+ JAYMAY+ WILDBIRDS & PEACEDRUMS

Jens Lekman is a Swedish musician whose music can be described as guitar-based pop with heavy use of samples and strings. His lyrics are often romantic, witty and melancholic; often being compared the likes of Jonathan Richman and Morrissey.

He recorded and released his material privately from 2000-3; with his 7” vinyl EP Maple Leaves caused a big stir in 2003, mainly due to sound files circulating on file sharing networks. The same EP was released in Sweden on independent label Service Records in the autumn, and Lekman was fast becoming a well-known name. He soon signed a contract with the American label Secretly Canadian for releases outside of Sweden.

Debut album, ‘When I said I Wanted to Be your Dog’ was released in 2004, consisting of recordings made in Lekmans earlier years, some of which had been released by Lekman previously. The album attracted attention among the alternative music press in both Europe and the US. The song "You Are The Light" was a successful radio hit, and a video received some rotation in the Nordic MTV and ZTV. In Sweden the album earned a respectible #6 in the national chart.

In 2005, a compilation comprised of Jen’s first three EP’s with previously unheard bonus tracks. His latest musical offering ‘Night Falls Over Kortedala’ was released in October of 2007. It received critical acclaim and appeared on many of the lists for ‘best album of the year’. Jens is set to embark on a headline tour of the UK to support his latest release, stopping at Manchester Academy 3. Monday 18th May.