Mando Diao is an alternative rock band from Borlänge, Sweden. The band got their breakthrough with the release of the album Hurricane Bar. Their main fan base is in Sweden, Germany, Austria, and Japan although their influence has recently spread to Western Europe, most notably the UK. The roots of Mando Diao date back to 1999 when Björn DixgÃ¥rd and the former Mando Diao member Daniel Haglund played in a band called Butler. With band members changing over the following four years, the current line-up decided to take the project more seriously. Björn DixgÃ¥rd and Gustaf Norén locked themselves up in a summer house and spent 14 months writing songs. They claim the Beatles as their original source of inspiration. Allegedly, Gustaf joined the band after he and Björn had talked all night about this band. The two renamed their band Mando Diao, a name that appeared to Björn DixgÃ¥rd in a dream in which a man came up to him and shouted "Mando Diao!".
The now-renamed band made their first public performances in the clubs of their hometown Borlänge in 1999. A local writer described them in an article as the best unsigned band he had ever seen. This was soon followed by a record deal with EMI Sweden. In 2002, their first album Bring 'Em In was released in Sweden. It contains early demo versions of their songs, partly recorded in the basement of keyboardist Daniel Haglund, who left the band later in 2003. In 2003, the album was released internationally by MUTE label, along with their debut single "Sheepdog". As of 2004, the band is hailed enthusiastically by the music press as one of the most sanguine newcomer bands of the year. The album Hurricane Bar was released in 2004. Their third album, Ode to Ochrasy, was released in 2006. By the end of 2006, the band released a DVD called "Down in the Past". Ode to Ochrasy was released in the UK through the Nettwerk label on April 2, 2007, in a previously unreleased format including 4 bonus tracks. In October 2007, the band released their album, Never Seen The Light Of Day. Their latest album, Give Me Fire, was released on February 13, 2009.