Psí vojáci (lit. Dog Soldiers) was a Czech rock band from

Prague Prague ( ; cs, Praha ; german: Prag, ; la, Praga) is the capital and List of cities in the Czech Republic, largest city in the Czech Republic, and the historical capital of Bohemia. On the Vltava river, Prague is home to about 1.3 milli ...

, fronted by singer, pianist and songwriter

Filip Topol Filip Topol (12 June 1965 – 19 June 2013) was a Czech singer, songwriter, pianist and writer. He was best known as leader of the alternative rock band Psí vojáci (''Dog Soldiers''), but he also performed as a solo artist. Topol was the younge ...

, son of playwright

Josef Topol Josef Topol (1 April 1935 – 15 June 2015) was a Czech playwright. In 1965, he co-founded ''Divadlo za branou'', a theatre in Prague which was closed in 1972 after being banned by Czechoslovak government. In 1977 he signed Charter 77. He was m ...

and brother of writer

Jáchym Topol Jáchym Topol (born 4 August 1962) is a Czech poet, novelist, musician and journalist who became a laureate of the Czech State Award for Literature in October 2017 for his novel ''Sensitive Man''. Life Jáchym Topol was born in Prague, Czech ...

. Topol formed the band in 1979 with drummer David Skála and bassist Jan Hazuka, his elementary school classmates. It disbanded in August 2011, then reformed in October 2012 with the original line-up and finally ceased to exist in June 2013 with Topol's death. The band was named after the Dog Soldiers, a Cheyenne military society that appeared in Thomas Berger’s novel ''Little Big Man''. They were a part of the Prague underground countercultural movement, and were influenced by punk rock as well as

avant-garde The avant-garde (; In 'advance guard' or ' vanguard', literally 'fore-guard') is a person or work that is experimental, radical, or unorthodox with respect to art, culture, or society.John Picchione, The New Avant-garde in Italy: Theoretical ...

and classical music including composers of the second half of the 18th century. Topol also performed solo on the piano and played songs from his solo albums, often with confessional lyrics.

History

Psí vojáci first performed publicly in 1979 at the IX. Prague Jazz Days and they soon drew attention of the

secret police Secret police (or political police) are intelligence, security or police agencies that engage in covert operations against a government's political, religious, or social opponents and dissidents. Secret police organizations are characteristic of ...

. At the time, the band members were 13 years old. When Filip Topol was questioned by police for the first time, he was not even fifteen years old. The band was not allowed to perform publicly and it only played at private underground events (e.g. at

Václav Havel Václav Havel (; 5 October 193618 December 2011) was a Czech statesman, author, poet, playwright, and former dissident. Havel served as the last president of Czechoslovakia from 1989 until the dissolution of Czechoslovakia in 1992 and then ...

’s cottage in Hrádeček). In the course of several years the band repeatedly changed style as well as members. At first, Filip’s brother Jáchym cooperated in song writing for the band. Later on, Filip started writing lyrics himself. In late 1980s the band started to perform under a pseudonym P.V.O. (Dog Soldiers in Person) and the Prague Junior Club Na Chmelnici became their home stage. After 1989 Psí vojáci became popular concert performers and they started playing at many clubs as well as music festivals. They toured clubs in

Hungary Hungary ( hu, Magyarország ) is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning of the Pannonian Basin, Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the ...

Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

and

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

and they performed at music festivals in

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...

and

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

. Their songs were used in films (e.g. '' Žiletky'' by the director Zdeněk Tyc, where Filip Topol played the main role) and they also participated in creating scenic music for several theatre plays. .

Members

– vocals, piano (1979–2011, 2012–2013) *David Skála – drums (1979–?, 2012–2013) *Jan Hazuka – bass guitar (1979–?, 2012–2013) *Vít Krůta – guitar (1980–81)

Discography

Studio albums

* ''P.V.O. (Rock debut 6)'' (Panton, 1989) * ''Nalej čistého vína, pokrytče'' (Globus International, 1991) * ''Leitmotiv'' (Globus International, 1991) * ''Baroko v Čechách'' (Black Point, 1993) * ''Sestra'' (Indies Records, 1994) * ''Brutální lyrika'' (Indies Records, 1995) * ''Sakramiláčku'' (Indies Records, 1995) * ''Hořící holubi'' (Indies Records, 1997) * ''Myši v poli a jiné příběhy'' (Indies Records, 1999) * ''Studio 1983-85'' (Black Point, 2000) * ''U sousedů vyje pes'' (Indies Records, 2001) * ''Slečna Kristýna'' (Indies Records, 2002) * ''Těžko říct'' (Indies Records, 2003)

Live albums

* ''Vol. 1'' a ''Vol. 2'' (Black Point, 1990) * ''1979/80 Live'' (Black Point, 1991) * ''Live I.'' a ''Live II.'' (Gang Records, 1993) * ''Nechoď sama do tmy'' (Black Point, 1995; Recorded in January 1987 in Junior klub) * ''Mučivé vzpomínky'' (Black Point, 1997) * ''Psi a vojáci'' (Black Point, 2000)

Compilation albums

* ''Národ Psích vojáků'' (Indies Records, 1996)

Single

* ''Žiletky'' (1994)

Literature

* ''Národ Psích vojáků'' (Maťa, 1999) * Jirsa, Tomáš
Charting Post-Underground Nostalgia: Anachronistic Practices of the Post-Velvet Revolution Rock Scene.
''Iluminace'', vol. 29, no. 3, 2017, pp. 65-86.

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Psi vojaci Czech underground music groups Czech experimental rock groups Czech alternative rock groups Czech art rock groups Czech experimental music groups Czech punk rock groups Czechoslovak rock music groups Musical groups from Prague 1979 establishments in Czechoslovakia 2010s disestablishments in the Czech Republic Musical groups established in 1979 Musical groups disestablished in 2011 Musical groups reestablished in 2012 Musical groups disestablished in 2013 Czech musical trios