The Knockouts

Did You Know?

• The album Among the Vultures was nominated for Best Punk album at the 2011 Independent Music Awards.
• Two singles from Among the Vultures were nominated: 'Heat for the Hunted' for best punk song and 'Ever Been Hurt' for best alt country song.
• In 2010, Frandsen began an endorsement deal with TV Jones guitars as a featured artist alongside Brian Setzer, Chris Cheney, and Billy Gibbons.

Recent activity

In 2013 and 2014, The Knockouts rehearsed, recorded, and released the studio album 5000 Miles from Louisville after signing with Swedish Booking Agency MTA Production AB. In 2012, they worked on new material for an upcoming album, minimizing touring to focus on the release. A special sold-out event took place in September 2012 at Debaser Slussen Stockholm, Sweden, where Slim Jim Phantom from the Stray Cats and Jonny Bowler from the Guana Batz flew from Los Angeles to join the band on stage, celebrating Johan Frandsen's 30th birthday. In 2011, The Knockouts supported Brian Setzer on the 'Brian Setzer's Rockabilly Riot tour 2011'. The European summer began with a performance alongside Brian Setzer on the premiere night of his tour at the 10-year celebration of the Azkena Rock Festival on 25 June in Vitoria-Gasteiz, Spain, before crowds of over 50,000 people, followed by sold-out dates in Berlin, Hamburg, and Cologne. The tour sold out across Scandinavia, with shows in Copenhagen, Stockholm, and Helsinki. A highlight was an encore at the Helsinki Ice Hall on the tour's final night, where Johan Frandsen joined Brian Setzer and Slim Jim Phantom for a rendition of 'Seven Nights to Rock'; Setzer handed his white Brian Setzer Hot Rod signature Gretsch guitar to Frandsen to conclude the Scandinavian leg. The Knockouts have toured Europe, including Sweden, Finland, Denmark, Germany, the Czech Republic, and Spain, and have played festivals such as the West Coast Riot and the Peace and Love Festival alongside Brian Setzer, Social Distortion, and The Living End. They supported The Living End in 2009 on their first Scandinavian tour date for the Raise the Alarm World Tour in Stockholm. Frandsen has also performed with members of the Stray Cats, Guana Batz, and Mad Sin, and played over 300 gigs with the Swedish rockabilly band The GoGetters.

History

Formed by Johan Frandsen in 1996, the band released their self-titled debut 7-inch single 'The Knockouts' in 1998, produced by Thomas Skogsberg (The Hellacopters). From 1999 to 2001, they toured, wrote, and prepared the promotional album Skyline Supernova, recorded at Sunlight Studio, Sweden and released in summer 2000, along with various compilation recordings including A Fistfull of Rock on Devil Doll Records. The album's success earned them national support and a slot at the Hultsfred Festival, playing the same year as Iggy Pop and Rocket from the Crypt. After extensive touring and a shift in perspective on the Swedish punk rock scene, the trio solidified its sound in 2003 with the addition of longtime drummer Ted Jergelind in early 2004. They recorded the four-track EP self-titled The Knockouts in 2004. While writing material for their second album from 2004 to 2006 and touring Sweden, Germany, and Spain, Johan Frandsen toured over 300 dates with the Swedish rockabilly band The GoGetters, including shows across Europe and the USA, headlining at Viva Las Vegas, supporting Stray Cats members, and playing with members of Mad Sin and Guana Batz. Between 2006 and 2008, amid relentless touring, they wrote songs for the album El Fin de la Guerra, recorded in October 2007 and released on 1 February 2008. The band supported the album with tours in Europe and the US, including Sweden, Germany, the Czech Republic, Finland, and the West Coast of the United States. Endorsement deals led to a trademark white guitar on stage in early 2009, and Frandsen appeared at national and international guitar conventions. In summer 2009, they played Earth Hour in Stockholm, then with The Living End and Social Distortion at the Westcoast Riot festival and the Peace and Love Festival. Among the Vultures was recorded and produced in six days at The Panic Room, Skara, Sweden. The single 'Under the Light' attracted radio play in Scandinavia, the USA, and Europe, and 'Heat for the Hunted' ranked third on Sweden's National Radio Program Håkan Persson's Sveriges Radio P3 as one of the best top ten songs for 2009.