in 1978. The band experienced numerous line-up changes throughout their existence, with bassist Klaudia Schiff being the only constant member of the band over their entire history. Guitarist Marlene Marder joined the group shortly after their formation, and remained a member until their 1983 split. LiLiPUT's final line-up consisted of Schiff, Marder, and lead vocalist Astrid Spirit, and it was in this incarnation that the band recorded their only full-length studio albums, ''Liliput'' (1982) and ''Some Songs'' (1983).
According to
AllMusic
AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databa ...
, LiLiPUT "made some of the best, most adventurous, most exhilarating, and most critically derided music" of the punk rock era.
in 1978, with an initial line-up that included Lislot Ha (Lieselotte Hafner) on drums, Klaudia Schiff (Klaudia Schifferle) on bass and vocals, and Regula Sing on lead vocals. Marlene Marder (Marlene Marti), an acquaintance of the band, filled in on guitar during the encore portion of their first live performance, and thereafter remained in the band as their full-time guitarist.
Kleenex financed the recording of their eponymous debut EP, which was released in 1978 in Switzerland by Sunrise, a local label operated by friends of the band. The EP attracted the attention of English disc jockey John Peel, who championed the band on his radio shows, as well as Rough Trade Records, who subsequently signed the band. Kleenex released their debut single "Ain't You" in November 1978, and embarked on a tour of Europe throughout the following year. After the tour, Sing left the band and was replaced by Chrigle Freund. A second single, "You", was issued in 1979, and was the band's last release under the Kleenex name.
LiLiPUT (1979–1983)
The threat of legal action by Kimberly-Clark, who owned the Kleenex trademark, prompted Kleenex to change their name to LiLiPUT. Angie Barrack joined the band on saxophone soon after. As LiLiPUT, the band released two further singles, "Eisiger Wind" (1980) and "Split" (1981), both of which became hits on the
UK Independent Singles Chart
The UK Independent Singles Chart and UK Independent Albums Chart are charts of the best-selling independent singles and albums, respectively, in the United Kingdom. Originally published in January 1980, and widely known as the indie chart, the rel ...
, the former after being reissued by Rough Trade in 1981. Ha and Barrack left the band around this time, followed by Freund. Astrid Spirit (Astrid Spirig) took over Freund's role as LiLiPUT's lead vocalist, while saxophonist Christoph Herzog and drummer Beat Schlatter also joined the band. After a successful German tour, Herzog and Schlatter departed LiLiPUT, though the latter continued to contribute drumming to studio recordings by the band.
Now consisting of Schiff, Marder, and Spirit, LiLiPUT released their self-titled debut album in 1982. They toured in support of the album and released a new single, "You Did It", in 1983. While Spirit was enthusiastic about a recording a second album, Schiff and Marder, exhausted from touring, expressed their desire to end the band. Spirit offered to take on managerial duties in LiLiPUT in order to ease her tired bandmates' workload. The trio ultimately recorded a second album, ''Some Songs'', which was released in December 1983. By the time of its release, however, LiLiPUT had agreed to split up, as Spirit's pregnancy and desire to focus on motherhood meant that the band could not tour to promote the album.
Post-split activities
Marder wrote the book ''The Diary of the Guitarist Marlene Marder, Kleenex/LiLiPUT'', published in 1985, in which she recounted her experiences as a member of the band. She helped operate a record store for several years, before playing in the band Danger Mice from 1989 to 1992. Marder later started her own artist management agency, helped oversee administration and promotion at a
jazz club
A jazz club is a venue where the primary entertainment is the performance of live jazz music, although some jazz clubs primarily focus on the study and/or promotion of jazz-music. Jazz clubs are usually a type of nightclub or bar, which is licens ...
, and worked for the
World Wide Fund for Nature
The World Wide Fund for Nature Inc. (WWF) is an international non-governmental organization founded in 1961 that works in the field of wilderness preservation and the reduction of human impact on the environment. It was formerly named the Wor ...
. Schiff has devoted her time to painting.
In 1993, Swiss label Off Course Records released '' Kleenex/LiLiPUT'', a double-disc CD compilation of the band's recordings from 1978 to 1983. Marder was closely involved in coordinating the compilation, which includes tracks sourced from tapes in her possession, while Schiff designed its cover art. The compilation was reissued in the United States by the
Kill Rock Stars
Kill Rock Stars is an independent record label founded in 1991 by Slim Moon and Tinuviel Sampson, and based in both Olympia, Washington, and Portland, Oregon. The label has released a variety of work in different genres, but was originally know ...
label in 2001, and subsequently by
Mississippi Records
Mississippi Records is a record store and label. It was founded by Eric Isaacson in 2003 in Portland, Oregon. It also houses a café, equipment repair shop, and the Portland Museum of Modern Art. The Mississippi Records motto is: "Love over gold ...
as a four-LP box set in 2011.
In 2010, Kill Rock Stars released ''Live Recordings, TV-Clips & Roadmovie'', a CD/DVD compilation of the band's live and televised performances and
music video
A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a music marketing device ...
s, as well as other miscellaneous footage shot during the band's tours.
On 15 May 2016, Marlene Marder died at age 61.
Kill Rock Stars and Mississippi Records released ''First Songs'', a compilation of the band's early material, in 2016.
Musical style
LiLiPUT's exuberant sound combined spirited thrashy punk with unconventional vocals and lyrics, both in English and German. Their music featured husky or squealing vocals, ramshackle drums, scratchy and twanging guitar, thick funky bass, saxophone and occasionally flute, violin, or other instruments. The cut-up surreality of their lyrics and energetic sound put them in a league with bands like
The Raincoats
The Raincoats are a British experimental post-punk band. Ana da Silva (vocals, guitar) and Gina Birch (vocals, bass) formed the group in 1977 while they were students at Hornsey College of Art in London.
Signed to the label Rough Trade, the ...
(frequent tour partners),
Delta 5
Delta 5 was an English post-punk band from Leeds.
Career
Delta 5 was formed from the same art school scene at Leeds University as Gang of Four and The Mekons. The original members of Delta 5, Julz Sale (vocals/guitar), Ros Allen (bass) and Be ...
,
The Slits
The Slits were a punk and post-punk band based in London, formed there in 1976 by members of the groups the Flowers of Romance and the Castrators. The group's early line-up consisted of Ari Up (Ariane Forster) and Palmolive (a.k.a. Paloma R ...
,
Essential Logic
Essential Logic are an English post-punk band formed in 1978 by saxophonist Lora Logic after leaving X-Ray Spex. The band initially consisted of Lora on vocals, Phil Legg on guitar and vocals, William Bennett (later of Whitehouse) on guitar, Mar ...
and
Bush Tetras
Bush Tetras are an American post-punk band from New York City, formed in 1979. They are best known for the 1980 song "Too Many Creeps", which exemplified the band's sound of "jagged rhythms, slicing guitars, and sniping vocals".Kurt Cobain of
Nirvana
( , , ; sa, निर्वाण} ''nirvāṇa'' ; Pali: ''nibbāna''; Prakrit: ''ṇivvāṇa''; literally, "blown out", as in an oil lampRichard Gombrich, ''Theravada Buddhism: A Social History from Ancient Benāres to Modern Colombo.' ...
reserved one spot for "anything by Kleenex" on his list of his 50 favourite albums.
Band member chronology
* 1978: Klaudia Schiff, Lislot Ha, Regula Sing, Rudolph Dietrich, Gogi
* 1978–1979: Klaudia Schiff, Marlene Marder, Lislot Ha, Regula Sing
* 1979–1980: Klaudia Schiff, Marlene Marder, Lislot Ha, Chrigle Freund, Angie Barrack
* 1981: Klaudia Schiff, Marlene Marder, Chrigle Freund
* 1981–1982: Klaudia Schiff, Marlene Marder, Astrid Spirit, Beat Schlatter, Christoph Herzog
* 1982–1983: Klaudia Schiff, Marlene Marder, Astrid Spirit
Kill Rock Stars
Kill Rock Stars is an independent record label founded in 1991 by Slim Moon and Tinuviel Sampson, and based in both Olympia, Washington, and Portland, Oregon. The label has released a variety of work in different genres, but was originally know ...
)
* ''First Songs'' (2016, Kill Rock Stars/
Mississippi
Mississippi () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States, bordered to the north by Tennessee; to the east by Alabama; to the south by the Gulf of Mexico; to the southwest by Louisiana; and to the northwest by Arkansas. Miss ...
)
Extended plays
* ''Kleenex'' (1978, Sunrise)
Singles
As Kleenex
* "Ain't You" / "Hedi's Head" (1978, Rough Trade)
* "You" / "Ü" (1979, Rough Trade)
As LiLiPUT
* "Eisiger Wind" / "When the Cat's Away Then the Mice Will Play" (1980, Off Course; reissued 1981, Rough Trade) – UK Indie No. 17
* "Split" / "Die Matrosen" (1980, Rough Trade) – UK Indie No. 31
* "You Did It" / "The Jatz" (1983, Rough Trade)