbum SHOWTIME went immediately no. 1 february 2011 followed by a nationwide 17 venue tour.
On the 11.11.11 the band held their 30 anniversary concert in Londons legendary Shepherd's Bush Empire and was shown on national TV New Years Evening.
Now it was time to collect 21 albums including Greg Walsh and Nick Ingmans production of The man that wanted a House with a View with The Danish Radio Concert Orchestra, a DVD with the London concert and 3 books with documentaries in a solid black box with the title of the bands most popular song Behind misty windows.
Released nov. 2012 the box went gold with more than 10.000 sold and at the same time TV-2 published the songbook 50 Greatest Hits containing sheets, chords, lyrics and photos from the career.
November 12 TV-2 played the first of five special events in front of an audience of 15.000 in Aarhus presenting the songs from the first three albums.
100 songs in 180 days tour included venues in Hongkong, Shanghai, Singapore and Tivoli in Copenhagen.
November 2014 TV-2 released a Live album Greatest Greenland celebrating the 25th anniversary of the bands first performance in Greenland. Several famous artists from Greenland joined the band for this special event.
February 2015 TV-2 released their 18th studio album Det Gode Liv (The Good Life) which immediately went no 1 and became the best sold album first quarter of 15 in Denmark.
November 2018 the album ‘Tæt trafik I Herning’ (Heavy traffic in Herning) was released and immediately topped the Danish charts. 2019 the band played more than 40 sold out concerts, some of them featuring both an acoustic and electric setup.
2019 TV-2 published a 80 pages photobook by danish photographer Kim Søndergård available on postshop.dk
2021 the band celebrated their 40 years anniversary with both acoustic end electric concerts and the release of the the live album The Holbæk Recordings 81. This very first live recording of TV-2 has been restored by dedicated sound techs and is now available on tv-2dk.lnk.to/TheHolbaekRecordings81
Additional information
In 1982 TV-2 released an album under the pseudonym "The Beautifuls" as a reaction to the outrage that followed the release of the "new wave" debut album. It was called "Om sommeren er alting anderledes" (In the Summer Everything is Different). In 1990 TV-2 released the single "The Whole World's Gonna Speak German Again", inspired by the events surrounding the fall of the Berlin Wall. The single was released both in Denmark and in Germany. The band has made a point of not simply delivering the stereotype video product on TV. "N�rmest lykkelig - live", a concert and road-movie recorded on tour, was broadcasted in 1988. In the following years you could see "De kom lige forbi" (They Just Dropped In), 1990 - a report from Greenland (the band's adopted country), "10 �r der rystede verden" (10 Years that Rocked the World) - a simulated documentary based on the story of a pop band with the general emphasis on delivering rock and roll, but creating havoc in particular. In 1994 TV-2 received a pat on the back from their colleagues in the form of the Danish Musicians Union's Award (30,000 DKR - approx. 3,000 GBP). Steffen Brandt received the Dan Tur�ll Award in 1996. The song "Kom lad os brokke os" was used as an essay subject in a Danish examination at Danish elementary schools in 1997. In 1999 the band established their own record company, Have A Cigar. At the yearly festival in Aarhus a production of the dance-rock-performance "Manden der �nskede sig en havudsigt" (The Man that Wanted a House with a View) was shown. The Englishman Nick Ingman (George Michael, Madonna and many others) had arranged and conducted 16 Steffen Brandt-compositions and the Danish Radio Concert Orchestra played together with TV-2. The dance was choreographed by Peter Schaufuss and performed by his company. The music was released on a cd that year. The band doesn't just follow the daily trend, but they are very good at keeping up with what's happening in society. The band has worked with producers like Greg Walsh (Heaven 17, Tina Turner), Anders Glenmark, Thomas Helmig, Halfdan E., Nikolaj Steen, Thomas Troelsen and Peter Biker (Craig Davis).urner), Anders Glenmark, Thomas Helmig, Halfdan E., Nikolaj Steen and Peter Biker (Craig Davis).
