Soft rock

The music of Kings of Convenience sounds lovely through headphones in your bedroom, but how do these fragile songs hold up in a rock club?

The mission: To play melodic, soft, acoustic music that doesn't put an audience to sleep. ''We have to be very awake during these shows so we don't bore people," explains Eirik Glambek Boe. ''It's hard in that sense. We're not a regular rock band that can play 10 songs in a row. We really have to communicate and engage an audience. We have to tell stories and be entertainers."

The set-up: Two acoustic guitars, one keyboard

Standing vs. sitting: ''Our music isn't dance music, but we find that our audiences are more relaxed when we play in a rock club with no seating," he says. ''People feel like they don't have to behave themselves in a rock club, so they have a better time."

CHRISTOPHER MUTHER