The latest edition of Hej Hej, Washington, DC’s Scandinavian pop listening party, came for its monthly visit to the basement of Cafe St. Ex last night. DJs Natalya and Melissa spun some of the finest indie pop from Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and of course Sweden, including good stuff from Peter Bjorn and John, The Shout Out Louds, and Kashmir. Brian and I enjoyed the sounds and the ambiance, although we had quite a problem finding a seat! The basement, aka Gate 54, was packed full of giddy young professionals and pleasantly content hipsters, enjoying some Viking beers and some good music.
The ladies of Hej Hej were particularly promoting The LK (formerly the Lovekevins), who are scheduled to perform at the House of Sweden (that country’s impressive new embassy on the Georgetown waterfront) on March 8. Hej Hej had a drawing for free tickets, courtesy of kora records.
The DJs also were spinning The Raveonettes, a band I know very little about, and giving away copies of their new album, which was released just this week, courtesy of Vice Records. The Raveonettes play locally at The Black Cat on March 29.
Gate 54 is an excellent venue for a listening party. It usually has plenty of tables and chairs for a weekday party and the space provides soothing solace under dim lights. I would imagine the narrow space would provide great difficulty for a dance party, however, but I have yet to see one there personally.
At the end of our visit, Natalya joined Brian and I at our hard-earned table for some conversation, which was dominated by his love for gypsy punk band Gogol Bordello. I guess it was appropriate as she, like the band, actually has Ukranian roots.
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Thank you as always for stopping by Hej Hej! Next time I’ll do my best to come by your table earlier, not as you’re getting ready to leave. You should check out The Raveonettes — they’re one of my all-time favorite bands, Scandinavian or not. Really good fuzzy stuff, especially if you like My Bloody Valentine and Jesus & The Mary Chain. And they’re coming to the Black Cat soon, too.