Sven Joakim Eriksson Thåström (born 20 March 1957), better known as Thåström, is a Swedish singer and songwriter, mostly known for the bands
Ebba Grön
Ebba Grön was a Swedish punk band formed in Stockholm, Sweden, in 1977. Ebba Grön consisted of Joakim Thåström (lead vocals, guitar), Gunnar Ljungstedt (drums) and Lennart Eriksson (bass guitar, backing vocals). Thåström, Ljungstedt an ...
and
Imperiet
was a Swedish post-punk band that was founded in 1981 in Stockholm as Rymdimperiet. In the spring of 1983, the band changed its name to Imperiet, and was then active until December 1988.
History
started as , a side project to the Swedish pun ...
. He has moved between a number of genres, from punk to rock,
industrial and autobiographical singer-songwriter music.
Life and career
Early career and Ebba Grön
Thåström grew up on Skebokvarnsvägen in
Högdalen
Högdalen (the High Valley) is a suburban district in South Stockholm, Sweden, built around the metro station with this name on line 19. It was connected to Stockholm City Centre in 1954, three years after the town planning of the Högdalen dist ...
, south of
Stockholm
Stockholm (; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, most populous city of Sweden, as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in the Nordic countries. Approximately ...
. He formed his first band "Helt sonika" with Thomas Svanljung, Lars Elffors, Lennart "Elton" Hellgren, Bosse Steinholtz and Lars Bremer. The band played around Stockholm in youth centers, clubs and outdoor festivals. Lennart Eriksson (or Fjodor as he was known) lived in
Rågsved
Rågsved is a suburb historically belonging to the district of Bandhagen in Stockholm, Sweden.
History
Rågsved remained uninhabited until the mid-1950s. In 1953 a development plan was set up for the area. Rågsveds centrum and Rågsved metro ...
. Together with Gunnar "Gurra" Ljungstedt, they formed a band first called The Haters. The Haters changed their name after only three days to
Ebba Grön
Ebba Grön was a Swedish punk band formed in Stockholm, Sweden, in 1977. Ebba Grön consisted of Joakim Thåström (lead vocals, guitar), Gunnar Ljungstedt (drums) and Lennart Eriksson (bass guitar, backing vocals). Thåström, Ljungstedt an ...
, which originates from a police code in connection with the so-called
Operation Leo
Operation Leo was a plan to kidnap the Swedish minister for immigration, Anna-Greta Leijon, in 1977. The plan was devised by the second generation of the German Red Army Faction.
Origins
The first generation of the group was also known a ...
, where the German terrorist
Norbert Kröcher
Norbert Erich Kröcher (14 July 1950 – 16 September 2016) was a German terrorist and member of Movement 2 June, J2M. He was also strongly associated with the second generation of the Red Army Faction. He was the husband of Gabriele Kröcher-Ti ...
planned to kidnap the Swedish Minister for Immigration
Anna-Greta Leijon
Anna-Greta Leijon (born Anna Margareta Maria Lejon; 30 June 1939 – 11 April 2024) was a Swedish Social Democratic politician. Leijon began her political career in 1964 at the , eventually becoming its director in 1970. From 1973 to 1976, she s ...
. "Ebba röd" was the police code of the operation to arrest Kröcher. When the arrest was accomplished the police called out "Ebba grön" on the radio. Thåström was the singer and guitarist of
punk band
Punk rock (also known as simply punk) is a rock music
Rock is a Music genre, genre of popular music that originated in the United States as "rock and roll" in the late 1940s and early 1950s, developing into a range of styles from the mid ...
Ebba Grön from 1977 to 1983.
1982–1989: Rymdimperiet and Imperiet
When Ebba Grön went in hiatus in 1981 due to bassist
Lennart "Fjodor" Eriksson having to serve time in jail for refusing military service, the three remaining members (Thåström, drummer
Gunnar "Gurra" Ljungstedt and keyboardist
Anders "Stry Terrarie" Sjöblom) formed side-project ''Rymdimperiet'' (''
Galactic Empire
Galactic empires are a science fiction setting trope, in which most or all of the habitable planets in the setting's galaxy are ruled by a single centralized political entity. Galactic empires most frequently appear in works in the sub-genre ...
'').
When Ebba Grön officially disbanded in 1983, Rymdimperiet was renamed
Imperiet
was a Swedish post-punk band that was founded in 1981 in Stockholm as Rymdimperiet. In the spring of 1983, the band changed its name to Imperiet, and was then active until December 1988.
History
started as , a side project to the Swedish pun ...
(''The Empire''). With a then-modern sound firmly set in the 80s and a more focused leftist political stance combined with easily accessible songs, Imperiet became one of the biggest Swedish bands of the 1980s.
In an attempt to cross over to international audiences, Imperiet also recorded an
album
An album is a collection of audio recordings (e.g., music) issued on a medium such as compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl (record), audio tape (like 8-track cartridge, 8-track or Cassette tape, cassette), or digital distribution, dig ...
with some of their songs translated to English.
1989–1997: First solo releases and Peace Love & Pitbulls
In 1989 Thåström started a solo career as a rock singer-songwriter with
progg
Progg was a left-wing and anti-commercial musical movement in Sweden that began in the late 1960s and became more widespread in the 1970s. Not to be confused with the English expressions "progressive music" or "prog rock," progg is a contraction ...
influences. He began his solo career with the release of two solo albums, the self-titled 'Thåström' in 1989 and then "Xplodera mig 2000" (''Xplode Me 2000'') in 1991. The later was extremely computer-based and led to the development of the band
Peace Love & Pitbulls.
In 1992, he started the heavy
industrial rock
Industrial rock is a fusion genre that fuses industrial music and rock music. It initially originated in the 1970s, and drew influence from early experimental and industrial acts such as Throbbing Gristle, Einstürzende Neubauten and Chrom ...
band
Peace Love & Pitbulls, with lyrics in English. The band existed until 1997 and released three studio albums.
1999–2005: Focus on solo career
The Swedish audience longed for a new rock album so when Thåström in 1999 released the album ''Det är ni som e dom konstiga, det är jag som e normal'' (''You're the Strange Ones, I am the One Who's Normal'') it became a very big success. Once again with Swedish lyrics and less computerized music Thåström had gone back to his original rock'n'roll-roots.
In 2002 Thåström released the album "Mannen som blev en gris" (''The Man Who Became a Pig'') which was a dark and 'filthy' album with a lot of dusty sounds.
In late 2005 Thåström released the album "Skebokvarnsv. 209" (''Skebokvarn Street 209''). The title refers to Thåström's childhood home address. The album is the most biographical album Thåström has ever released. It contains several songs with extremely personal lyrics and the music is mostly based on acoustic guitars.
2007–present: Sällskapet and recent work
In 2007, Thåström presented a new band called ''
Sällskapet''. The band had been kept a secret since 2003 and was revealed together with their
self-titled debut album. Sällskapet is commonly seen upon as a one time thing and in 2008 Thåström announced that he's working on a new solo album and that he is going to share two shows with the Swedish band ''Kent'', play at the Peace & Love-festival in Borlänge and also play at the Beatday-festival in Copenhagen in the beginning of August.
On 13 March 2009 he released a new album called ''Kärlek är för dom'' (''Love is for them
r those').
On 15 February 2012 his seventh album was released, ''Beväpna dig med vingar'' (''Arm yourself with wings''), and he went on tour in Sweden supporting this release. A large portion of the proceeds from the merchandise sold on this tour was donated to the cause of the homeless people in Sweden. In November that year, Thåström released his first live-DVD: "Som jordgubbarna smakade...".
Thåström released ''Den Morronen'' (''That Morning'') 2015.
In 2017, he released his ninth album ''Centralmassivet'' (''The Massif Central'').
In 2021 he released his tenth album entitled "Dom som skiner" (''Those who beam'') to critical acclaim.
Back-up band
;Current members
*
Pelle Ossler
Pelle Ossler (born 1962 in Bjuv) is a Swedish rock musician and singer, most known for his collaboration with Joakim Thåström, both on Thåström's solo releases and their industrial project Sällskapet.
Recording career
Ossler was the gu ...
– guitar, backing vocals
*
Niklas Hellberg
Niklas Hellberg (born 1964) is a Swedish musician and producer, most known for his collaborations with punk rocker Thåström.
Biography
Hellberg was during the late 1980s a member of the post-punk band All That Jazz until its breakup in 1990 ...
– keyboards,
organ
Organ and organs may refer to:
Biology
* Organ (biology), a group of tissues organized to serve a common function
* Organ system, a collection of organs that function together to carry out specific functions within the body.
Musical instruments
...
*Ulf Rockis Ivarsson – bass guitar
*Mikael Nilzen – keyboards
*Nikolas Janco – drums
;Former members
*Tomas Hallonsten – keyboards
*Anders Hernestam – drums
*
Conny Nimmersjö
Conny Nimmersjö (born 1967) is a Swedish musician most known for playing guitar with bob hund and Bergman Rock.
Biography
Nimmersjö was born in Ängelholm and raised in Södertälje. in 1991 Nimmersjö along with Thomas Öberg, Johnny Essing ...
– guitar
*
Chips Kiesbye
Chips Kiesbye is the guitarist and vocalist for the Swedish rock band Sator formed in the late 1980s in Borlänge. Kiesbye is also a successful music producer and has worked with several of Sweden's most successful rock bands and artists such ...
– guitar, backing vocals
*Jörgen Wall – drums
*Heikki Kiviaho – bass
*Per Hägglund – keyboards
Discography
Studio albums
* ''
Thåström'' (1989)
* ''
Xplodera mig 2000
''Xplodera mig 2000'' is the second solo album from Swedish rock musician Joakim Thåström and it was released in 1991. On this album he decided to make a drastic change in his musical style and make some harder and more filthier kind of rock. T ...
'' (1991)
* ''Singoalla'' (1998)
* ''
Det är ni som e dom konstiga, det är jag som e normal'' (1999)
* ''Mannen som blev en gris'' (2002)
* ''
Skebokvarnsv. 209'' (2005)
* ''
Kärlek är for dom'' (2009)
* ''
Beväpna dig med vingar'' (2012)
* ''
Den morronen'' (2015)
* ''
Centralmassivet'' (2017)
* ''
Dom som skiner'' (2021)
* ''
Somliga av oss'' (2024)
Live albums
* ''Thåström på Röda sten'' (2003)
* ''Som jordgubbarna smakade...'' (2012)
Compilation albums
* ''Solo Vol 1'' (2006)
* ''Be-bop-a-lula hela jävla dan'' (2009)
With other bands
;Ebba Grön
* ''
We're Only In It For The Drugs'' (1979)
* ''
Kärlek & Uppror'' (1981)
* ''
Ebba Grön
Ebba Grön was a Swedish punk band formed in Stockholm, Sweden, in 1977. Ebba Grön consisted of Joakim Thåström (lead vocals, guitar), Gunnar Ljungstedt (drums) and Lennart Eriksson (bass guitar, backing vocals). Thåström, Ljungstedt an ...
'' (1982)
;Rymdimperiet
* ''Alltid Attack'' (1981)
* ''Vad Pojkar Vill Ha'' (1981)
* ''Felrättsnettheltfelrättsnett'' (1982)
;Imperiet
* ''Rasera'' (1983)
* ''
Blå himlen blues
''Blå himlen blues'' is the second studio album by Swedish rock band Imperiet
was a Swedish post-punk band that was founded in 1981 in Stockholm as Rymdimperiet. In the spring of 1983, the band changed its name to Imperiet, and was then ac ...
'' (1985)
* ''2:a Augusti`85'' (1985)
* ''
Synd
' is an album by , released in 1986.
Track listing
#"" – 4:34
#"" – 4:11
#"" – 3:43
#"" – 5:39
#"" – 1:22
#"" – 4:16
#"" – 7:48
#"" – 4:53
#"" – 3:45
1986 albums
Imperiet albums
{{1980s-rock-album-stub ...
'' (1986)
* ''Imperiet'' (1988)
* ''
Tiggarens tal
' is an album by , released in 1988. It was the band's last album. On the year of its release it placed fourth on the Swedish Top Album Chart for a week.
Track listing
1988 albums
Imperiet albums
{{1980s-punk-album-stub ...
'' (1988)
* ''
Live/Studio
was a Swedish post-punk band that was founded in 1981 in Stockholm as Rymdimperiet. In the spring of 1983, the band changed its name to Imperiet, and was then active until December 1988.
History
started as , a side project to the Swedish pun ...
'' (1988)
* ''
Kickar
was a Swedish post-punk band that was founded in 1981 in Stockholm as Rymdimperiet. In the spring of 1983, the band changed its name to Imperiet, and was then active until December 1988.
History
started as , a side project to the Swedish pun ...
'' (1990)
* ''Greatest hits'' (1995)
* ''Klassiker'' (2007)
;Peace, Love and Pitbulls
* ''
Peace, Love and Pitbulls'' (1992)
* ''
Red sonic underwear'' (1994)
* ''
3'' (1997)
* ''War in my livingroom 92–97'' (2007)
;Sällskapet
* ''
Sällskapet'' (2007)
;Other work
* Fiendens musik – ''Mer eller mindre'' (1979)
* Micke Hagström & Cosmic Cowboys – ''Price you pay'' (1981)
* Micke Hagström & Cosmic Cowboys – ''Gangster'' (1982)
* Pink Champagne – ''Vakra Pojke'' (1982)
* Zetterberg & Co – ''Zetterberg & Co'' (1982)
* Tant Strul – ''Amazon'' (1983)
* Stig Vig & Dom 40 röjarna – ''Presenterar Kapten Sörensen'' (1984)
* Per Cussion ''Everybodys Talking'' (1986)
* Lolita Pop – ''Bang your Head'' (1987)
* Eldkvarn – ''Karusellkvällar'' (1989)
* Fleshquartett – ''Flow'' (1993)
* Just D – ''Sug på den/Tre amigos'' (1996)
* Pugh Rogefeldt – ''Vår kommunala man/Marathon'' (1999)
* Superia – ''Permission'' (2000)
* Ossler – ''Dålig mage, öronsus och törst'' (2001)
* Magnus Carlson – ''Va med mej, Nu skiner solen/Allt är bara du, du, du'' (2001)
* Bob Hansson – ''Mobile world, Europa/ Kör solen kör'' (2005)
* Kajsa Grytt – ''Bara vi står ut/ Brott och straff'' (2006)
* Regina Lund – ''Förlåt! Nej, jag menar aj.'' (2006)
* Fleshquartet – ''T.K.K/Voices of eden'' (2007)
* Ossler – ''Ett Brus'' (2008)
*
Garmarna
Garmarna is a Swedish folk rock band. Their songs are mainly old Scandinavian ballads.
Biography
Garmarna was founded in 1990. Stefan Brisland-Ferner, Gotte Ringqvist and Rickard Westman were inspired by old Swedish music, which they had hear ...
– "Öppet hav" from the album
''6'' (2016)
References
External links
Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Thastrom, Joakim
1957 births
Living people
Swedish punk rock musicians
Swedish new wave musicians
Swedish male songwriters
Musicians from Stockholm
Sonet Records artists
Sony Music artists