In the early Eighties, long before the dastardly-internet, it really wasn’t very easy to find-out about foreign bands. John Peel was always a great source for new and interesting music, wherever it came from, so his show did introduce some great bands to the UK audience. But with little coverage in the mainstream music press, it was pretty difficult to find out much about many of the bands beyond our shores. ‘Maximum Rock’n’Roll’ started-up in 1982 and over the next few years would become an essential source for information but until then, there really wasn’t widely available coverage for the many great bands who were springing-up around the world.
Some of the newer American bands did start to make an impact, in particular DOA, the Dead Kennedys and Black Flag who all set out to tour in the UK and Europe, trailblazing for all the others that would follow later on. But for European bands, often singing in their own language, there seemed even less opportunity to make themselves known in the UK. However it began to change as the Anarcho-scene encouraged various individuals to start their own record labels and Distro services. Through trading their new releases, more obscure bands from across Europe started to become known in the UK and, quite often, their music was great. Scandinavia, in particular, had a remarkable hardcore scene, known for bands who took the early sound of Discharge to even further levels of raw intensity. From Finland there was Terveet Kadet, while from Sweden there were bands like Crude SS, Mob 47 and the highly influential Anti Cimex.
Anti Cimex had formed in 1981, borrowing their name from a pesticide company ! Over the next five years they would self-release three classic 7” EPs and a mini-album ‘Criminal Trap’ on the UK label Distraught. This release helped to bring them to the attention of many more people and also resulted in their one and only UK tour. But soon after their return to Sweden, the original line-up split and it wouldn’t be until 1990 that the band re-emerged, releasing the album ‘Absolut Country of Sweden’, playing live again (sadly for us, only in Scandinavia this time) and then releasing one last album ‘Scandinavian Jawbreaker’ before splitting-up once again. Although various compilations and reissues have emerged over the subsequent years, the band have not played together since 1993, but their reputation has continued to grow, with fans now found as far afield as the USA, Japan and South America.
Some of the newer American bands did start to make an impact, in particular DOA, the Dead Kennedys and Black Flag who all set out to tour in the UK and Europe, trailblazing for all the others that would follow later on. But for European bands, often singing in their own language, there seemed even less opportunity to make themselves known in the UK. However it began to change as the Anarcho-scene encouraged various individuals to start their own record labels and Distro services. Through trading their new releases, more obscure bands from across Europe started to become known in the UK and, quite often, their music was great. Scandinavia, in particular, had a remarkable hardcore scene, known for bands who took the early sound of Discharge to even further levels of raw intensity. From Finland there was Terveet Kadet, while from Sweden there were bands like Crude SS, Mob 47 and the highly influential Anti Cimex.
Anti Cimex had formed in 1981, borrowing their name from a pesticide company ! Over the next five years they would self-release three classic 7” EPs and a mini-album ‘Criminal Trap’ on the UK label Distraught. This release helped to bring them to the attention of many more people and also resulted in their one and only UK tour. But soon after their return to Sweden, the original line-up split and it wouldn’t be until 1990 that the band re-emerged, releasing the album ‘Absolut Country of Sweden’, playing live again (sadly for us, only in Scandinavia this time) and then releasing one last album ‘Scandinavian Jawbreaker’ before splitting-up once again. Although various compilations and reissues have emerged over the subsequent years, the band have not played together since 1993, but their reputation has continued to grow, with fans now found as far afield as the USA, Japan and South America.
Most recently, the UK label Dissonance has released the ‘Victims of a Bomb Raid’ compilation which, over the course of two CDs, contains all of their original releases. Re-mastered and sounding better than ever, it’s an incredible collection of extreme, powerful music. Certainly not for the faint-hearted, but if you enjoy aggressive sounds that reflect true energy and emotions, this is something you really have to hear. Fortunately for me, it also provided a chance to interview the bands’ drummer, Charlie Claeson.
Punk became a pretty big deal in the UK media during 1977, but I can’t imagine it had the same impact in Sweden, even though the Sex Pistols did play a short tour in Scandinavia. So, to begin with, I was wondering how and when you actually got to hear Punk music in the first place ?
‘A friend went to London and bought some of the records… the Pistols, the Ramones and a lot of the early punk stuff. I think this must have been in 1978. I have to say, at first I didn’t really like it, but eventually I started to get into it and it changed my life.’
You seemed to all be very focused on what you wanted to do as soon as Anti Cimex came together, so I assume you must have already been playing in other bands before then ?
‘Yeah, we had all been in bands before then. Not long-lived bands, but bands nonetheless. Mine was called ‘Piller’ (Pills) and the others had been in bands like Bohman Brinner, Avfall, Givet Stryk Med 80 Watt, and so on…’
How did you all end up coming together as Anti Cimex ?
‘Almost by accident ! I was visiting my friends in Bohman Brinner at their rehearsal room while their drummer was away. They invited me to jam with them a little and we found out that we clicked, so we all decided to form a new band. That was Cimex !’
Punk became a pretty big deal in the UK media during 1977, but I can’t imagine it had the same impact in Sweden, even though the Sex Pistols did play a short tour in Scandinavia. So, to begin with, I was wondering how and when you actually got to hear Punk music in the first place ?
‘A friend went to London and bought some of the records… the Pistols, the Ramones and a lot of the early punk stuff. I think this must have been in 1978. I have to say, at first I didn’t really like it, but eventually I started to get into it and it changed my life.’
You seemed to all be very focused on what you wanted to do as soon as Anti Cimex came together, so I assume you must have already been playing in other bands before then ?
‘Yeah, we had all been in bands before then. Not long-lived bands, but bands nonetheless. Mine was called ‘Piller’ (Pills) and the others had been in bands like Bohman Brinner, Avfall, Givet Stryk Med 80 Watt, and so on…’
How did you all end up coming together as Anti Cimex ?
‘Almost by accident ! I was visiting my friends in Bohman Brinner at their rehearsal room while their drummer was away. They invited me to jam with them a little and we found out that we clicked, so we all decided to form a new band. That was Cimex !’
Did the band start-out with the intention of playing such aggressive music, or was that something that just developed as you began playing together ?
‘The aggressiveness was one of the reasons that we started the band. We wanted to make the most aggressive sound that anyone had heard. And, I have to say, I think we succeeded with that.’
The early Anti Cimex records are often campared with early Discharge and there are certainly some similarities in your approach. Were they a particular influence on what you were doing and were there any other bands that particularly influenced you at that time (perhaps Crass ?) Was it easy to get to hear such bands in Sweden during that time ?
‘Yeah, Discharge were obviously a big influence, although they had only released the first two EP’s by the time we started. I think we were equally influenced by bands like Chaos UK and Disorder when we got to hear their early records, amongst many others. But we all listened to a lot of different things, so it’s would be hard to say that any one thing was the main influence. Between us, we were influenced by things like Black Sabbath, Venom, industrial music by people like Throbbing Gristle, glam rock by bands like Slade and Alice Cooper, and even rock’n’roll by bands like The Wild Angels. Personally, I wasn’t very interested in Crass, but I know the other band members were into them. I really could go on all day about all the bands we were into ! As for finding the records, they weren’t very easy to come by, but we were like a gang of people that bought records when we could get them and then made tapes for each other, so we all got to listen to quite a lot of new bands. In that way, I don’t think we missed out on many of the early Punk records…’
You released your first EP ‘Anarkist Attack’ on your own label in 1982. Was there already an established independent / DIY scene in Sweden at that time, or was it something relatively new ?
‘When we released our first EP, I think you would have been able to count up all the Swedish punk records pretty easily. And bands releasing their own records was even more rare. So I guess you might say that we were pioneers on that front.’
‘The aggressiveness was one of the reasons that we started the band. We wanted to make the most aggressive sound that anyone had heard. And, I have to say, I think we succeeded with that.’
The early Anti Cimex records are often campared with early Discharge and there are certainly some similarities in your approach. Were they a particular influence on what you were doing and were there any other bands that particularly influenced you at that time (perhaps Crass ?) Was it easy to get to hear such bands in Sweden during that time ?
‘Yeah, Discharge were obviously a big influence, although they had only released the first two EP’s by the time we started. I think we were equally influenced by bands like Chaos UK and Disorder when we got to hear their early records, amongst many others. But we all listened to a lot of different things, so it’s would be hard to say that any one thing was the main influence. Between us, we were influenced by things like Black Sabbath, Venom, industrial music by people like Throbbing Gristle, glam rock by bands like Slade and Alice Cooper, and even rock’n’roll by bands like The Wild Angels. Personally, I wasn’t very interested in Crass, but I know the other band members were into them. I really could go on all day about all the bands we were into ! As for finding the records, they weren’t very easy to come by, but we were like a gang of people that bought records when we could get them and then made tapes for each other, so we all got to listen to quite a lot of new bands. In that way, I don’t think we missed out on many of the early Punk records…’
You released your first EP ‘Anarkist Attack’ on your own label in 1982. Was there already an established independent / DIY scene in Sweden at that time, or was it something relatively new ?
‘When we released our first EP, I think you would have been able to count up all the Swedish punk records pretty easily. And bands releasing their own records was even more rare. So I guess you might say that we were pioneers on that front.’
Anti Cimex had actually ‘borrowed’ their name from a Swedish pest control company (‘Cimex’ being the Latin name of a particular type of bedbug !) As you started to release records and become better known, did they ever object to you using the name ?
‘Oh yes, several times ! But as long as we didn’t sell similar things to them, pesticides or whatever, they couldn’t really do anything to force us to change the name. Eventually, they gave up and gave us permission to carry on using the name !’
At the time that you were releasing those early records, Europe was still in the middle of the Cold War and some countries, including the UK, had very right wing governments. Did you ever fall foul of censorship or problems with government authorities trying to stop your gigs etc ?
‘No, not for our music or lyrics. The only problems we ever had were concerning our name and then, later on , for stealing the Absolut Vodka logo for our album in 1990 ! But generally, Sweden is a very open country and you really have to break the law before you will become censored or stopped.’
Probably your best known record outside of Sweden during the Eighties was the ‘Criminal Trap’ mini-album, which was released on the UK label Distraught in 1986. How did that come about ?
‘Well, he basically got in touch with us and said that he wanted to release a new record by Anti Cimex ! That really is as simple as it was. I don’t think it was ever a mega-seller, even in the UK, and he did send us all of the financial records to read through so I do believe that. But the one thing that it did get us to do was the ‘Chainsaw’ tour in the UK during 1986… We played a 14-day tour which I remember as total chaos, alcohol, soccer, hunger, gigs, fish’n’chips and Sam Fox all over the place ! To be honest, I really don’t remember much more about it, with particular thanks to Special Brew ! I guess that might have helped to build our reputation, hahaha !’
‘Criminal Trap’ had a much better sound and production than your previous releases and, while still retaining the original raw, aggressive style, also included new ideas such as metal percussion. Was that the way that you all wanted the band to progress ?
‘Yeah, we wanted to evolve, we always wanted to do that. Fortunately, at that time we had a contact who was working at a bigger, professional studio and he arranged it so that we could use it during the downtime, over nights. That’s why the overall sound was so much better. The thing with the metal percussion was inspired
by some of the industrial bands that we listened to. I suppose that’s one of the ways that you might think that the band could progress…’
‘Oh yes, several times ! But as long as we didn’t sell similar things to them, pesticides or whatever, they couldn’t really do anything to force us to change the name. Eventually, they gave up and gave us permission to carry on using the name !’
At the time that you were releasing those early records, Europe was still in the middle of the Cold War and some countries, including the UK, had very right wing governments. Did you ever fall foul of censorship or problems with government authorities trying to stop your gigs etc ?
‘No, not for our music or lyrics. The only problems we ever had were concerning our name and then, later on , for stealing the Absolut Vodka logo for our album in 1990 ! But generally, Sweden is a very open country and you really have to break the law before you will become censored or stopped.’
Probably your best known record outside of Sweden during the Eighties was the ‘Criminal Trap’ mini-album, which was released on the UK label Distraught in 1986. How did that come about ?
‘Well, he basically got in touch with us and said that he wanted to release a new record by Anti Cimex ! That really is as simple as it was. I don’t think it was ever a mega-seller, even in the UK, and he did send us all of the financial records to read through so I do believe that. But the one thing that it did get us to do was the ‘Chainsaw’ tour in the UK during 1986… We played a 14-day tour which I remember as total chaos, alcohol, soccer, hunger, gigs, fish’n’chips and Sam Fox all over the place ! To be honest, I really don’t remember much more about it, with particular thanks to Special Brew ! I guess that might have helped to build our reputation, hahaha !’
‘Criminal Trap’ had a much better sound and production than your previous releases and, while still retaining the original raw, aggressive style, also included new ideas such as metal percussion. Was that the way that you all wanted the band to progress ?
‘Yeah, we wanted to evolve, we always wanted to do that. Fortunately, at that time we had a contact who was working at a bigger, professional studio and he arranged it so that we could use it during the downtime, over nights. That’s why the overall sound was so much better. The thing with the metal percussion was inspired
by some of the industrial bands that we listened to. I suppose that’s one of the ways that you might think that the band could progress…’
Unfortunately, soon after that tour, Anti Cimex broke up for the first time. What were the reasons for this, especially as the ‘Criminal Trap’ record seemed to be getting a good response ?
‘Well, Jocke, our guitarist, had become tired of everything after that tour. We only knew one guy that we felt would fit-in the band to replace him, but he turned us down when we asked him. We just felt that we had no other option but to quit, or perhaps, as it turned out, wait in the shadows until he changed his mind.’
Is that also the reason why you the band eventually reformed in 1990, with new guitarist Cliff Lundberg?
‘Yeah, because he was always the guy that we wanted. So there we were again. I must admit, it also helped that he had a contract for us to record a new album in his hands when he finally showed up !’
Well, as a result, you recorded and released the first full-length album by Anti Cimex, ‘Absolut Country of Sweden’. Did you feel at the time that the band still had ‘unfinished work’ to complete, which resulted in the reformation and the new album ?
‘Well, that’s still a feeling that I have today ! When we made ‘Absolut’, I think we all felt that way but, perhaps we should have waited another six months before we made the record. It’s still the record that I’m least satisfied with and I’m sure it could have been better if we had taken more time. But that’s just me and my opinion…’
You also released an EP which was recorded live in Finland around the same time. When you reformed, did you get more chances to play outside of Sweden ?
‘Nah, we were too lazy for that ! We were too busy getting drunk all of the time. We only made three trips to Finland and one to the UK during the whole 12 years that we were together. In fact, we only played around 50 gigs in total during all that time ! We were definitely not the most active band in the world !’
‘Well, Jocke, our guitarist, had become tired of everything after that tour. We only knew one guy that we felt would fit-in the band to replace him, but he turned us down when we asked him. We just felt that we had no other option but to quit, or perhaps, as it turned out, wait in the shadows until he changed his mind.’
Is that also the reason why you the band eventually reformed in 1990, with new guitarist Cliff Lundberg?
‘Yeah, because he was always the guy that we wanted. So there we were again. I must admit, it also helped that he had a contract for us to record a new album in his hands when he finally showed up !’
Well, as a result, you recorded and released the first full-length album by Anti Cimex, ‘Absolut Country of Sweden’. Did you feel at the time that the band still had ‘unfinished work’ to complete, which resulted in the reformation and the new album ?
‘Well, that’s still a feeling that I have today ! When we made ‘Absolut’, I think we all felt that way but, perhaps we should have waited another six months before we made the record. It’s still the record that I’m least satisfied with and I’m sure it could have been better if we had taken more time. But that’s just me and my opinion…’
You also released an EP which was recorded live in Finland around the same time. When you reformed, did you get more chances to play outside of Sweden ?
‘Nah, we were too lazy for that ! We were too busy getting drunk all of the time. We only made three trips to Finland and one to the UK during the whole 12 years that we were together. In fact, we only played around 50 gigs in total during all that time ! We were definitely not the most active band in the world !’
After a second full-length album, ‘Scandinavian Jawbreaker’ in 1993, the band split-up for a second and final time in 1993. What were the reasons for the final split ?
‘There were problems due to Jonssons’ drug habits and I don’t think any of us really knew which musical path we wanted to take. There were a lot of tensions and a lot of tiredness .’
Looking back now, 25 years since you last played together, are you surprised that there’s still a lot of interest in the band, not just in Europe but all over the world ?
‘I am surprised, but also very proud that people are still interested in what we did and that we are still selling records all over the world. It gives me great pleasure to realise that we must have been doing something right !’
I think a lot of your lyrics are still relevant and that adds to the conviction of the songs. That’s a good testament to the power of the bands’ music, but it must also be disappointing that so little has actually improved in the world during the intervening years…
‘Yeah, the fact that so much of the world is still shit is a disappointment, but to be honest, I don’t think we ever thought that what we were doing was going to change any of that, anyway. All we could do was express the way that we felt about all of the mess that we were all in. Obviously, many people felt the same way and still do.’
In the years since Anti Cimex last played together, thanks in part to the internet and other forms of communication, Punk has become a truly global movement. But at the same time, much of it has been co-opted by the likes of MTV and big businesses. Do you still see it as a valid form of protest ?
‘As with all underground movements, it’s become deformed, misused and raped, whilst morphing into something that would have been unthinkable to the original instigators. But at the same time, I still believe that, if it’s truly in your heart, punk is the best way to be. Whatever way you look at it, that ideal is still alive and that’s an achievement that we should all celebrate !’
As there is still a lot of interest in Anti Cimex, have you ever thought about reforming again ? I’m sure it would be interesting to see what the band could come up with now, after so many experiences in between ? Plus, there would probably be a lot of new opportunities, such as playing in different countries to different audiences, which were never available to you back at the time…
‘No, I can’t see us reforming. It wouldn’t even be possible when we consider the health of the individual, original members. There is a small chance that the remains of the band could maybe go into a studio to see what might come out, but that’s still a long way off and, to be honest, it’s probably never going to happen. There is still a will to do it, so we’ll see. But touring and shit like that is off the screen… if we go back to a studio, it would just be something that we’d do for ourselves.’
‘There were problems due to Jonssons’ drug habits and I don’t think any of us really knew which musical path we wanted to take. There were a lot of tensions and a lot of tiredness .’
Looking back now, 25 years since you last played together, are you surprised that there’s still a lot of interest in the band, not just in Europe but all over the world ?
‘I am surprised, but also very proud that people are still interested in what we did and that we are still selling records all over the world. It gives me great pleasure to realise that we must have been doing something right !’
I think a lot of your lyrics are still relevant and that adds to the conviction of the songs. That’s a good testament to the power of the bands’ music, but it must also be disappointing that so little has actually improved in the world during the intervening years…
‘Yeah, the fact that so much of the world is still shit is a disappointment, but to be honest, I don’t think we ever thought that what we were doing was going to change any of that, anyway. All we could do was express the way that we felt about all of the mess that we were all in. Obviously, many people felt the same way and still do.’
In the years since Anti Cimex last played together, thanks in part to the internet and other forms of communication, Punk has become a truly global movement. But at the same time, much of it has been co-opted by the likes of MTV and big businesses. Do you still see it as a valid form of protest ?
‘As with all underground movements, it’s become deformed, misused and raped, whilst morphing into something that would have been unthinkable to the original instigators. But at the same time, I still believe that, if it’s truly in your heart, punk is the best way to be. Whatever way you look at it, that ideal is still alive and that’s an achievement that we should all celebrate !’
As there is still a lot of interest in Anti Cimex, have you ever thought about reforming again ? I’m sure it would be interesting to see what the band could come up with now, after so many experiences in between ? Plus, there would probably be a lot of new opportunities, such as playing in different countries to different audiences, which were never available to you back at the time…
‘No, I can’t see us reforming. It wouldn’t even be possible when we consider the health of the individual, original members. There is a small chance that the remains of the band could maybe go into a studio to see what might come out, but that’s still a long way off and, to be honest, it’s probably never going to happen. There is still a will to do it, so we’ll see. But touring and shit like that is off the screen… if we go back to a studio, it would just be something that we’d do for ourselves.’
When all of the original material was put together and remastered for this new compilation, how did you feel when you heard all of those songs again ?
‘Pride. Memories. Sadness. Happiness. That’s my whole youth on there !’
Finally, I read that there’s a documentary being made about Anti Cimex. Could you give us any more information about this project ? Are the band members directly involved with it, or is it being made by outsiders ?
‘Oh, who knows ? Like many things with Cimex, things get started but are never finished. It has been getting made by outsiders but with the cooperation of all of the band members. We’ve all been interviewed and filmed and we’ve said stuff that we’ve never said before. It will be exciting and interesting to see it, if and when it’s ever finished… but only if we’re all still alive by then !’
‘Pride. Memories. Sadness. Happiness. That’s my whole youth on there !’
Finally, I read that there’s a documentary being made about Anti Cimex. Could you give us any more information about this project ? Are the band members directly involved with it, or is it being made by outsiders ?
‘Oh, who knows ? Like many things with Cimex, things get started but are never finished. It has been getting made by outsiders but with the cooperation of all of the band members. We’ve all been interviewed and filmed and we’ve said stuff that we’ve never said before. It will be exciting and interesting to see it, if and when it’s ever finished… but only if we’re all still alive by then !’
Well, I’m sure it won’t take that long and I’m also sure that, when the documentary is finally completed, it’s going to be another great insight into the story of Anti Cimex. In the meantime, though, you can find plenty more information online at various websites and, as I’ve said before, the new compilation ‘Victims of a Bomb Raid’ contains all of their original releases, together with the complete lyrics, rare photo’s and original artwork. Details of the album can be found here ;
