This page refers to the '80s Czech punk band. For other uses of FPB, see FPB (disambiguation)

FPB (disambiguation)

FPB may refer to*FPB, aka Fourth Price Band, a punk rock band from the former Czechoslovakia*Federal Planning Bureau of Belgium*Federation of Trade Unions of Belarus...

.

FPB, short for Fourth Price Band, is an influential Czech

Czech Republic

The Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the northeast, Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west and northwest....

 punk rock

Punk rock

Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...

 band formed in 1981 in Teplice

Teplice

Teplice , Teplice-Šanov until 1948 is a town in the Czech Republic, the capital of the Teplice District in the Ústí nad Labem Region. It is the state's second largest spa town ....

, a Czech town bordering Germany

Germany

Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...

, by bassist, singer and poet

Poetry

Poetry is a form of literary art in which language is used for its aesthetic and evocative qualities in addition to, or in lieu of, its apparent meaning...

 Miroslav Wanek

Miroslav Wanek

Miroslav Wanek is a Czech poet, musician, and lyricist. He is the frontman for the avant garde punk rock group Už Jsme Doma, in which he has served as the lead singer and bandleader since 1986, the bassist from 1986–1988, the guitarist and keyboardist since 1988, co-composer from 1986–2001, and...

 and his friend, Petr Růžička, who was considered the band's manager. These two were soon joined by drummer Milan Nový and, later, guitarist Romek Hanzlík. The group moved through several different lineups before splitting in 1987. In 2008 Wanek and Hanzlík reformed the group to play occasional concerts.

The act of playing punk rock in the early '80s in a Communist

Communism

Communism is a social, political and economic ideology that aims at the establishment of a classless, moneyless, revolutionary and stateless socialist society structured upon common ownership of the means of production...

 nation drew much attention to the band, but the group was also notable for integrating musical complexity and poetry into the traditional punk fold. Cited influences include The Damned and The Clash

The Clash

The Clash were an English punk rock band that formed in 1976 as part of the original wave of British punk. Along with punk, their music incorporated elements of reggae, ska, dub, funk, rap, dance, and rockabilly...

. Wanek had also soon discovered Pere Ubu

Pere Ubu

Pere Ubu is an experimental rock music group from Cleveland, Ohio.Père Ubu may also refer to:* Ubu, the enigmatic central figure of a series of French plays by Alfred Jarry, including Ubu Roi, and subsequent plays Ubu Cocu and Ubu Enchaîné...

 and The Residents

The Residents

The Residents is an American art collective best known for avant-garde music and multimedia works. The first official release under the name of The Residents was in 1972, and the group has since released over sixty albums, numerous music videos and short films, three CD-ROM projects and ten DVDs....

, his favorites, through illegal tape trading in Czechoslovakia; these influences became more noticeable when, in 1986, Wanek joined Nový's group Už Jsme Doma

Už Jsme Doma

Už Jsme Doma, , are a progressive rock band from Prague, Czech Republic, who originally formed in the Czech border town Teplice in 1985. The group's complex and genre-bending sound, longevity, relentless touring and diverse involvement in outside artistic media have earned them a large...

, a highly influential and still-existing avant garde punk rock

Punk rock

Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...

 band that has featured nearly every other member of FPB for a time.

A 'fourth price band' is a term used in Czech rock culture to describe a band that requires the absolute minimum payment for performing and the fourth of five pub levels existing in Socialist Czechoslovakia.

Formation and early lineups (1981)

The band began when Wanek, an ambitious young composer and musician, chatted with his neighbor Růžička, an organizer of illegal concerts who'd done minor jail time for his involvement in the underground music scene. The communist Czech government

Czechoslovak Socialist Republic

The Czechoslovak Socialist Republic was the official name of Czechoslovakia from 1960 until end of 1989 , a Soviet satellite state of the Eastern Bloc....

 at the time was very strict about which musical artists it would legally sanction and which it would deem 'anti-social' and prevent from performing. Starting a group outside of government sanctions was a complicated procedure, so the two decided to go at it together.

They found drummer Milan Nový, and, needing a full band, ended up employing Nový's bandmates from his band at the time, Mikron, to form the first lineup of FPB. This lineup lasted for "three or four months", and played one show, before the other members of the band were intimidated by government pressure, and the band was reduced to Wanek, Nový, and Růžička.

Classic lineup (1981–1985)

After several months as essentially a two-piece, Wanek called up his former schoolmate Romek Hanzlík, who'd been playing in a bar band called Admirál. Hanzlík was unhappy with present setup and accepted Wanek's invitation to join FPB. This became the core lineup for the band between the years of 1981–1985. Despite the complicated logistics, the band played frequently and gained much popularity in the Czech punk scene for their sophisticated take on the frantic, melodic punk rock of the time.

In 1985, Nový had co-founded a more experimental, musically omnivorous seven-piece band called Už Jsme Doma

Už Jsme Doma

Už Jsme Doma, , are a progressive rock band from Prague, Czech Republic, who originally formed in the Czech border town Teplice in 1985. The group's complex and genre-bending sound, longevity, relentless touring and diverse involvement in outside artistic media have earned them a large...

. Nový was playing saxophone in the band at the time. Wanek took an immediate liking to the group, who frequently shared illegal concert bills with FPB. In 1986, Wanek and Hanzlík were invited to join UJD, at first as guests of sort, while UJD were experiencing personnel problems. When a four-piece lineup of UJD, with Wanek and Hanzlík and sans Nový, solidified at the end of the year, Wanek and Hanzlík decided to focus on the new band and quit FPB.

New configuration of group (1986–1987)

Růžička opposed retiring the FPB moniker, so he and Nový put together a new FPB lineup featuring Kamil Krůta (guitar) and Radek Uhlíř (bass and vocals), both of whom were involved with the popular Czech punk band Šanov 1 and mere teenagers at the time. This incarnation, playing a mix of Wanek's FPB songs and new material, lasted for two years before dissolving.

Reformations and subsequent activity (1990, 2008–present)

In 1990, after the Velvet Revolution

Velvet Revolution

The Velvet Revolution or Gentle Revolution was a non-violent revolution in Czechoslovakia that took place from November 17 – December 29, 1989...

, Wanek, Hanzlík and Nový reunited as FPB to record 17 songs from their 1981–85 set, which were released on the CD "Kdo z koho, ten toho."

After the breakup of FPB, Nový and Krůta put together a two piece group called Pseudo Pseudo that played together for a number of years. Hanzlík played in UJD from 1986–1997, before retiring from performing to work as a manager and promoter of bands, including UJD. Wanek continued to play in UJD. Nový had three stints in UJD – as the sax player from 1985–1986, the drummer from 1988–1989, and again the drummer from 1995–1996. Krůta was briefly UJD's bassist, from 1996–1997, although he never properly recorded with the band. Krůta currently plays in the experimental band Koonda Holaa and the Beetches.

In 2008, a concert of classic FPB material was performed by Wanek, Hanzlík, and the current members of UJD – bassist Pepa Červinka, drummer Tomáš Paleta, and trumpet player Adam Tomášek. This performance coincided with the release of "Kniha prani a stiznosti," or "A Book of Wishes and Complaints," a 3-CD set of FPB material on Malarie Records. Although this concert was originally intended as a one-off, the five-piece band has continued, performing occasional festival gigs and other special events.

Current members

• Miroslav Wanek
  Miroslav Wanek
  Miroslav Wanek is a Czech poet, musician, and lyricist. He is the frontman for the avant garde punk rock group Už Jsme Doma, in which he has served as the lead singer and bandleader since 1986, the bassist from 1986–1988, the guitarist and keyboardist since 1988, co-composer from 1986–2001, and...
  
  – bass, vocals (1981–1985, 1990); guitar, vocals (2008–present)
• Romek Hanzlík – guitar, vocals (1981–1985, 1990, 2008–present)
• Pepa Červinka – bass, vocals (2008–present)
• Tomáš Paleta – drums (2008–present)
• Adam Tomášek – trumpet, vocals (2008–present)

Former members

• Milan Nový – drums (1981–1987, 1990)
• Kamil Krůta – guitar (1986–1987)
• Radek Uhlíř – bass, vocals (1986–1987)
• Ivo Dolanský – guitar (1981)
• Petr Kerka – bass guitar (1981)
• Ota Chlupsa – guitar (1981)
• Petr Růžička – manager (1981–1987)

Releases

• "Early Years" (recorded 1982–1983, released 1987)
• "Live v Gongu" (1984)
• "Opatov - live" (1985)
• "Jedem v punku jako v tanku" (1984, 1987)
• "Kdo z koho, ten toho" (CD, 1990)
• "Kniha prani a stiznosti" (3xCD, 2008, Malarie Records)

Compilations

• "1984 The Third" (1987)
• "Razie" (1987)
• "Hrubý punkový hláska" (1987)
• "Czechoslovakia (Ten Czechoslovak Years 1978–1988)" (1989)