To cite this paper: Hannerz,

E. & Persson, M. 2017. Punk in Sweden in Horn, D. and

Shepherd, J. (eds) Bloomsbury Encyclopedia of Popular Music of the World, Volume XI:
New York: Bloomsbury, pp. 613-616

Punk in Sweden
Erik Hannerz and Mattias Persson

Swedish punk is often hailed as one of the most influential scenes in the global development

of the genre, having been one of the principal producers of punk outside the USA and the UK

since the early 1980s. The starting point for punk in Sweden dates to the spring and summer

of 1977, during which the Ramones, the Sex Pistols, the Clash and Television all performed

in the capital, Stockholm. These shows were followed in turn by extensive coverage in the

press, which, in a way not unlike the tabloid attention that greeted the first wave of punk in

the UK, focused on what were seen as the exciting and dangerous aspects of punk, such as

tattooed swastikas and safety pins through the skin. Such attention helped disseminate punk to

Swedish youth, mainly to the three major urban areas of Stockholm, Göteborg, and

Malmö/Lund. This first wave of Swedish punk, from 1977-82, was focused around a few

bands, such as Ebba Grön, KSMB, Kriminella Gitarrer and Grisen Skriker, and was heavily

influenced by the London scene at the time, however the vast majority of lyrics was in

Swedish. Given this influence, when British punk diverged in the early 1980s into New Wave

on the one hand, and hardcore and anarcho punk on the other, Swedish punk followed suit.

This was largely an internal reaction, focusing on an idea of what punk should be, as opposed

to the commercialized image it had become. The first years of the 1980s saw the rise of

Swedish hardcore with bands such as MOB 47, Moderat Likvidation, Anti Cimex, Disarm

and Shitlickers. Their sound was reminiscent of the UK band Discharge but was generally

faster and more raw. The sound developed by these bands—usually referenced to as Swedish
hardcore, later also as raw punk or kängpunk—has had a major impact on global punk and

continues to be copied throughout the world more three decades later: The original releases

being auctioned for huge amounts on Ebay and Japanese punk bands in the mid 1990s took

Swedish names, covered Swedish hardcore songs, and even writing their own songs in

Swedish. During the first years of this second wave of Swedish punk, Swedish was still the

predominant language for lyrics, however, the rise of Swedish hardcore also marked a change

in language: The increased impact of British hardcore on the Swedish scene included not only

similar lyrical themes but also a shift to singing in English. As Swedish bands got recognition

abroad, bands started to include more and more songs in English. The rise of Swedish

hardcore thus included an international focus and bands often included an English translation

to their names such as Skitslickers/Shitlickers and Huvudtvätt/Headcleaners.

This second wave of Swedish punk—between 1980-85—also coincided with the emergence

of heavy and death metal in Sweden, and the metal and punk scenes were largely intertwined

during the late 1980s, to the point that genre identity was less important than being

underground. The consequence of this was that Swedish extreme metal bands—including

grindcore, black and death metal—and punk bands influenced one another, with band

members switching between genres and sharing stage, thus enabling new sounds and styles.

Bathory, Entombed, At the Gates and In Flames are all examples of Swedish metal that was

influenced by, and had an influence on, Swedish punk during the 1980s and early 1990s.

Accordingly, with the advent of the third wave of Swedish punk—1985-93—the scene was

characterized by diversity rather than genre subdivisions: what mattered was unity and a

general punk ethic. Besides Swedish hardcore bands—such as Bombanfall, Totalitär,

Dischange, No Security and Svart Snö— that were at the forefront of defining punk globally,

a more melodic sound developed with bands such as Puke, Raped Teenagers, Asta Kask and
Strebers. Swedish hardcore was by now an established genre within punk. As a consequence,

there was no need for Swedish bands to sing only in English and new bands started to

increasingly include songs in Swedish while still getting international recognition. The unity

of the scene was largely held together through fanzines and an established tape-trading

culture, but at the same time record labels and gigs represented this diversity through broad,

inclusive lineups.

Whereas Swedish punk in the 1980s was confined to a dedicated few, the

development of a more melodic sound catapulted punk back into the mainstream limelight in

the early 1990s. Spurred by the global success of grunge, Swedish punk bands once again

appeared in the sales charts around 1993. Even though this fourth wave of Swedish punk—

1993-98—included a furthering of Swedish hardcore with band such as Wolfpack, Totalitär,

Skitsystem, Disfear and Meanwhile, it was dominated by the development of a Swedish

melodic hardcore-scene closely related to skate- and snowboard. The unity that had marked

the scene in the previous waves of Swedish punk dissolved, as melodic hardcore bands raised

punk from the underground and into the stadiums and record charts. The melodic hardcore

scene included, on the one hand, a more British-influenced type of hardcore centered around

the record companies Birdnest and Beat Butchers, with bands such as Dia Psalma, De

Lyckliga Kompisarna and Charta 77, with songs being predominately in Swedish, and on the

other hand, a more Southern California-influenced type of hardcore, sung entirely in English,

centered around the record labels Burning Heart and Bad Taste. Even though the former type

of hardcore did gain substantive success in Sweden, the latter brought international fame

through bands like Millencolin, No Fun At All, Satanic Surfers, Randy, Refused, Raised Fist

and the Hives. Burning Heart, from the small city of Örebro, emerged as a crucial

international label. Subsequently bought by Epitaph records, it worked to establish Swedish

hardcore and straight edge hardcore worldwide.

 The fifth way of Swedish punk—1997-2006—developed as a result of the

success of the fourth wave, due in part to an internal reaction within the straight edge and

hardcore scene, and in part to a broader reaction to what had become of punk, similar to that

of the early 1980s. At the same time, with punk once again featured in the media, a plethora

of new bands, labels and venues emerged, even in smaller cities. Although melodic hardcore

continued to define the first years of this wave, it was characterized by the rise of Swedish

crust and anarcho punk, with bands such as Burning Kitchen, Acursed, DS-13, Totalt Jävla

Mörker, Victims and Wolfbrigade. The Internet and the rise of the anti-globalization

movement helped define a worldwide, politically aware scene in the late 1990s that was

closely linked to the autonomous left, with the consequence that the scene was largely

decentralized and became increasingly translocal. However, language was less of a defining

trait and songs were sung in both Swedish and English. Even though a Do it Yourself (DIY)

ethic had been important within the previous waves of Swedish punk, during the late 1990s

and early 2000s this developed into the distinguishing feature between the political

underground and what was seen as the commercial and popular. Contemporary Swedish punk

continues to be marked by this division, with genres and sounds being subordinated to a DIY-

ethic. Similar to the situation that helped form the sound of Swedish Hardcore in the 1980s,

the scene in the mid-2010s is one in which a multiplicity is held together by a shared

exclusivity in which control through DIY is the pervasive focus.

Conclusion

Given that the population of Sweden stands at only 9 million inhabitants, the

global success and impact of Swedish punk is remarkable. It has been made possible by a

stable subcultural infrastructure, intimately related to the development of the Swedish welfare

state. Despite the lyrics criticizing the state and bureaucracy, punk, and especially its
emphasis on DIY, fits well with the Swedish social democratic idea of folkbildning—a system

of public education meant to constitute an alternative to formal educational institutions

through club activities, non-profit associations and study circles. Through this system bands

were able to borrow instruments, get access to regular rehearsal space and studios as well as

venues for shows, all of which was subsidized by the government, regardless of whether you

played punk, jazz or folk music. All of the waves of Swedish punk have benefitted from this.

The first local initiative—Oasen—was formed in 1977, and the first punk non-profit

association—Ultra, set up in 1979, and was used to establish a subcultural meeting place,

Ultrahuset. Many more such places were to follow, among them Vita Huset, Kafé 44, and

Gula Villan (Stockholm), Galaxen (Umeå), Underjorden (Göteborg), Skylten (Linköping),

Eldslandet (Jönköping), and Stadt Hamburg, Borgen and Aktivitetshuset (Malmö). Punk’s

emphasis on DIY is crucial to understanding how the subcultural is established, reproduced

and changed through an extremely tangible form: regardless of how DIY is defined and acted

upon, there is a pervasive focus on doing. Through these associations a basic infrastructure

was created, often around the local youth centers where bands could rehearse and play shows,

thus furthering the democratic aspects of punk’s DIY ethic. As punk removed the excuse “but

I cannot play any instrument,” the system of public education helped reduce the financial

costs of musical equipment, rehearsal rooms and production costs. Thus, whether you wanted

to start a band, a club or a fanzine, there was already an established platform to get you

started, regardless of talent, gender or class.

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Discography

Note: this Discography is presented in chronological order, to provide an overview of the

history of punk releases by important bands.

Kriminella Gitarrer. Vårdad Klädsel. Kloaak MPGK 001. 1978: Sweden.

Ebba Grön. We're Only In It For The Drugs. Mistlur MLR-10. 1979: Sweden.

Grisen Skriker. Grisen Skriker's EP. Silence ZING 106. 1979: Sweden.

KSMB. Aktion. MNW. MNW101P. 1980: Sweden.

Skitslickers/Shitlickers . GBG 1982. Not on label. 1982: Sweden.

Anti Cimex. Raped Ass. A-RECORDS-001-1983. 1983: Sweden.

Moderat Likvidation. Moderat Likvidation. KUKNACKE-001. 1984: Sweden.

MOB 47. Hardcore Attack. Not On Label. 1984: Sweden.

Asta Kask. Med iIs i magen. Rosa Honung ROSAXP 21. 1985: Sweden.
Puke. Back To The Stoneage. CBR Records FRIDAY 13. 1987: Sweden.

Raped Teenagers. I kräftans klor. CBR Records C.B.R. 106, CBR. CBR 106. 1988: Sweden.

G-Anx. Far Out. Finn Records FINN-REC. 003. 1989: Sweden.

Anti Cimex. Absolut Country Of Sweden . CBR Records CBR 121. 1990: Sweden.

Strebers. Kaos & Skrål 85-87. Birdnest Records SKIT015. 1991: Sweden.

Svart SNö. Nemesis divina. Jesus Kudd Records JKR 003. 1991: Sweden.

De Lyckliga Kompisarna. Le som en fotomodell. Birdnest Records SKIT-020. 1991: Sweden.

No Security. When The Gist Is Sucked… (comp). Lost And Found Records LF 063/CD. 1993:

Germany.

Disfear. A Brutal Sight Of War. Lost And Found Records LF 060/CD. 1993: Germany.

Dischange. Seeing Feeling Bleeding. Nuclear Blast NB 085-2. 1993: Germany.

Refused. This Just Might Be The Truth. We Bite Records WB 3-116-2. 1993: USA.

De Lyckliga Kompisarna. Tomat. Birdnest Records BIRD035CD. 1993: Sweden.

Dia Psalma. Gryningstid. Birdnest Records. BIRD047CD. 1994: Sweden.

Millencolin. Tiny Tunes. Burning Heart Records. BHR019. 1994: Sweden.

No Fun At All. No Straight Angles. Burning Heart Records BHR 011. 1994: Sweden.

Satanic Surfers. Hero Of Our Time. Burning Heart Records BHR 027. 1995: Sweden.

Skitsystem. Profithysteri. Distortion Records DISTEP23. 1995: Sweden.

Final Exit. Teg. Desperate Fight Records DFR# 6. 1995: Sweden.

Wolfpack. A New Dawn Fades. Distortion Records DISTCD27. 1996: Sweden.

3-Way Cum. Killing The Life. Sound Pollution Records POLLUTE:22. 1996: USA.

Breach. It's Me God. Burning Heart Records BHR057. 1997: Sweden.

Hives. Barely Legal. Burning Heart Records BHR 068. 1997: Sweden.

Refused. The Shape Of Punk To Come. Burning Heart Records BHR 071. 1998: Sweden.

Operation. Frihet?. Not On Label. 1997: Sweden.

Burning Kitchen. Consolidation. COMKS 003 BE.E.R 001. 1998: Sweden.

Intensity. Wash Off The Lies. Putrid Filth Conspiracy PFC005. 1998: Sweden.

Outlast. Positive Hardcore, Positive Youth. Bridge Of Compassion Records BOC 007. 1998:

Sweden.

DS-13. Aborted Teen Generation. Busted Heads Records. 1998: Sweden.

Voice Of A Generation. Obligations To The Odd. Sidekicks Records JABSCO 022. 1999:

Sweden.

Skitsystem. Grå värld / svartatankar. Distortion Records DISTCD52. 1999: Sweden.

Acursed. Livet är den längsta vägen till helvetet. Putrid Filth Conspiracy PFC020. 2003:

Sweden.

Skitkids. Onna For Pleasure. Kick N' Punch Records, Instigate Records KNP 13,5, ISG04.

2004: Denmark.

Martyrdöd. In Extremis. Havoc Records HC 1224. 2005: USA.

Regulations. Electric Guitar. Ny Våg Records NV #006. 2006: Sweden.

Vicious. Alienated. Ny Våg Records NYVÅG008. 2006: Sweden.

Sista Sekunden. Skyll inte på oss. Instigate Records. 2007: Sweden.

Masshysteri. Vår del av stan. Ny Våg Records NYVÅG#121. 2008: Sweden.

Nitad. Ibland an man inte hindra sig själv. Kranium KRNM003. 2008: Sweden.

Disfear. Live The Storm. Relapse Records RR 6723. 2008: USA.

Herätys. Herätys. Not Enough Records N.E.R. 026. 2010: Sweden.

Anchor. Recovery. Refuse Records REFUSE 070. 2011; Sweden.

Terrible Feelings. Impending Doom. Sabotage, Lack Of Sleep SABO044, LOS001. 2011:

Germany.

Wolfbrigade. Damned. Southern Lord LORD152. 2012: USA.

Hårda Tider. Scandanavian Hardcore Insanity. La Familia Releases, Hårda Skivor. Member

40+22, HS 005. 2013: Germany.

Atlas Losing Grip. Currents. Creator Destructor Records CD031. 2015: USA.

Ursut. Köp dig lycklig. Not Enough Records N.E.R. 2016: Sweden.