Smag På Dig Selv is a Danish phrase used to describe the act of looking inward and checking oneself, which translates rather clunkily to ‘eat yourself’ in English. It also happens to be the name of one of Europe’s most exciting young jazz bands. Comprised of two saxophonists and a drummer, the endearing acid jazz trio have made quite a name for themselves in Denmark, having recently sold out a double-header at one of the biggest venues in the nation’s capital.

The prolific Scandis gigged over 70 times in their home country last year, and even over Zoom, the enthusiasm is palpable as Albert Holberg (drums), Thor Øllgaard (alto, baritone and bass sax), and Oliver Lauridsen (tenor sax) relay their excitement about making their Scottish debut at Edinburgh’s Hidden Door festival.

The SPDS story begins in Freetown Christiania, a residential community in Copenhagen, first established by an anarchist group in the early 1970s. Øllgaard and Holberg both called Christiania home growing up and left with mixed feelings about the place where they formed the band in 2018. ‘I think it was amazing growing up in Christiania. But it could also be awful, terrifying, everything,’ explains Øllgaard, the group’s most expressive performer (known to Danish audiences for weaving throat singing and political poetry readings into his live performances).

A culturally rich community, the pair were spoilt for musical inspiration in Christiania and plied their trade in a supportive environment at a local jazz club. The community was also home to Pusher Street, however, an area where cannabis was sold openly for several decades, leaving residents to deal with a litany of crime and policing issues until its eventual closure in 2024. ‘It’s kind of like this paradox of feeling the place being really safe as a child, because there’s no cars and everybody knows each other, and everybody to a certain degree, shares some ideological principles and stuff,’ reflects Holberg. ‘And at the same time, having police raids and all the gangster shit going on.’

SPDS released their self-titled full-length debut last April and, much like Christiania, the album is something of a paradox, interspersing abrasive walls of noise and harsh, throaty vocals with playful melodies listeners will still be humming days later. Packed with political messaging without ever taking itself too seriously, SPDS track titles include ‘Fuck Der Kommer Kontrollører!’ (‘Fuck The Inspectors Are Coming!’) and ‘Hvide Mænd Spiller Afrobeat’ (‘White Men Playing Afrobeat’).

This accessible modern jazz project appears to have been well received by Danish listeners, with SPDS selling out two nights at Vega in February, a 1600 capacity venue in Copenhagen. ‘That was wild,’ says the ever-smiling Holberg of the band’s biggest headline shows to date. ‘The feeling of getting to play our kind of music and without too many compromises. Being able to do that in such a huge venue in Copenhagen and feeling like we were pushing a boundary, that was kind of the coolest part for me.’ ‘And we got lasers, man!’ chimes in Øllgaard. ‘It’s so amazing that we got lasers,’ he beams.

Lauridsen, who is currently separated from his Copenhagen-based bandmates while studying at Amsterdam Conservatoire, believes introducing jazz to new listeners is the greatest upside to the band’s recent success. ‘I’m bragging a bit maybe, but it’s very rare that this music, two saxophones, one drummer, instrumental music, gets an audience like that, at least in Denmark. For the music and jazz community, it was nice to see that music like this could be appreciated so broadly.’

Though they are yet to step on Scottish soil, SPDS’s recent experience performing in Texas at South By Southwest has left Holberg confident that the band’s engrossing live sets will help them connect with audiences wherever they go: ‘We’ve been to Texas and Russia so far, and it seems like there’s something universal in our music. Like it goes beyond borders, actually, and transfers very well.’ Laughing at the thought of sincerely promoting their Hidden Door set, Holberg smiles as he pretends to plead with his would-be Scottish fans: ‘Please come and see us at the Hidden Door festival. Please, please! It’s going to be fun, we hope.’

Smag På Dig Selv play Hidden Door, The Paper Factory, Edinburgh, Wednesday 11 June.