Leather Nun

The Leather Nun (a.k.a. "Lädernunnan") was formed in 1978 in Gothenburg, Sweden by radio DJ and fanzine editor Jonas Almquist (vocals) who, after getting agreement from Genesis P. Orridge to release a single on the Industrial Records label, recruited Bengt "Aron" Aronsson (guitar), Freddie Wadling (bass), and Gert Claesson (drums), all from punk band Strait Jacket.[1][2]

Inspired by such groups and artists like the Velvet Underground and Lou Reed, Iggy Pop and Rory Gallagher, The Leather Nun released the debut EP, Slow Death in November 1979, featuring three newly recorded songs and the recording of "Death Threats" from 1978.[1][3] John Peel played the title song each night for two weeks on his BBC radio programme.

Although many people think so, Jonas Almquist says not to have taken their name from the American underground comic Tales from the Leather Nun. He also tells that it was not taken from the stage name of a London stripper, but chosen because "it felt just as a clockwork name for a band who based its music on the dynamics between the pure innocent and the black shameful ...".

In the early 1980s, the band soon attracted controversy by showing adult movies as part of their live shows[1][2] and often shocked some audiences by being accompanied by strippers when on stage and over their use of hard-core gay pornography. A handful of singles followed before The Leather Nun released their first LP, Alive in 1985, a live album recorded in Denmark. [4]

Covering ABBA's "Gimme, Gimme, Gimme" earned the group respect in Sweden and Europe and was performed live on the UK Channel 4 all-night tv-show Euro Tube in June 1986. Several successful tours followed. Meanwhile, the group's imported singles found their way onto US college radio stations, earning substantial airplay with "Pink House", a deadpan mockery of John Mellencamp's "Pink Houses". It also appeared on the Mini-LP Lust Games, which was only released in the UK and reached number 5 in the UK Indie Chart.

In 1987 the group released the top-selling compilation LP Force of Habit (consisting of the handful of singles plus other tracks from Lust Games), first in the US, adorned with a controversial cover shot by photographer Mick Rock. Also in 1987 "Jesus Came Driving Along" appeared in the soundtrack of the film Dudes and gained them more airplay and success.

1987 even saw the release, but only in the EU, of their second studio album, Steel Construction, which was critically acclaimed and also reached No. 5 in the UK Indie Chart.

In 1988 The Leather Nun were reviewed in Rolling Stone and quoted to be the first rock act to sell condoms as tour merchandise. It was during a sold-out Leather Nun-show at the legendary Scream club in Los Angeles, that The Cult-vocalist Ian Astbury (major Leather Nun-fan) met with Swedish Leather Nun-fan and to-be video director Jonas Åkerlund (Madonna, The Prodigy, Metallica, Lady GaGa) and forming a long-standing friendship. Jonas Åkerlund used music by The Leather Nun in his debut movie Spun feat Mickey Rourke.

In August 1988 the band played at the 'Glasnost Rock' festival in Tallinn, Estonia, the first international rock festival to be staged in the Soviet Union, together with amongst others Big Country and PiL.[5]

Their third studio album, International Heroes, was produced by Kim Fowley and was released in 1990, again only in Europa! While releasing their fourth studio album Nun Permanent (produced by Mick Ronson) in winter 1991, their record company went bankrupt and could no longer deliver copies of the album. Being without a record company The Leather Nun continued to play gigs for a few years, but never got so successful again. The group finally broke up in 1995, but has reunited on some occasions since then. In 2005 they had a short very successful comeback, but did not release any new albums.

Commemorating the 30th Anniversary of Leather Nun, Jonas Almquist formed a tribute band in 2009 with celeb Swedish rock musicians (amongst them guitarist Thomas Silver of Hardcore Superstar), under the name Leather Nun: Reloaded. In native Gothenburg on 12 September 2009 they played their last live gig, with guest appearances by original Leather Nun-members. Jonas Almquist then focused on his new band project Godtherapy, releasing the acclaimed sold-out limited edition debut cd ... and there will be Godtherapy in the summer of 2010.

In late 2013, they finally got the rights of the back catalogue and the use of the band name 'The Leather Nun' back and started recording a new album, which was released in 2015 and titled Whatever, plus a live album (with a cover shot by Lou Reed) followed, and finally after 28 years, the legendary live concert in the U.S.S.R. could be released.

Leather Nun has been cited a major influence by European, British and US bands of the punk and post-punk era. Leather Nun songs have been covered by countless bands, amongst them the Butthole Surfers, Turbonegro and Mudhoney. Mark Lanegan (QOTSA et al) claims the compilation album Force of Habit – like all aficionados playing the B-side first – is one of the albums that truly changed his life, and stated "I know that everything I have done since I heard this record has a piece of this album in it. It's a huge influence on me."[6]

• Jonas Almquist – vocals
• Bengt Aronsson – guitar
• Gert Claesson – drums
• Freddie Wadling – bass (original bass-player, 1979–83)

Touring musicians:

• Ulf Widlund – bass
• Svävarn – bass
• Apis – bass
• Stefan Bellnäs – bass
• Michael Krönlein – bass
• Nils Wohlrabe – guitar
• Frederik Adlers – piano/keyboards/producer/arranger
• Pelle Blom – piano/keyboards
• Kalle Stintzing – piano/keyboards
• Martin Hederos – piano/keyboards
• Jeff Virgo – bass

• Interview with Aron (in German)