Klamydia
This article originally appeared in NFH #22 in
the winter of 1992.
Klamydia is one of a
trio of brilliant Ramones-like punk pop bands from Finland (the other two being Pojat and
Ne Luumaet). They started in 1988 with three members, singer/guitarist Vesku, bassist Arto
and drummer Kape. The name, which is the more formal word for the sexual disease the clap,
was chosen because it was the stupidest name they thought of when trying to name the band.
It hasn't stopped them from getting widespread enough popularity in Finland that one of
their singles actually cracked the top ten in the charts. That's the mainstream top ten
we're talking about, not some indie chart. What a country!
They made two eps
entitled Heja Grabbar and Ja Tauti Leviaa Osa II, and then Kape left and was
replaced with Riku. They quickly pushed out a full 20 song (!) lp entitled Alpee
and another ep called Heppi Kieppi, after which Riku left and Kape returned to join
for yet a fourth untitled ep. Most of the songs from these four eps were collected on the
brilliant lp Tres Hombres (19 more songs), which was released last year on Stupido
Twins. They fit together seamlessly in a slugfest of punchy and tight Ramones-styled
ramalama punk rock.
This is probably
starting to get confusing, but hang in there, we're nearly to today. Kape left because he
had to join the army, and then Riku came back and they added another guitar player named
Vuokko. With this lineup they released another lp called Los Celibatos (27 songs on
CD, reviewed this issue) and another two eps, one of which is included on the CD version
of Los Celibatos. The new lp sounds a little different from the previous records;
mainly in the vocals being a little harder. But the songs are the same two to three minute
hook laden rushes as all their previous stuff. It may all be sung in Finnish, but it's so
catchy that you'll find yourself making up nonsense phrases to fit in so you have
something to sing along. Klamydia's approach to music is that it's meant to be fun and
they don't want you thinking too hard while listening; if you need to know the songs are
about "everything between the earth and sky", says Vesku in a tired sounding
deadpan. "They tell about drinking, ugly girls, stupid people, mopeds; they are not
so serious songs; we are not so serious people. We prefer singing about drinking and girls
and so on. We think so many bands sing about the world situation these days and it's so
boring. Our message to people is have some fun and nothing else."
Unlike many of the
other bands that NFH covers that struggle for acceptance, Klamydia has no problem in
Finland, at any rate. This is really amazing because they haven't conceded anything to
commerciality in either their music or their packaging, which is always black and white
with fairly amateurish layout and in some cases features artwork that probably would not
play well in the racks of, say, a Walmart store. Yet they are able to get their records
played on mainstream radio and to rank in the charts, and they don't have much trouble
getting gigs, either. "Playing Finland is very fun", says Vesku. "There are
many very good people and very good clubs. We have been playing all over Finland and I can
say that most every place is very good to play. There are some stupid places, but very
few. Nowadays I think there's some kind of boom here in Finland about the Ramones and this
kind of bands. It's some kind of fashion."
"We don't
practice a lot. When we are going to make a new lp then we practice more. Usually we
practice only two times a month. Almost every weekend we've got gigs and sometimes in the
week as well."
They've recently
begun to venture outside of Finland, and they are finding that acceptance of Finnish bands
away from home is growing. They've been to Germany and Switzerland and had a good time,
with special praise for the beer and sausage.
Vesku touts Motorhead
and the Misfits as influences in addition to the Ramones, and he says that there are many
great Ramones-styled bands in Finland beyond Klamydia, Pojat and Ne Luumaet, but that
these haven't yet attained the popularity of those three. There's a compilation lp on the
way featuring bands of this type from Finland, and Vesku strongly recommends it.
Meanwhile, for
Klamydia there are more shows in the summer, a new album on the way (already recorded but
as yet untitled), some tracks for the compilation and more good times. Vesku's closing
remarks: "I'd like to say to all the people all over the world; have some fun. The
world is not such a terrible place as everyone says. Have some fun as long as you are
alive. Be happy about that."
