One of Sweden's most infamous bands. They consisted of Jonas Almquist (singer), Freddie Walding (bassist), Bengt Aronsson (guitarist) and Gert Claesson (drums). In their early days they would show adult movies during their gigs. Their inspiration were John Lee Hooker, Mick Ronson, and the Velvet Underground.
The Leather Nun released their debut EP, Slow Death, in November 1979, featuring a recording of "Death Threats" from 1978 and three newly recorded tracks.[1][3] John Peel played the lead song each night for two weeks on his BBC radio programme.[citation needed] The band soon attracted controversy over their use of hardcore gay pornography as part of their live shows. Wadling left The Leather Nun in 1983 and joined Blue for Two. A handful of singles followed before The Leather Nun released their first LP, Alive, in 1985, a live album recorded at Ungdomshuset and Told-Kammaret. Covering ABBA's "Gimme, Gimme, Gimme" earned the group some respect in Sweden and Europe in 1986. Several successful tours followed. In 1988, The Leather Nun were reviewed in Rolling Stone and quoted to be the first rock act to sell condoms as tour merchandise.In 1986 the group's imported singles found their way onto US college radio stations, earning substantial airplay with "Pink House", a deadpan mockery of John Mellencamp's "Pink Houses". In 1987 the group released their full-length first studio album, Steel Construction, which was critically acclaimed. Their second studio album International Heroes (produced by Kim Fowley) gained even more airplay and success. Also in 1987, "Jesus Came Driving Along" appeared on the soundtrack for the film Dudes.In August 1988, the band played at the 'Glasnost Rock 88' festival in Tallinn, Estonia, the first international rock festival to be staged in the Soviet Union. While releasing their third album Nun Permanent (produced by Mick Ronson) in winter 1991 their record company went bankrupt and could no longer deliver copies of the album. Being without a record company, The Leather Nun continued to play gigs for a few years, but never got so successful again. The group finally broke up in 1995, but has reunited on some occasions since then. In 2005 they had a short comeback, but did not release any new albums. They are now broken up for good.
Former Queens of the Stone Age-singer Mark Lanegan and swedish actor Peter Stormare are other examples of Leather Nun-fans, who've payed hommage to the band publically.
Their sworn enemy is Joakim Thåström and Imperiet.
They provide examples of:
- The Alcoholic: Jonas Almquist pretended to be. He was always seen with a can of beer. It was always the same can and it contained water.
- Badass Biker: Very much. Naturally, their biggest fans where Hells Angels.
- Car Song: "On the Road".
- Emo: "Ensam i Natt" is the most awesome angst-song ever.
- Everything Is an Instrument: The song Death Threats is basically Jonas Almquist banging a microphone at a wall while his neighbour drilled.
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Epic Riff: - Götterdämmerung: "Prime Mover" starts out as a regular biker-anthem. During the second verse it becomes clear that the first verse was not metaphorical: it's an direct description of Ragnarök.
- Horny Vikings: A huge amount of their songs are very perverted (Fist Fuckers Acosciated, Have Sex with Me) and Prime Mover is filled with viking-symbolism. Jonas Almquist has the entire Norse God-Saga tattooed on his arms.
- He named his son Viking!
- Nobody Loves the Bassist: Averted. The original bassist Freddie Walding is quite (in)famous.
- Take That!: No Rule towards Nazism
- Skinheads: The anti-racist kind.
