Punk in Iceland

In 1978 the world was on the brink of nuclear war and cold war foes were everywhere. A new kind of revolutionary music had emerged in 1976 but was receeding everywhere except in Iceland that had not yet seen punk rock. There you had Russian commie ghosts, nuclear foes, currency restrictions, beer was illegal and the TV was b/w six days a week. The population was trying to spend every penny as fast as they could because of inflation.

Then in 1978 The Stranglers held a concert in remote Iceland and the punk rock bomb exploded in the face of the disco freaks. That autumn a punk group, the Fræbbblar, was formed as a kind of practical joke. But the joke got more and more complicated and soon the Fræbbblar became a real group and preached punk in Iceland... often against the current. The media and the disco freaks worked against the punk movement until 1980. Then it became clear that the punk rock was a force to be reckoned with.

The Fræbbblar were the first ones but the revolution always feeds upon its children. Other groups came forth and got all the recognition but the Fræbbblar were pushed gently aside. The band continued and are still operating today. The small fire the Fræbbblar started is now a raging forest fire that the Icelandic music is today. Punk lives on, Amen.