Popsicle (band)
Encyclopedia
Popsicle was a pop
group in Piteå
in Sweden
, which together with This Perfect Day, The Wannadies
and Brainpool
started the 1990s indiepop wave in Sweden.
The band's four members, Andreas Mattsson (vocals, guitar
), Fredrik Norberg (guitar, vocals), PA Wikander (drums) and Kenneth Wikstrom (bass
), later replaced by Arvid Lind, formed the band in Stockholm
in 1991 and released their first mini-album Template (1992) on Skellefteå label A West Side Fabrication. Later that year they issued Lacquer which reached number 34 in the national charts and included the song "Hey Princess". The album was well received by both critics and record buyers and won a Grammis Award
. Their acceptance attracted much attention when the group's guitarist Fredrik Norberg their said he wished that the members of dance band Arvingarna would die in a bus accident.
The songs were written by Norberg and Mattsson and was initially influenced by British guitar-based shoegazer band My Bloody Valentine and Ride
. Popsicle may have laid the foundations of the Swedish indie scene, but it was not until four years later as the band played through to a wider audience, that they had their biggest hit - the single "Not Forever" from the self-titled third album.
Popsicle broke up in April 1999 when Fredrik Norberg, after a Japan
ese tour, announced that he would quit the band. Six years later the band reunited after a request from the record store Pet Sounds who wanted them to play on the store's 25th anniversary. The band liked the idea and also played an exclusive farewell gig at the Cirkus
, Stockholm
on April 4, 2005.
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
group in Piteå
Piteå
Piteå is a locality and the seat of Piteå Municipality in Norrbotten County, Sweden. The town has 22,650 inhabitants out of a municipal total of 41,000 in 2008.- Geography :...
in Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
, which together with This Perfect Day, The Wannadies
The Wannadies
The Wannadies were an alternative rock band formed in 1988 in Skellefteå, northern Sweden. The band's initial line-up featured Pär Wiksten , Christina Bergmark , Stefan Schönfeldt and his younger brother Fredrik Schönfeldt with Gunnar Karlsson and Björn Malmquist .Early influences...
and Brainpool
Brainpool (band)
Brainpool is a pop music group from Lund, Sweden. The band was most popular in the mid-1990s, mostly in the Swedish indie-pop scene together with other bands like Eggstone or Beagle.-History:...
started the 1990s indiepop wave in Sweden.
The band's four members, Andreas Mattsson (vocals, guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
), Fredrik Norberg (guitar, vocals), PA Wikander (drums) and Kenneth Wikstrom (bass
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
), later replaced by Arvid Lind, formed the band in Stockholm
Stockholm
Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...
in 1991 and released their first mini-album Template (1992) on Skellefteå label A West Side Fabrication. Later that year they issued Lacquer which reached number 34 in the national charts and included the song "Hey Princess". The album was well received by both critics and record buyers and won a Grammis Award
Grammis
The Grammis Awards are the Swedish equivalent of the Grammy Awards. The awards ceremony is generally held each year in February in Stockholm.The awards were established in 1969 and awarded until 1972 when they were cancelled....
. Their acceptance attracted much attention when the group's guitarist Fredrik Norberg their said he wished that the members of dance band Arvingarna would die in a bus accident.
The songs were written by Norberg and Mattsson and was initially influenced by British guitar-based shoegazer band My Bloody Valentine and Ride
Ride (band)
Ride were a British alternative rock band that formed in 1988 in Oxford, England, consisting of Andy Bell, Mark Gardener, Laurence "Loz" Colbert, and Steve Queralt. The band were initially part of the "shoegazing" scene. Following the break-up of the band in 1996, members moved on to various other...
. Popsicle may have laid the foundations of the Swedish indie scene, but it was not until four years later as the band played through to a wider audience, that they had their biggest hit - the single "Not Forever" from the self-titled third album.
Popsicle broke up in April 1999 when Fredrik Norberg, after a Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese tour, announced that he would quit the band. Six years later the band reunited after a request from the record store Pet Sounds who wanted them to play on the store's 25th anniversary. The band liked the idea and also played an exclusive farewell gig at the Cirkus
Cirkus (Stockholm)
Cirkus is an arena in Djurgården, Stockholm, that holds 1,650 people. It was built in 1892 and originally used as a circus , but is today mostly used for concerts and musical shows.-External links:*...
, Stockholm
Stockholm
Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...
on April 4, 2005.
Albums
- Template (1992) (mini album)
- Lacquer (1992)
- Abstinence (1994)
- Popsicle (1996)
- Stand Up and Testify (1997)
- The Good Side Of Popsicle (2005) (2-CD, compilation)
Singles and EPs
- Whitsun (1992) (EP)
- Hey Princess (1993)
- The Power Ballads (1993) (EP)
- Make Up (1994)
- Histrionics (1995)
- Not Forever (1995)
- Please Do Not Ask (1996)
- Dusty Roads (1996)
- Dry Spot (1997)
- The Price We Pay (1997)
- The Sweetest Relief (1998)
- Summer (1998)