Fielfraz was a Danish rock band, which had its heyday between 1990 and 1996. The band consisted of

Claus Hempler Fielfraz was a Danish rock band, which had its heyday between 1990 and 1996. The band consisted of Claus Hempler (guitar and vocals), Nils Brakchi (bass), Kenneth Priisholm on (lead guitar) and Jens Langhorn (drums). History After several years ...

(guitar and vocals), Nils Brakchi (bass), Kenneth Priisholm on (lead guitar) and Jens Langhorn (drums).

History

After several years of building up a live reputation in

Odense Odense ( , , ) is the third largest city in Denmark (after Copenhagen and Aarhus) and the largest city on the island of Funen. As of 1 January 2025, the city proper had a population of 185,480 while Odense Municipality had a population of 210, ...

, Fielfraz broke through with their very first record ''Shine'', a Beatlesque guitar-oriented rock record. 1992's ''Electric Eel'' also included big radio hits like ''Surfer'' and ''Naked'' but the album as a whole was a lesser success. The third album, ''Slick'', came late in 1996 and although widely critically acclaimed, it was largely ignored by the public. Fielfraz continued to perform live occasionally, but Priisholm eventually left the band for good, leaving Fielfraz as a trio which released ''Hempler'' in 2004.

Influence

Fielfraz have been cited as an influence on Danish rock and grunge bands that broke through in the early 1990s like

Kashmir Kashmir ( or ) is the Northwestern Indian subcontinent, northernmost geographical region of the Indian subcontinent. Until the mid-19th century, the term ''Kashmir'' denoted only the Kashmir Valley between the Great Himalayas and the Pir P ...

and

Dizzy Mizz Lizzy Dizzy Mizz Lizzy is an alternative rock band from Copenhagen formed in October 1988 in Valby. The power trio consists of Tim Christensen (vocals, guitar, songwriter), Martin Nielsen (bass guitar) and Søren Friis (drums). Dizzy Mizz Lizzy have s ...

. However Fielfraz´ own influences were primarily British; Priisholm's guitar playing was influenced by new wave artists like

XTC XTC were an English rock band formed in Swindon in 1972. Fronted by songwriters Andy Partridge (vocals, guitars) and Colin Moulding (vocals, bass), the band gained popularity during the rise of punk and new wave in the 1970s, later playing ...

and experimental rock acts such as

King Crimson King Crimson were an English progressive rock band formed in London in 1968 by Robert Fripp, Michael Giles, Greg Lake, Ian McDonald (musician), Ian McDonald and Peter Sinfield. Guitarist Fripp remained the only constant member throughout the ...

. Claus Hempler's lyrics and vocal style were derived from

Elvis Costello Declan Patrick MacManus (born 25 August 1954), known professionally as Elvis Costello, is an English singer, songwriter, record producer, author and television host. According to ''Rolling Stone'', Costello "reinvigorated the literate, lyrical ...

and Pulp's

Jarvis Cocker Jarvis Branson Cocker (born 19 September 1963) is an English musician. As the founder, frontman, lyricist and only consistent member of the band Pulp (band), Pulp, he became a reluctant figurehead of the Britpop genre of the mid-1990s. Cocker h ...

Kultur: Byens cooleste fyr Fielfraz' marked a transitional period in the history of Danish rock, that broke the pop hegemony established by acts like

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, TV-2 and

Sanne Salomonsen Susanne Salomonsen (born on 30 December 1955) is a Danish singer and songwriter, better known under the nickname Sanne Salomonsen. Salomonsen joined a local rock band in 1967, and her first solo album was released in 1973. She became one of the m ...

, in the 1980s. Alongside a few other British influenced 1990s acts like The Sandmen and Simcess, and the American influenced rock of

D-A-D D-A-D (formerly stylized as D:A:D) is a Danish rock band. They were originally named Disneyland After Dark, but changed their name to avoid a lawsuit from The Walt Disney Company. History In the early 1980s in Copenhagen, D-A-D started play ...

, they made the commercial breakthrough for the rock scene in Denmark, by getting airplay on the dominating radio stations,

Danmarks Radio DR (), officially the Danish Broadcasting Corporation in English, is a Danish public-service radio and television broadcasting company. Founded in 1925 as a public-service organization, it is Denmark's oldest and largest electronic media enter ...

and P3.

Discography

* ''Shine'' (1990) - Genlyd/BMG * ''Electric Eel'' (1992) - Genlyd/BMG * ''Slick'' (1996) - Virgin

References

External links

Brakchi
{{Authority control Danish rock music groups