SCHOOL OF ROCK!
Imagine Sonic Youth, Frank Zappa, Black Sabbath, The Cure, Funkadelic and Can all on the same bill. If that sounds like a dream come true then imagine a band that sound like them all! Ungdomskulen are that band, says Wyndham Wallace.
One of the more enjoyable aspects of the Scandinavian music industry for a native English speaker is the magic of the band names. This year ByLarm offers a whole selection of unlikely handles that include Master Piece Of Cake, Alog Med Sheriffs Of Nothingness, Gamaltnymalt and our personal favourite, All That And A Bag Of Chips.
None of these, however, matches the finest name to have emerged from Norway in many years: Ungdomskulen. It takes a little practice to master, but once you’ve seen them you’re likely to want to use it regularly so practice hard. If you wish to appear especially smug, note the fact that the word is Norwegian for ‘middle school’.
It’s easy to turn one’s nose up at an act because their name isn’t to one’s tastes, but such decisions might have led to some terrible cultural injustices. Imagine a world without Arctic Monkeys, …And you Will Know Us By The Trail of Dead and Aha. (Admittedly we’d have been saved from Kajagoogoo and Mr Mister, so this is not a hard and fast rule, but it’s one worth bearing in mind.) Even Ever Records, the label that the Bergen three piece band eventually signed to, suggested they might want to consider an alternative name. But Ungdomskulen simply pointed out that Royksopp had travelled fairly well. The label backed down. The band had a point.
And here’s why: Ungdomskulen, like their music, is a name that initially appears complex but is, in fact, highly memorable. Once you’ve got the hang of it you’ll never forget it. And following months of global touring, the band’s razor-sharp live show – complete with monster riffs, cowbell solos, stomach-crushing bass and, inevitably, lead singer Kristian Stockhaus’ unique sense of humour – has never been tighter, a point they’ll soon make across the UK when they open for The Young Knives before an appearance at South by South West in Austin.
In many ways Ungdomskulen are the only band you’ll ever need to see: they provide links to pretty much every form of known music. Slap on their debut album Cry-Baby and you’ll see what we mean. Somehow, within its hefty sixty minutes, it combines influences that range from noise to disco, from pop to prog, from metal to Mahler, from avant-garde to post-rock. The greatest challenge facing any audience is simply whether to dance or mosh. The usual solution is to combine the two.
Ungdomskulen played ByLarm once before, in Stavanger in 2005. At that stage they were in the process of releasing the series of three 7” singles that led to their deal. Their return to ByLarm follows the acclaimed release of Cry-Baby: “Ungdomskulen have produced the kind of record that leaves everything else floored in its wake” gushed Rocksound (UK). Don’t be surprised if the band turn out to be this year’s breakthrough act…
QUICKFIRE Q&A WITH UNGDOMSKULEN VOCALIST/GUITARIST KRISTIAN STOCKHAUS
How does it feel to be playing ByLarm and what does it mean to you as a band?
It feels like being touched by god in all the right places. As a band it means we get to play for everyone in the biz at the same time.
Do these kinds of events play a useful role in a band's career?
Yes, they are the backbone of every band’s eXistenZ. Take ‘em away and everything falls apart.
You're playing South By South West next month. How does that feel?
Really goddamn exciting!
How are things going with the record?
Very well, thank you. It’s a slow but consistent spread all over the world, like a sneeze in a public library filmed in slow motion.
Have you been touring heavily?
Yes, we’ve been touring a lot. We love touring so we hope that we can continue to do so for a long, long time. We’ve been uptown, downtown and round and round and round.
How would you describe your music?
I would describe it as a swordfight between friends.
What can people expect from an Ungdomskulen album?
A smorgåsbord of riffs, beats and jams from the top shelf of your local pita-place.
What can people expect from an an Ungdomskulen show?
The opposite.
What do you think of the Scandinavian music scene at the moment?
I think of it as a seed: it needs water to grow.
Any bands we should be looking out for?
Je Suis Animal: they rock!
Any message for ByLarm?
Where are our crabcakes?
UNGDOMSKULEN AND THE ART OF KISSING
You’ll need to appear hip as you spread the gospel of Ungdomskulen, so pay attention and say after me...
Ooong: Long ‘O’ - let the ‘N’ slide in underneath like a tongue between your lover’s lips.
Dom: Short ‘O’ - get this bit out of the way fast like it’s just a tease.
Skoool: Long “O” once again - let the sound linger like the lips of your lover as you finish kissing them.
Un: Short ‘U’ - almost like a popping sound as your mouths draw back from one another.
Simple, eh? Your kissing may have improved too.
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