Music pages
Icelandic punk
These pages on icelandic bands Kukl, Purrkur Pillnikk and Theyr, started as a posting to the first internet-list dedicated to icelandic music, in 1992. The list is now known as blue-eyed-pop, and is mostly devoted to Björk, back in 1992 it was the Sugarcubes.
Sugarcubes came as a fresh breeze to the popworld, but for some of us, the musicians involved were well known.
I got my first glimpse of icelandic punk in 1981, when the icelandic wife-to-be of my girlfriend's brother (!) gave me Purrkur Pillnikks "No time to think" single for Christmas. I was not particulary impressed. A friend made me a tape of PP's "Ekki enn" album that made more of an impact. However when I split up with my girlfriend, and found myself in a world of art, punk and frozen winternights in a north-norwegian town (Bodø), PP suddenly started to make sense. "Ekki enn" on a walkman bicycling against icy wind, perfectly sums those years up in a way. I got to know an icelandic girl, that since went on to work for about a year at GRAMM in Reykjavik. When I visited her there in December 1984, I saw Kukl. They were on a bill with several others, supporting a retro-band called Studmenn. It was the most shattering musical experience of my life. I've been to some concerts through the years, this is the only one that is undescribeable. Usually one can say that a concert is good, it may even be magical, whatever. But this was like being sucked into something, and then spat out on the other side, not knowing what had happened, but feeling awfull! Torn apart! Completely at a loss!
To this day I find it hard to listen to KUKL, they stress me up. Theyr has som magical moments. Purrkur Pillnikk still gives me a boost, I think "Ekki enn" is one of the greatest albums ever.
Those of you that have seen these pages in previous incarnations will notice that I have dropped the parts on Tappi Tikarass. Björk is adequately covered elsewhere.
Lastly, a big hug to Thorhildur Egilsdottir, for everything through the years. Thanks also goes to Albert Sigurdson (wherever you are), Chris Forsberg, Sally the Pomegranate and Maria Salomonsson.
| Purrkur Pillnikk | Theyr | Kukl |
Patrik Fitzgerald
One of the great lost ones, is our Patrik. His output is fairly large, but he's been mostly quiet since the eighties.
On my way to London in 1980, I shared train-compartment with a swede, who among other things (Throbbing Gristle "Zyclon B Zombie" and Cabaret Voltaires "Nag nag nag") pursuaded me to buy Patriks "Safetypin stuck in my heart" ep. When we went to the Marquee to watch the Human League, he even claimed that it was Patrik standing behind us looking bemused. Whatever it was, I quite liked it and bought everything I could get my hands on. When he played in Oslo about 1987 I was there.
He never quite matched what he did on those early singles and the first truly great album, but he had the occasionall glimpses of greatness like the "Tonight" 12".
I got in touch with an israeli, Rami Zakh, that had transcribed some of PF's lyrics and we decided to pool our recources and make something on PF. So we did. This is the result: The Unknown Soldier
Honey Bane
About 1979 I heard a strange song on John Peels Radioshow, it was by a band calling themselves "The Fatal Microbes". They were very good. The singer was a girl in her early teens calling herself Honey Bane. When I went to London in the summer of 1979, I got a chance to see TFM at something called "The Moonlight Club". They were supporting a band I never had heard of, called Crass ...
Sadly TFM had to pull out as Honey Bane had ran away from the childrens home she lived in. In their place some, to me at least, very old punks that must have been The Poison Girls, played.
I managed to pick up a few records through the years. Most of the facts on this page are culled from a short history on Honey Bane, that Tore Stemland put together in his "Fanz magazine # 2 (1998). Here goes!