Swede Wraps Up Their First World Tour

New Zealand band, Swede, have returned home after their final leg of the latest world tour. Selling out in multiple countries, filling arenas, the "Didn't See Us Coming Tour" was a major success for this 5-piece ensemble.

Starting out as a 4-piece on their self-titled debut album, Swede would make themselves known across their homeland and across the sea in Australia. Their first single, "Scheduled Rendezvous" was a moderate success, but it was the follow-up, "Charlotte", that caught more attention than expected. Especially considering the song's backstory. The song's writer, Campbell McGill (Swede's bass player and second lead vocalist) penned "Charlotte" as an ode to a girl he attended high school with. The girl in question also happens to be a rising star, Charlotte d'Vue (who recently completed her own world tour not too long ago). Because of the song's success, people started noticing her more as well, leading to a secondary success story. Charlotte has since shared her gratitude and remains a close friend of the band.

Some time after these events, Swede recorded their second album, "Time Traveller", which would go on to become their first worldwide release along with its 5 singles. Around this time also, the band had recruited a 5th member. The band was getting bigger in more ways than one.

The promotional tour that followed was a big success, but it was mostly appearances on TV and as a supporting act for others. Their time in the spotlight as the headliner would come after their third album, "Didn't See You Coming". This decision was made so the band would have more than enough songs to choose from when constructing a setlist.

Before going on the road, Swede made sure there would be enough material to last the journey, as well as for when the tour ended. It has been rumoured that they will be releasing a Christmas-themed album within a few weeks. This is said to be a gap filler (or stocking filler, in this case) while the band takes a short break. After which, they will be returning to the studio to plan their next adventure.

• Mike Flemming - producer

This article has been approved by the members of Swede and their management team.