Klamydia

Klamydia, sometimes rendered in English as Chlamydia, emerged in Finland during 1988 as a fiercely independent punk-rock outfit rooted in the D.I.Y. ethos. The Ramones, Misfits, and Motörhead supplied their most frequently cited reference points. Although the lineup has seen numerous changes on bass and guitar, vocalist and principal songwriter Vesa “Vesku” Jokinen has remained a fixture alongside drummer Riku Purtola, who arrived in 1989 after the group’s earliest recordings. Their trademark irreverence surfaces most clearly in provocative album titles, among them the 1993 self-released Masturbaatio Ilman Käsiä (Masturbation Without Hands), which climbed to number two on the Finnish pop charts. Further commercial successes followed with 1991’s Los Celibatos, 1995’s Siittiöt Sotapolulla (Sperm Warpath), and the 1998 three-disc tenth-anniversary set Klamytologia. Critical praise has been scarce, yet a devoted following has propelled several albums to gold or platinum status within Finland. Toward the close of the 1990s the band explored straighter rock terrain on Zulupohjalta (1999) before reclaiming its signature absurdity with Klamytapit (2001). Parallel triumphs unfolded in Germany through split singles and shared tours alongside Die Schwarzen Schafe and Die Lokalmatadore. In 2001 the city of Vaasa bestowed a notable cultural prize upon the group, an honor that stirred unease among more conventional artistic circles; the members responded with amusement while capitalizing on the resulting surge in attention and sales. By 2007 their current configuration remained on the charts with its twenty-second effort, the self-titled Klamydia.