How has that affected Stockholm and the Swedish music scene, now that there’s more success?
AO: It’s great for bands at home. They try out, try to do the same. But people back home didn’t know what we were doing outside. I don’t think people know how big Peter Björn and John are. There’s more stuff written about local artists. One of the biggest Swedish artists in Sweden did one show in New York, and they said, “Oh, he’s in New York, every record company wants him!” Still, he’s doing pretty well, great in Sweden, but hasn’t outside of Sweden. QRO: Are there particular venues in Stockholm that are ‘quintessential’? AO: Yeah, this place called ‘Debaser’. That opened, actually, the same year when we started. It was five years ago, that was kind of the beginning of that pop/rock scene in Stockholm, more venues and clubs. I would say Debaser is kind of a legendary club – and it’s only five years old, which is weird. Not my favorite venue, but I think that the club helped a lot. QRO: You say, like comparing with Canada, does Sweden give any state support to its musicians, the way C
