Jo Nesbo and his music

Norwegian crime writer Jo Nesbo, who is currently touring New Zealand in support of the release of PHANTOM (the ninth Harry Hole book) and the film adaptation of HEADHUNTERS, is something of a renaissance man. Along with being one of the best crime writers around, he also played top level football as a youngster, before becoming an economist, freelance writer, and musician prior to being a novelist.

When I interviewed him for a recent feature in the New Zealand Listener, Nesbo said that music was still one of his biggest passions - and along with rock climbing, one of the things he most loved to do when he's not writing. "Playing with my band and my friends used to be a job," he told me, "but nowadays it feels more like a hobby, or, you know, something that I would do for free".

If, like me, you are a fan of Nesbo's dark crime novels, you might expect his music to have a similar brooding or dark atmosphere or sound. Something at the harder edge of rock, perhaps? Or singer-songwriter stylings peppered with melancholy or an undercurrent of despair beneath the melody?

If so, you might, like me, be a little surprised to see and hear the pop-rock nature of Nesbo's band, di Derre (Those Guys), such as in their very catchy song Jenter som Kommer (see above). I don't know what any of the words mean, but I certainly found myself tapping along to the tune as I listened, and hitting replay.

You can listen to Nesbo talk more about his band and music in this interesting Radio New Zealand interview with Kathryn Ryan earlier this week. Listen here.

Are you a fan of Nesbo's novels? What do you think about di Derre's music?