Josef K (band)
Encyclopedia
Josef K were a Scottish
post-punk
band, active between 1979 and 1982, who released singles on the Postcard Records
label. The band was named after the protagonist of Franz Kafka
's novel
The Trial
. Although they only released one album while together and had moderate success, they have since proved influential on many bands that followed.
(vocals, guitar) and Ronnie Torrance (drums), later joined by Malcolm Ross (guitar, keyboards), with Gary McCormack added on bass guitar, who soon left (later joining The Exploited
) with David Weddell replacing him. After recording a ten-track demo, their first release was the "Romance"/"Chance Meeting" single on Orange Juice
drummer Steven Daly's Absolute label in December that year. They were then signed to Postcard Records, the label founded by Daly and Alan Horne, releasing a string of critically acclaimed singles in 1980 and 1981. The band recorded their debut album, Sorry for Laughing, in 1981 at Castle Sound Studios in Pencaitland
, but it was shelved, with the band unhappy with the slick production, Haig describing it as sounding "flat and disinfected", with only a few copies being released. They returned to the studio in Belgium to record The Only Fun in Town, opting for a more 'live' sound and recording the whole album in two days, Haig describing their aim: "we decided to make an almost unlistenable record with the vocals mixed down really low". It was their only album release while together, and while it placed well on the UK Independent Chart, it received a poor critical reception. Sorry For Laughing was eventually released on a 1990 CD reissue of The Only Fun In Town.
The band split prior to the release of the 1982 single, "The Farewell Single", which included the Peel session track, "The Missionary", Haig deciding to call an end to the band while they were at a creative peak. Torrance joined Boots for Dancing
and later (with Weddell) formed The Happy Family with Nick Currie (aka Momus). Haig embarked on a long solo career, releasing a string of albums on his own Rhythm of Life label between 1984 and 2008, while Malcolm Ross joined Orange Juice
and then played with Aztec Camera
and Blancmange
before embarking on a solo career. Ross and Weddell later reunited in Magic Clan.
guitars with funk
and disco
rhythms. They were influenced by American bands such as Pere Ubu
, Television
, Talking Heads
, and The Voidoids
, and British bands such as Subway Sect
. However, in terms of their lyrics and image Josef K were always far more downbeat and austere than Orange Juice, and were never to have Orange Juice's commercial success. They were also described as sounding similar to Joy Division
but "less doomy". Haig was a fan of Joy Division and "It's Kinda Funny" was inspired by the death of Ian Curtis
. Haig's lyrics were also inspired by the works of Franz Kafka, Albert Camus
, Herman Hesse, Fyodor Dostoyevsky, and Knut Hamsun
.
The band had what was described as an "anti-rock stance", most members eschewing drink and (most) drugs, and the band never doing encores, which Ross considered "patronizing".
and The Wedding Present
(who also never do encores). They also influenced later bands such as Franz Ferdinand
, The Futureheads
, and The Rapture
, and they were described in 2006 as "one of the most influential bands in Britain".
"Sorry for Laughing" was covered by German synth pop group Propaganda on their 1985 album A Secret Wish
, and in 2004 by French New Wave
/bossa nova
band Nouvelle Vague
, on their self-titled debut
.
Original founding members included Neil Shah-Shah (Guitar) and Matthew Cocks (Bass), who left the band due to increasing press interest.
Gary McCormack briefly played bass before joining The Exploited.
All of their songs were written by either Paul Haig or Paul Haig/Malcolm Ross.
¹ post split
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
post-punk
Post-punk
Post-punk is a rock music movement with its roots in the late 1970s, following on the heels of the initial punk rock explosion of the mid-1970s. The genre retains its roots in the punk movement but is more introverted, complex and experimental...
band, active between 1979 and 1982, who released singles on the Postcard Records
Postcard Records
Postcard Records is a Glasgow-based independent record label founded by Alan Horne in 1979, as a vehicle for Orange Juice and Josef K releases. The label's motto was "The Sound of Young Scotland", a parody/tribute to the Motown motto; its logo featured a cartoon cat beating a drum...
label. The band was named after the protagonist of Franz Kafka
Franz Kafka
Franz Kafka was a culturally influential German-language author of short stories and novels. Contemporary critics and academics, including Vladimir Nabokov, regard Kafka as one of the best writers of the 20th century...
's novel
Novel
A novel is a book of long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....
The Trial
The Trial
The Trial is a novel by Franz Kafka, first published in 1925. One of Kafka's best-known works, it tells the story of a man arrested and prosecuted by a remote, inaccessible authority, with the nature of his crime revealed neither to him nor the reader.Like Kafka's other novels, The Trial was never...
. Although they only released one album while together and had moderate success, they have since proved influential on many bands that followed.
History
The band was formed in 1979 originally as TV Art by Paul HaigPaul Haig
Paul Haig is a Scottish indie composer, musician and singer. He was originally a member of 1980s post-punk band Josef K who were signed to the Postcard record label...
(vocals, guitar) and Ronnie Torrance (drums), later joined by Malcolm Ross (guitar, keyboards), with Gary McCormack added on bass guitar, who soon left (later joining The Exploited
The Exploited
The Exploited are a Scottish punk band from the second wave of UK punk, formed in 1979. Originally a street punk band, they transformed into a faster hardcore punk band with a heavy political influence. From about 1987 on they changed into a crossover thrash band...
) with David Weddell replacing him. After recording a ten-track demo, their first release was the "Romance"/"Chance Meeting" single on Orange Juice
Orange Juice
Orange Juice was a Scottish post-punk band founded in the middle class Glasgow suburb of Bearsden as the Nu-Sonics in 1976. Edwyn Collins formed the Nu-Sonics with his school-mate Alan Duncan and was subsequently joined by James Kirk and Steven Daly, who left a band called The Machetes. The band...
drummer Steven Daly's Absolute label in December that year. They were then signed to Postcard Records, the label founded by Daly and Alan Horne, releasing a string of critically acclaimed singles in 1980 and 1981. The band recorded their debut album, Sorry for Laughing, in 1981 at Castle Sound Studios in Pencaitland
Pencaitland
Pencaitland is a village in East Lothian, Scotland, about south-east of Edinburgh, south-west of Haddington, and east of Ormiston.The land where the village lies is said to have been granted by William the Lion to Calum Cormack in 1169, who gave the church, with the tithes and other property...
, but it was shelved, with the band unhappy with the slick production, Haig describing it as sounding "flat and disinfected", with only a few copies being released. They returned to the studio in Belgium to record The Only Fun in Town, opting for a more 'live' sound and recording the whole album in two days, Haig describing their aim: "we decided to make an almost unlistenable record with the vocals mixed down really low". It was their only album release while together, and while it placed well on the UK Independent Chart, it received a poor critical reception. Sorry For Laughing was eventually released on a 1990 CD reissue of The Only Fun In Town.
The band split prior to the release of the 1982 single, "The Farewell Single", which included the Peel session track, "The Missionary", Haig deciding to call an end to the band while they were at a creative peak. Torrance joined Boots for Dancing
Boots For Dancing
Boots for Dancing were a post-punk band from Edinburgh, Scotland, active between 1979 and 1982, and featuring several musicians from other notable bands.-History:...
and later (with Weddell) formed The Happy Family with Nick Currie (aka Momus). Haig embarked on a long solo career, releasing a string of albums on his own Rhythm of Life label between 1984 and 2008, while Malcolm Ross joined Orange Juice
Orange Juice
Orange Juice was a Scottish post-punk band founded in the middle class Glasgow suburb of Bearsden as the Nu-Sonics in 1976. Edwyn Collins formed the Nu-Sonics with his school-mate Alan Duncan and was subsequently joined by James Kirk and Steven Daly, who left a band called The Machetes. The band...
and then played with Aztec Camera
Aztec Camera
Aztec Camera were a Scottish New Wave band from the Glasgow suburb of East Kilbride, formed in 1980 and centered around teenage singer-songwriter, Roddy Frame. Their album Love was among the nominations for Best British Album at the 1989 BRIT Awards....
and Blancmange
Blancmange (band)
Blancmange are a British synthpop band who came to prominence with a string of hits in the early to mid 1980s.-Biography:Blancmange was formed in Harrow, Middlesex in 1979 by singer Neil Arthur and instrumentalists Stephen Luscombe and Laurence Stevens...
before embarking on a solo career. Ross and Weddell later reunited in Magic Clan.
Musical style
Musically, they resembled their label mates Orange Juice in fusing post-punkPost-punk
Post-punk is a rock music movement with its roots in the late 1970s, following on the heels of the initial punk rock explosion of the mid-1970s. The genre retains its roots in the punk movement but is more introverted, complex and experimental...
guitars with funk
Funk
Funk is a music genre that originated in the mid-late 1960s when African American musicians blended soul music, jazz and R&B into a rhythmic, danceable new form of music. Funk de-emphasizes melody and harmony and brings a strong rhythmic groove of electric bass and drums to the foreground...
and disco
Disco
Disco is a genre of dance music. Disco acts charted high during the mid-1970s, and the genre's popularity peaked during the late 1970s. It had its roots in clubs that catered to African American, gay, psychedelic, and other communities in New York City and Philadelphia during the late 1960s and...
rhythms. They were influenced by American bands such as Pere Ubu
Pere Ubu
Pere Ubu is an experimental rock music group from Cleveland, Ohio.Père Ubu may also refer to:* Ubu, the enigmatic central figure of a series of French plays by Alfred Jarry, including Ubu Roi, and subsequent plays Ubu Cocu and Ubu Enchaîné...
, Television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
, Talking Heads
Talking Heads
Talking Heads were an American New Wave and avant-garde band formed in 1975 in New York City and active until 1991. The band comprised David Byrne, Chris Frantz, Tina Weymouth and Jerry Harrison...
, and The Voidoids
The Voidoids
The Voidoids, also known as Richard Hell & The Voidoids, were an American rock band from the first wave of punk rock, fronted by Richard Hell, a former member of the Neon Boys, Television and the Heartbreakers...
, and British bands such as Subway Sect
Subway Sect
Subway Sect were one of the original British punk bands. Their influence was limited by the very small amount of recorded material they released.-The early days:...
. However, in terms of their lyrics and image Josef K were always far more downbeat and austere than Orange Juice, and were never to have Orange Juice's commercial success. They were also described as sounding similar to Joy Division
Joy Division
Joy Division were an English rock band formed in 1976 in Salford, Greater Manchester. Originally named Warsaw, the band primarily consisted of Ian Curtis , Bernard Sumner , Peter Hook and Stephen Morris .Joy Division rapidly evolved from their initial punk rock influences...
but "less doomy". Haig was a fan of Joy Division and "It's Kinda Funny" was inspired by the death of Ian Curtis
Ian Curtis
Ian Kevin Curtis was an English singer and lyricist, famous for leading the post-punk band Joy Division. Joy Division released their debut album, Unknown Pleasures, in 1979 and recorded their follow-up, Closer, in 1980...
. Haig's lyrics were also inspired by the works of Franz Kafka, Albert Camus
Albert Camus
Albert Camus was a French author, journalist, and key philosopher of the 20th century. In 1949, Camus founded the Group for International Liaisons within the Revolutionary Union Movement, which was opposed to some tendencies of the Surrealist movement of André Breton.Camus was awarded the 1957...
, Herman Hesse, Fyodor Dostoyevsky, and Knut Hamsun
Knut Hamsun
Knut Hamsun was a Norwegian author, who was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1920. He was praised by King Haakon VII of Norway as Norway's soul....
.
The band had what was described as an "anti-rock stance", most members eschewing drink and (most) drugs, and the band never doing encores, which Ross considered "patronizing".
Influence
Josef K would prove to be a major influence on several later 1980s bands, including The June BridesThe June Brides
The June Brides were an English indie pop group, formed in London in 1983, by Phil Wilson and Simon Beesley of International Rescue. Influenced by Postcard-label bands such as Josef K and punk-era bands such as Buzzcocks, The Desperate Bicycles and The Television Personalities, their mix of guitar...
and The Wedding Present
The Wedding Present
The Wedding Present are a British indie rock group based in Leeds, England, formed in 1985 from the ashes of the Lost Pandas. The band's music has evolved from fast-paced indie rock in the vein of their most obvious influences The Fall, Buzzcocks and Gang of Four to more varied forms...
(who also never do encores). They also influenced later bands such as Franz Ferdinand
Franz Ferdinand (band)
Franz Ferdinand are a Scottish post-punk revival band formed in Glasgow in 2002. The band is composed of Alex Kapranos , Bob Hardy , Nick McCarthy , and Paul Thomson .The band first experienced chart success when their second single, "Take Me Out", reached #3 in...
, The Futureheads
The Futureheads
The Futureheads are an English post-punk band from Sunderland. consisting of Ross Millard , Barry Hyde and David "Jaff" Craig...
, and The Rapture
The Rapture
The Rapture is an Indie rock band based in New York City. The band mixes influences from many genres including post-punk, acid house, disco, electronica and rock, pioneering the post-punk revival genre...
, and they were described in 2006 as "one of the most influential bands in Britain".
"Sorry for Laughing" was covered by German synth pop group Propaganda on their 1985 album A Secret Wish
A Secret Wish
- Original 1985 vinyl album release :A – WITHIN# "Dream Within A Dream" – 8:04# "The Murder Of Love" – 5:12# "Jewel" – 3:10# "Duel" – 4:43B – WITHOUT# "p:Machinery" [album mix]" – 3:50# "Sorry For Laughing" – 3:25# "Dr...
, and in 2004 by French New Wave
French New Wave
The New Wave was a blanket term coined by critics for a group of French filmmakers of the late 1950s and 1960s, influenced by Italian Neorealism and classical Hollywood cinema. Although never a formally organized movement, the New Wave filmmakers were linked by their self-conscious rejection of...
/bossa nova
Bossa nova
Bossa nova is a style of Brazilian music. Bossa nova acquired a large following in the 1960s, initially consisting of young musicians and college students...
band Nouvelle Vague
Nouvelle Vague (band)
Nouvelle Vague is a French musical collective led by musicians Marc Collin and Olivier Libaux. Their name is a play on words, meaning "new wave" in French, and "bossa nova" in Portuguese...
, on their self-titled debut
Nouvelle Vague (album)
Nouvelle Vague is the 2004 self-titled debut album by Nouvelle Vague. The album consists entirely of easy listening and bossa nova versions of songs that were written and recorded during the post-punk/New Wave era...
.
Band members
- Paul HaigPaul HaigPaul Haig is a Scottish indie composer, musician and singer. He was originally a member of 1980s post-punk band Josef K who were signed to the Postcard record label...
- guitar, vocals, songwriting - Malcolm RossMalcolm Ross (musician)Malcolm Rosss musical career started when he played guitar in the Scottish band Josef K. They released a string of singles and an album, The Only Fun in Town, on Postcard Records in the early 1980s....
- guitar, violin - David Weddell - bass
- Ronnie Torrance - drums
Original founding members included Neil Shah-Shah (Guitar) and Matthew Cocks (Bass), who left the band due to increasing press interest.
Gary McCormack briefly played bass before joining The Exploited.
All of their songs were written by either Paul Haig or Paul Haig/Malcolm Ross.
Singles
| Year | Title | UK Indie Chart UK Indie Chart The UK Independent Chart or Indie Chart is a chart of the best-selling independent record releases in the UK.- History :In the wake of punk, small record labels began to spring up, as an outlet for artists that were unwilling to sign contracts with major record companies, or were not considered... Position |
|
|---|---|---|---|
| Dec | 1979 | "Romance / Chance Meeting" | |
| Aug | 1980 | "Radio Drill Time / Crazy To Exist (Live)" | #27 |
| Dec | 1980 | "It's Kinda Funny / Final Request" | #12 |
| Feb | 1981 | "Sorry For Laughing / Revelation" | |
| May | 1981 | "Chance Meeting / Pictures (of Cindy)" | #12 |
| Feb | 1982 | "The Missionary / One Angle / Second Angle" ¹ | #5 |
| Mar | 1987 | "Heaven Sent" ¹ | #12 |
¹ post split
Studio Albums
| Year | Title | UK Indie Chart UK Indie Chart The UK Independent Chart or Indie Chart is a chart of the best-selling independent record releases in the UK.- History :In the wake of punk, small record labels began to spring up, as an outlet for artists that were unwilling to sign contracts with major record companies, or were not considered... Position |
|
|---|---|---|---|
| Jun | 1981 | The Only Fun in Town | #3 |
Compilation and live albums
| Year | Title | UK Indie Chart Position | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun | 1987 | Young and Stupid | (1979-1981 singles/session cuts, released with different track listing on CD in Sep 1990) | |
| Mar | 1989 | Endless Soul | #7 | (best of) |
| Sep | 1990 | Only Fun In Town | (contains the album "The Only Fun In Town" and the unreleased album "Sorry For Laughing" from 1980) | |
| Oct | 2002 | Crazy to Exist | (live recordings from 1981) | |
| Sep | 2003 | Live at Valentino's | (live recordings from 1981) | |
| Nov | 2006 | Entomology | (mainly culled from Postcard and Les Disques Du Crepuscules 1980-81) | |
External links
- JosefK.net - unofficial site
- Josef K biography
- Rhythm of Life Paul Haig's record label