Les Big Byrd

Psych-leaning indie act Les Big Byrd was formed in Stockholm, Sweden around 2011 by Joakim Åhlund and Frans Johansson. Two stalwarts of the Swedish underground music scene, Åhlund was formerly of garage-flavored act the Caesars and also worked with the more electronic project Teddybears. Johansson had been part of Fireside, a rock band signed for a time to Def American. After the dissolution of both of their bands, the two came together over a love of experimental rock sounds, forming Les Big Byrd with former Fireside drummer Nino Keller and keyboardist Konie. The band, made up of music heads and studio engineers, began jamming and cultivating ideas, eventually releasing single Zig-Smile to moderate buzz. A chance encounter at a record store between the Les Big Byrd folks and a visiting Anton Newcombe (on tour with Brian Jonestown Massacre) resulted in a lengthy conversation about music, which eventually led to Newcombe inviting the band to his Berlin studios for a few days of jamming. The recordings resulted in the band's 2014 debut album They Worshipped Cats. A vinyl-only companion piece, the Back to Bagarmossen 10", was released around the same time.