Formed: Kreuzlingen, Switzerland
Not sure if these Swiss punks were arty or just incompetent, but the Abgas EP is barely listenable. Hell, it's not even remotely listenable: shambling, muffled, laboured and depressing, I would say.
Abgas ("Exhaust Gas") was formed in Kreuzlingen at the end of 1980 by Gary SinNLos (aka Gary Odd) and Thommy Abschreck. Thomas Leuch, the band's first bassist, played with the band until spring 1981, at which time he was replaced by Bobo Ramöne. Bobo was subsequently replaced by Stefan Tatendurst (aka Spätheimkehrer), who stayed with the band until the end.
At the time of forming, each band member was a complete novice on his instrument but after only seven days, on New Year's Eve 1980, Abgas made its debut performance, in the Jägerkaserne in Konstanz (Germany), with seven self-written songs. In early 1981 they released the Greatest Hits - "Live + Proberaum cassette, with side one consisting of their entire ten song repertoire, and side two a live recording. The group then issued the double 7-inch single, Abgas. On the 1st of August 1982 , the Swiss national holiday, Abgas produced and distributed the Swiss Anti Sampler with 17 bands from the Swiss punk scene.
Spätheimkehrer: I saw them first late '79 in a record store in Konstanz (kraut-land), where we smalltown punks met to listen to records but didn't buy them. Two kids from Kreuzlingen, Abschreck and Sinnlos, punx, from the other side (cheese-land). They were the only punx in their little town and wanted to play punkrock. As i was in a band (08/15) and we had a rehearsaldump, we thought, give them room to live, and so they went. None of them could play any instrument, but within a few days they had a set of 10 genius songs like 'Münsterlingen', 'Kleines Mädchen', 'Die Welt Ist Tot' and more. In these times I often (always) went to their gigs, it was great pure punk. They played in front of 1000 Milano punks and threw stinking fishes in the audience all around Switzerland.
ABOVE: Abgas in 1984, at their first naked gig. Photo courtesy of Stefan Tatendurst
In 1983 the band decided to remove themselves from the punk scene, and so dropped all of their old songs and never played them again. Instead of crappy shambling punk, the new material was considerably more arty: industrial sounding post-punk with more electronics, and completely instrumental. The Die Tänzerin 7" consisted of four such tunes, all untitled. Live, from this point on the band didn't bother with clothes, choosing to play naked, their bodies painted with finger colours. The next two years saw just two more releases, the And I Wait cassette and 1. Juni, the latter a live recording.
The band split in 1986, but reformed in 2011.
According to Stefan (via email, February 2018): ABGAS lives! but we take another "sabbatical". 2020 will be 40 years of ABGAS - Naked Chaos! We are working forward to that. Gary goes on with - The Gloomy Stars and I'm into The Papsipunx and Jehovah Tapperwer - as you can see/hear, we are "fit and working again" (Fanx Mark E. Smith)
DISCOGRAPHY
Singles / Albums
| Abgas (2x7", 1981) |
Die Tänzerin (7", 1983) |
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Tapes |
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| Greatest Hits - "Live + Proberaum" (Tape, 1981) |
Live in Ermatingen (Tape, 1982) | Fischkult Konstanz 11.9.1982 (Tape, split with Abort, 1982) |
And I Wait (Tape, 1985) |
1. Juni (Tape, 1986) |
Various Artists
Krampf + Unecht - Konstanz/Kreuzlingen 1980 Germany Tape 1980 (Die Stimme Der Provinz): Kleines Mädchen / Älter Werden / It's Never Too Late / Die Welt Ist Tot / Kommerz Wixer / Münsterlingen / Alli Mini Äntli
Anti Sampler 1982 Switzerland Tape 1982 (Schizoides Disaster/Abgas): Kripopogo / Winterzit
Nsdap Records II Switzerland Tape 1984 (no label): Seemannslied / Seemannslied I / Kripopogo / Winterzit
Links
ABGAS - Official Website
