GuilFest 2006. The 3 Day Guildford Music Festival on 14th, 15th and 16th July 2006

About the bands
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Artist:The Unisex
Genre: Rock
Performing: 16th July 2005 / The ROCKSOUND CAVE Stage
Website Address: [www.theunisex.net]
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Twelve months ago, The Unisex had just been described by the NME live as the ‘Stone Roses playing on an iceberg’ and were contemplating life as the freshest, most inspiring band to emerge from Sweden since the Hives.

A year on, and the learning curve since has been even more dramatic. Having shared a stage with the Libertines in Stockholm and with Snow Patrol in the UK , The Unisex have toured extensively throughout Scandinavia and most recently a stream of chaotic gigs across Greece .

At the beginning of 2005 the radio play with ‘Pigs and Their Farms’ went wild in Greece . This led to the band entering the Top 40 off the back of the radio support, live TV appearances and a string of sold out dates in this rock-loving nation.

They have acquired both a worldly wisdom and musical muscles, which seemed out of reach only a year ago.

“We’ve done a lot of growing up since we released (debut single) ‘Take Me Higher’ explains bassist Henrik, the band’s sardonic spokesman. “We were very open and unaware of the nature of the business when we started getting some attention, and since then, we’ve been learning the way the music industry works. It’s not always been easy. It was a cold, tough winter in Sweden , but I think we’ve learned things we never would have had we not gone the long way round.”

During 2003/04 the band released 3 EPs on the Shifty Disco label in the UK . Some of the tracks were recorded in Stockholm with Thomas Isberg; others were recorded at Chapel Studios, England with James Spencer.

6 songs went on the soundtrack to the Swedish film 'Six Points'. ‘Magic Carpet’ and ‘Go Again’ also featured in UK TV show 'Teachers' and ‘Magic Carpet’ is on the compilation album from that program.

Those who fondly remember The Unisex’s crystalline pop from last year - best exemplified by the divine ‘Take Me Higher’, and a string of tumultuous London showcases - will be delighted to hear that the band have compiled all their long-deleted EP releases onto an LP called ‘White Days’ (Shifty Disco) along with some previously unreleased tracks.

Where once their songs shimmered with a bubblegum appeal, now they rock with a more vicious edge, reflecting their love of The Hellacopters and D.O.L.L as much as ‘Rubber Soul’ era Beatles. ‘Go Again’ (‘Gimme Shelter’ for the twenty-first century) and the glorious ‘Castle Of Air’ may be recognisable from early demos, but each now rocks with the swaggering self-confidence of The Faces following twenty-four hours locked in an off-license. Equally, hung-over pop gem ‘Break The Silence’ clearly shows signs The Unisex are maturing into a sartorially obsessed psych-pop band to give the likes of Kasabian a run for their money.

“We’ve looked inwards at ourselves over the last year rather than notice other bands” continues Henrik. “We’ve been concentrating on making sense of our own sound; working together to become an unstoppable machine, a unit. It’s been a long journey to reach here, and we’re only just beginning…”

Some facts. The Unisex number five: spectacularly handsome singer Jonas (described by NME as ‘Mark Owen doing Jagger moves at a Warhol party’) his twin brother Andreas on drums; Henrik Boman on bass; Anders Rask on rhythm guitar and Kristofer Lofgren on lead guitar.

“When we were growing up in Enkoping there weren’t many options” explains Jonas. “You either played ice hockey or worked in the local factory. We didn’t want to be one of those bands where one of the group gets married and another leaves town to get a job...”

Gravitating toward Stockholm , the band found themselves propping up the local live circuit. However, with the addition of rock-solid rhythm guitarist Anders (favourite musician: Rocky Erickson) the band set about writing guitar pop with an acid twist. Cue The Unisex. Having built up a following in Stockholm on the strength of their live shows, the band were discovered by UK management company No Quarter, leading to the release of the epic ‘Take Me Higher’.

If latest evidence of their astral projection comes with the retrospective ‘White Days’ LP, their forthcoming debut album proper promises to be an even wilder affair. After two support dates with Mark Gardener (Ride) and Andy Bell (Ride, Oasis), Kalle Gustafsson (The Soundtrack Of Our Lives) invited the band to his Gothenburg studio (a converted bank vault) to record their record. It threatens to host both the hypnotic jangle of songs like ‘Indifferent People’, and lyrics as dark and claustrophobic as midnight in Enkoping.

“We are definitely creating something new and exciting with Kalle”, enthuses Jonas. “The whole feel of the band is a lot more aggressive and angry now. My favourite of the new songs is called ‘To Hell With You’ which probably sums up the mood!”

“We’ve been working really hard in the studio to capture the way we sound live,” continues Henrik. “We don’t want to fuck around any longer. We’re louder and nastier than we ever were and we want to show the world what we’ve got. We're not just a bright shiny pop group.”

As the spellbinding heights of the ‘White Days’ LP prove, you’d be a fool to doubt them.

The Unisex, then, Boys and Girls, you sense, will be attracted in equal measure.

See you in the speakers………..