Latvia has a ska band called Band Mango

Up until now the only thing I knew about Latvia was, ehm...well, besides the capital being Riga and the fact that most people there have a classic Baltic pallor, I knew feck all about Latvia! 

But it turns out the Northern European country has a ska punk scene, or at least one ska punk band, called Band Mango. Or sometimes they’re called Band MANGO. I love this shit! The fact that there’s ska in Ireland, a wet, cold rock in the Atlantic is amazing, but ska in a tiny country where the weather is LITERALLY BALTIC?! Amazeballs!

The antics in this video are so similar to how my first bands in rural Ireland acted is scary.  

• Tiny band room to jam in?  Check!
• Lots of walking around outside and hanging around old buildings? Check!
• Skateboarding in an area that is not conducive to skateboarding? Check!

All joking aside, this is really good. I mean, where in the hell did a Latvian Patrick Stump come from?

While this song is probably the best ‘something everyone can enjoy’ single from their EP ‘Lifelong Contract’, there’s also some great Streetlight Manifesto- inspired stuff that zips between intricate brass-led ska, punk and riff-heavy rock.

Readers of this blog know I have a soft spot for European bands with amusing names and questionable English. Band member Jānis (one of two Jānis’ in the group) filled me in with some crucial info and it was hard to tell if he was being funny on purpose, unintentionally hilarious, or if he was fucking with me! 

“We’re one of the most common phenomenons in Latvia,” he says, “taking (a) solid third place just after bad weather and potatoes with cottage cheese.” Well, there you have it.

The band is completed by Konstantins, Ieva, Krists and Reinis. R they a band r a group of vampires, lol. Just kidding guys. But srsly, your names sound like badass vampires.

Band Mango are on Soundcloud and Facebook, check them out.

Another fun fact about Latvia, their currency is Latvian Lats. I love it.