STOCKHOLM MONSTERS
Summer 1980, An overlooked part of Manchesters Postpunk-history
What a great band and how criminally neglected. STOCKHOLM MONSTERS were birthed in the summer of 1980 in Manchester, England. The original line-up consisted of Tony France, Jed Duffy and Shan Hira. Still in their teens they were discovered by NEW ORDER bassist Peter Hook, who produced their first fantastic single „Fairy Tales“ (Factory 41, released in 1982).
Throughout their whole musical career, if one wants to call it a career, they lived a life in the shadows. It was NEW ORDER and HAPPY MONDAYS who would dominate the decade, STOCKHOLM MONSTERS were lucky enough to get a few NEW ORDER support shows in Northern England in 1981.
STOCKHOLM MONSTERS’ music was melancholic and atmospheric, bass-heavy and melodic. It was Postpunk-poetry at its best. Some claimed that in terms of musical professionalism they couldn’t really live up to their big „Factory“-brothers. That might be true, but in terms of teenage Postpunk-angst, there were not many who could create a similar live-experience. Listening to „Kan Kill!“ (from their outstanding 1984 studio album “Alma Mater”) or „Partyline“ (Factory 146), my personal favorite STOCKHOLM MONSTERS song, reminds of a time when it all began. It reminds of NEW ORDERs first record „Movement“ (still the only NEW ORDER album relevant to me), which was more or less a JOY DIVISION album without Ian. Listen to „Partyline“ and decide for yourself. Maybe you find that Tony France’s singing is out of tune, maybe you think the guitars are not sounding right. But maybe you will agree that all that makes STOCKHOLM MONSTERS sound even better.
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