“F*cking Bananaasssss” Meet Ungdomskulen

Written by Jess Collings | Wednesday, April 2, 2008 |

Just as it seemed the music scene was a dying thing, Norwegian trio Ungdomskulen, influenced by the likes of Sonic Youth, Frank Zappa and The Talking Heads, unhurriedly began their assailment of the current commercial music climate. A tour with the Young Knives under their new-wave belts and a single, ‘Modern Drummer’, which clambers through 6 minutes of post-punk ingenuity, firmly validates this band as one of the most exciting prospects for saving our music scene from collapsing completely. We caught up with the band to see exactly how they plan on retaining such potential.

First forming when they were just 17 (which perhaps explains the English translation of the band’s name as High School”, Kristian, Oyvind and Frodetook their time in getting to the post-punk place they now reside in, but once they reached their desired destination were quick to begin their musical assault: “It took us alot of years to put legs on our rock-monster,but once we did that, he could rollerskate and everything within months.”

Although their aspiration of allowing their roller-skating rock monster to “establish a steady Norwegian economy” may seem a little over-ambitious (and also reminds us that this is a band who, refreshingly, don’t take the world too seriously) in just listening to the tracks on their myspace (www.myspace.com/ungdomskulen) you’d be forgiven for thinking that there was little this band can’t, and won’t achieve. With single ‘Modern Drummer’ being brought into its fierce entirety thanks to a copy of the magazine lying around in their studio, the band then went on to “pull the music out of our asses, feet first” - and perhaps it is this unrefined edge to their music which grants it its ingenuity.

The band’s reluctance to relate to anything commercial is reflected in their opinions of the music industry itself, “any industry as a concept is depressing and uninteresting.and we dont really think of us being a part of an industry, although we apparently are.” Describing their position within the decline of record sales as like “a dog eating dogfood, he doesn’t mind it, because it’s all he knows” the financial gain of success is clearly not top of their agenda.

Playing live certainly seems to provide them with the sustenance that the industry cannot (particularly in the UK, noting the UK crowd as “fucking Banannasssss”), describing the experience they provide for their audience as “heaven and hell with cheese on.” Their recent tour with the Young Knives has proved a success despite the concerns they held over opening for such an established band and the contrast that their music creates - “when your music collides abit, you dont have the slightest idea weither their fans will dig your shit or not” - but judging by reviews stating that the band threatened to blow the headliners off stage, the fans most definitely have been won over. In spite of the collision the band’s music creates with the Young Knives, no such tension remains offstage - “travelling with young knives is amazing, cause they and their crew are XTRMLY nice persons!”

If this is the kind of music that Norway has to offer then it is definitely a movement worth looking out for, Ungdomskulen themselves recommending velvet underground inspired Je Suis Animal, catchy indie duo Sissy and similarly thrash founded Arabrot. Describing the last album they bought, ‘Widow City’ by New York based Fiery Furnaces, as “a little noir-ish,very sophisticated and sexy, marvelous and labyrinthic”their musical tastes too collide with one another, just as their own music seems to seek to do. This is a band who aren’t afraid to play with the boundaries.

“Can’t touch this”is the response to asking them to describe their music in three words - and judging by their inspirations, brutally sophisticated musical constructions and a sense of humour and dislike for commercialism which keeps them grounded, we’d be inclined to agree. Whatever the future holds for this Scandinavian new wave trio, it is sure to retain the antagonistic, unrestrained art which their current repertoire emulates.

Check out Ungdomskulen at http://www.myspace.com/ungdomskulen

• Ungdomskulen - Modern Drummer
• Winehouse Filmed Smoking Crack (video)
• Winehouse Fined After Drugs Arrest
• Young Knives Head Out On Tour

Post A Comment