Lydia Laska

Norwegian avant-garde rock band

Lydia Laska hail from Stavanger and Oslo, Norway. Forming in 2002, its members come from a diverse musical background, including (but certainly not limited to) the early black metal scene as well as prog/krautrock, punk, and good ol’ rock ‘n’ roll. The band’s recorded debut came in 2006 with the White Trash Attack EP, and was followed by two more EPs – We’re Nothing Compared to Ourselves (2007) and Could I Have a Go On Your Girl, Please? (2009) – but it wasn’t until their debut album in 2010, Krankenhaus, where the Lydia Laska aesthetic truly took flight. A devilishly dark, boldly bewildering, but above all perversely catchy sound emerged, drawing in such disparate influences as the Velvet Underground, Faust, David Bowie, Royal Trux, The Stooges, and old-school black metal. Not long after its release, Krankenhaus went on to be critically acclaimed and served as an admitted prime influence for fellow hybrid-benders Kvelertak. Continuing that momentum, Lydia Laska soon became notorious for their chaotic live shows – to the point where they actually had to stop playing gigs since they were generally banned from most venues.