Big Mess


BIG MESS is a Copenhagen based punk rock band. The musical contexts in which the members have roamed are many and diverse, but all have their common roots in the Danish capital’s DIY and punk circles. In 2014, songwriter and guitarist Tobias Bendixen formed Big Mess with a bunch of friends. In 2016, the band released their debut LP You Know I Care, which caused punks to hum along throughout the city. It’s hard not to - the music is melodic, unpretentious and personal.

BIG MESS’ new record is called Try To Enjoy It and consists of 12 songs. The tunes were written during a period where Bendixen was bedridden due to a serious concussion. No screens, no alcohol, no entertainment. Most of all vertigo and wandering thoughts. The only distraction besides sleep and the occasional zombie crawl was to write songs. Along the way, these songs became a description of the condition that such a period of illness can be, and not least the consequences which can follow in its wake. A period where one is both a spectator to the life that goes on outside of you, the life you had before, and the life that you are still living, after all. In addition, there is also that which you can lose, while you have to remain still, alone and inside - love, among other things.

Try To Enjoy It is also a breakup record which tells about the parting of lovers due to an external event. The event, in this case a concussion, can therefore be seen as a forced change or a new setting. One is altered by this event, which can also cause love to be altered, distorted, decalibrated...or to vanish. And when you have overcome this event, both parties involved are changed, and there is nothing to do about it other than to take the consequences. Maybe it’s just time to get out and move on - to ‘Leave This Scene’.

Thus Try To Enjoy It is a very personal record on a thematic level. Paradoxically it is also a record that is the result of a collective musical endeavour. Where the debut album was defined by the short distance between Bendixens songwriting and the recording studio, Try To Enjoy it is an album created by a band. A good amount of time was spent trying out everyone’s ideas in the rehearsal space. In the studio, assistance was called upon in the shape of violins, horns and backup singers, and the responsibility for the final arrangements was put in the hands of the contributors. The result is a melodic, energetic punk rock record, which - besides its rock n’ roll setup - also shines with its colorful instrumentation born out of imagination, play and impulsive experimentation. BIG MESS has created an ambitious yet still 100 % home made record, that penetrates both brain, heart and gut with its direct melodiosity and very human impressions of a life in change.

Members
Michael Berents Bojesen - Vocals
Tobias Mørch Bendixen – Guitar
Magnus 'Mooseman' Olesen - Bass
Christian Davidsen – Drums

Discography
Try To Enjoy It (Album 2017)
Kill 'Em All (Single 2017)
You Know I Care (Album 2016)