The Leather Nun are a Swedish

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wale ...

group. Careening from

garage rock Garage rock (sometimes called garage punk or 60s punk) is a raw and energetic style of rock music that flourished in the mid-1960s, most notably in the United States and Canada, and has experienced a series of subsequent revivals. The style is ...

goth Goth or Goths may refer to: * Goths, a Germanic people Arts and entertainment * Gothic rock or goth, a style of rock music * Goth subculture, developed by fans of gothic rock * ''Goth'' (2003 film), an American horror film * ''Goth'' (2008 f ...

and

pop-rock Pop rock (also typeset as pop/rock) is a fusion genre and form of rock music characterized by a strong commercial appeal, with more emphasis on professional songwriting and recording craft, and less emphasis on attitude than standard rock musi ...

History

The Leather Nun (a.k.a. Swedish: Lädernunnan) was formed in 1978 in

Gothenburg Gothenburg ( ; ) is the List of urban areas in Sweden by population, second-largest city in Sweden, after the capital Stockholm, and the fifth-largest in the Nordic countries. Situated by the Kattegat on the west coast of Sweden, it is the gub ...

, Sweden by radio DJ and fanzine editor

Jonas Almquist The Leather Nun are a Swedish rock group. Careening from garage rock to goth and pop-rock. History The Leather Nun (a.k.a. Swedish: Lädernunnan) was formed in 1978 in Gothenburg, Sweden by radio DJ and fanzine editor Jonas Almquist (vocals) ...

(vocals) who, after getting agreement from Genesis P. Orridge to release a single on the

Industrial Records Industrial Records is a record label established in 1976 by industrial music and visual arts group Throbbing Gristle. The group created the label primarily for self-releases but also signed several other groups and artists. The label gave a na ...

label, recruited Bengt "Aron" Aronsson (guitar),

Freddie Wadling Berndt Arvid Freddie Wadling (2 August 1951 – 2 June 2016) was a Swedish singer born in Gothenburg, whose over-thirty-year musical career extended from punk to classical ballads. Band member Wadling played bass in a number of bands during ...

(bass) and Gert Claesson (drums), all from punk band Strait Jacket.Larkin, Colin (1998) ''The Virgin Encyclopedia of Indie & New Wave'', Virgin Books, , p. 242Strong, Martin C. (2003) ''The Great Indie Discography'', Canongate, , pp. 396-7 Inspired by

Velvet Underground The Velvet Underground were an American rock band formed in New York City in 1964. Its classic lineup consisted of singer and guitarist Lou Reed, Welsh multi-instrumentalist John Cale, guitarist Sterling Morrison, and percussionist Moe Tuc ...

and

Lou Reed Lewis Allan Reed (March 2, 1942October 27, 2013) was an American musician and songwriter. He was the guitarist, singer, and principal songwriter for the rock band the Velvet Underground and had a solo career that spanned five decades. Althoug ...

Iggy Pop James Newell Osterberg Jr. (born April 21, 1947), known professionally as Iggy Pop, is an American singer, musician, songwriter, actor and radio broadcaster. He was the vocalist and lyricist of proto-punk band the Stooges, who were formed in 1 ...

and

Rory Gallagher William Rory Gallagher ( ; 2 March 1948 – 14 June 1995) was an Irish musician, singer, and songwriter. Regarded as "Ireland's first rock star", he is known for his virtuosic style of guitar playing and live performances. He has sometim ...

, 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.Gimarc, George (2005) ''Punk Diary'', Backbeat Books, , p. 267

John Peel John Robert Parker Ravenscroft (30 August 1939 – 25 October 2004), better known as John Peel, was an English radio presenter and journalist. He was the longest-serving of the original disc jockeys on BBC Radio 1, broadcasting regularly from ...

played the title song each night for two weeks on his BBC radio programme. Although many people think so,

says the band did not take their name from the American underground comic ''

Tales from the Leather Nun ''Tales from the Leather Nun'' was an American underground comic published by Last Gasp in 1973. It was a one-shot anthology of bizarre, violent, and perverted stories featuring nuns by Dave Sheridan, Robert Crumb, Spain Rodriguez, Jaxon, Roger ...

''. 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 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.Tibet (1985) "Nun But the Brave", '' Sounds'', 14 December 1985, p. 29 Covering

ABBA ABBA ( ) were a Swedish pop group formed in Stockholm in 1972 by Agnetha Fältskog, Björn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson, and Anni-Frid Lyngstad. They are one of the most popular and successful musical groups of all time, and are one of the List ...

'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 airplay with "Pink House", a deadpan mockery of

John Mellencamp John J. Mellencamp (born October 7, 1951), previously known as Johnny Cougar, John Cougar, and John Cougar Mellencamp, is an American singer-songwriter. He is known for his brand of heartland rock, which emphasizes traditional instrumentation ...

's "

Pink Houses "Pink Houses" is a song written and performed by John Cougar Mellencamp. It was released on 23 October 1983 as the second single from his album '' Uh-Huh''. It reached No. 8 on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100 in early 1984 and No. 15 in Canada. " ...

". 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 Michael David Rock (born Michael Edward Chester Smith; 21 November 1948 – 18 November 2021) was a British photographer. He photographed rock music acts such as Queen, David Bowie, Waylon Jennings, T. Rex, Syd Barrett, Lou Reed, Iggy Pop and ...

. Also in 1987 "Jesus Came Driving Along" appeared in the soundtrack of the film ''Dudes'' and gained them more airplay and success. 1987 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 ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. The magazine was first known fo ...

'' 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 Scream club in Los Angeles, that

The Cult The Cult are an English Rock music, rock band formed in Bradford in 1983. Before settling on their current name in January 1984, the band had performed under the name Death Cult, which was an evolution of the name of lead vocalist Ian Astbury ...

-vocalist Ian Astbury (major Leather Nun-fan) met with Swedish Leather Nun-fan and to-be video director

Jonas Åkerlund Hans Uno Jonas Åkerlund (; born 10 November 1965) is a Swedish filmmaker and musician who is best known for his work in music videos. Åkerlund was a member of the Swedish black metal band Bathory. He has directed well-known videos for artists ...

(

Madonna Madonna Louise Ciccone ( ; born August 16, 1958) is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and actress. Referred to as the "Queen of Pop", she has been recognized for her continual reinvention and versatility in music production, ...

The Prodigy The Prodigy are an English electronic music band formed in Braintree, Essex, in 1990 by producer, keyboardist, and songwriter Liam Howlett. The original line-up also featured Rapping, MC and vocalist Maxim (musician), Maxim, dancer and occasi ...

Metallica Metallica is an American heavy metal band. It was formed in Los Angeles in 1981 by vocalist and guitarist James Hetfield and drummer Lars Ulrich, and has been based in San Francisco for most of its career. The band's fast tempos, instrume ...

Lady Gaga Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta (born March 28, 1986), known professionally as Lady Gaga, is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Known for her image reinventions and versatility across the entertainment industry, she is an influ ...

) and forming a long-standing friendship. Jonas Åkerlund used music by The Leather Nun in his debut movie ''

Spun ''Spun'' is a 2002 American black comedy crime drama film directed by Jonas Åkerlund from an original screenplay by William De Los Santos and Creighton Vero, based on three days of De Los Santos's life in the Eugene, Oregon drug subculture. I ...

'' feat

Mickey Rourke Philip Andre "Mickey" Rourke Jr. ( ; born September 16, 1952) is an American actor and former professional Boxing, boxer who has appeared primarily as a leading actor, leading man in drama, action, and thriller films. In a Mickey Rourke filmogra ...

. In August 1988 the band played at the 'Glasnost Rock' festival in

Tallinn Tallinn is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Estonia, most populous city of Estonia. Situated on a Tallinn Bay, bay in north Estonia, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland of the Baltic Sea, it has a population of (as of 2025) and ...

, Estonia, the first international rock festival to be staged in the

Soviet Union The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

, together with amongst others

Big Country Big Country are a Scottish Rock music, rock band formed in Dunfermline, Fife, in 1981. The height of the band's popularity was in the early to mid 1980s, although they have retained a cult following for many years since. The band's music inc ...

and PiL.Glasnost Opens up to Rock
, ''

Deseret News The ''Deseret News'' () is a multi-platform newspaper based in Salt Lake City, published by Deseret News Publishing Company, a subsidiary of Deseret Management Corporation, which is owned by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS ...

'', 27 August 1988. Retrieved 16 March 2013 Their third studio album, ''International Heroes'', was produced by

Kim Fowley Kim Vincent Fowley (July 21, 1939 – January 15, 2015) was an American record producer, songwriter and musician who was behind a string of novelty and cult pop rock singles in the 1960s, and managed the Runaways in the 1970s. He has been ...

and was released in 1990, again only ''in Europa''! While releasing their fourth studio album ''Nun Permanent'' (produced by

Mick Ronson Michael Ronson (26 May 1946 – 29 April 1993) was an English musician, songwriter, arranger, and producer. He achieved critical and commercial success working with David Bowie as the guitarist of the Spiders from Mars. He was a session musici ...

) 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 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 Hardcore Superstar is a Swedish Rock music, rock band from Gothenburg, formed in 1997. They have released eleven studio albums. History The first ten years (1997–2007) 1997–2004 Hardcore Superstar was formed in Gothenburg, Sweden in ...

), 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 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

) followed, and finally after 28 years, the 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 Butthole Surfers are an American rock band formed in San Antonio, Texas, by singer Gibby Haynes and guitarist Paul Leary in 1981. The band has had numerous personnel changes, but its core lineup of Haynes, Leary, and drummer King Coffey has ...

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and

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Mark Lanegan Mark William Lanegan (November 25, 1964 – February 22, 2022) was an American singer and songwriter. First becoming prominent as the lead singer for the early grunge band Screaming Trees, he was also known as a member of Queens of the Stone Age ...

( QOTSA et al) claims the compilation album ''Force of Habit'' is one of the albums that 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."

Members

– vocals *Bengt Aronsson – guitar *Gert Claesson – drums *

– 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 *Staffan Brodén - Drums

Discography

Albums

;Studio: *''Lust Games'' (1986), Wire – 12-inch

Mini-LP A mini-LP or mini-album is a short record album or LP, usually retailing at a lower price than an album that would be considered full-length. It is distinct from an EP due to containing more tracks and a slightly longer running length. A mini- ...

, UK Indie no. 5Lazell, Barry (1998) ''Indie Hits 1980-1989'', Cherry Red Books, , p. 132 *''Steel Construction'' (1987), Wire – LP/CD, UK Indie no. 5 *''International Heroes'' (1990), Wire – LP/CD *''Nun Permanent'' (1991), Wire/ Rough Trade – LP/CD *''Whatever'' (2015), Wild Kingdom/Sound Pollution – LP/CD/download, Swedish vinyl chart no. 1 ;Live: *''At Scala Cinema, London / Music Palais Kungsgatan'' (1980), Industrial – cassette *''Alive'' (1985), Wire Records – LP *''Vive la Fête! Vive La Révolution!'' (2016), Wild Kingdom – LP/CD, Recorded live in Tallinn, Estonia/U.S.S.R. Aug 26th 1988 *''Live'' (2016),

Wild Kingdom ''Wild Kingdom'', also known as ''Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom'', is an American documentary television program that features wildlife and nature. It was originally produced from 1963 until 1988, and was revived in 2002. The show's second inc ...

– LP ;Compilations: *''Slow Death, Extended Version'' re-release (1984), Criminal Damage – Mini-LP *''Force Of Habit'' (1987), Wire – LP *''A Seedy Compilation'' (1994), MVG/SPV – CD

Singles and EPs

Slow Death EP ''Slow Death'', an Extended Play, EP, is the debut release by Swedish rockers Leather Nun, The Leather Nun. History Singer Jonas Almquist landed a recording contract for a single with Industrial Records. He recorded "Death Threats" at Bagger Stud ...

" (1979), Industrial – 7-inch EP, UK Indie no. 26 and Germany's Musik Express Alternative Charts no. 1 *"Ensam i Natt" (1982), Sista Bussen – 7-inch single (released under the Swedish name Lädernunnan) *"Prime Mover" (1983), Scabri/Subterranean – 7-inch single, reissued in 1984 and 1986 on 12-inch single, UK Indie no. 22 *"506" (1985), Wire – 7-inch/12-inch single *"Desolation Ave" (1985), Wire – 7-inch/12-inch single, UK Indie no. 20 *"Gimme Gimme Gimme!" (1986), Wire – 7-inch/12-inch single, UK Indie no. 16 *"Gimme Gimme Gimme! (The Rejected Version)" (1986), Wire – 12-inch single *"Pink House" (1986), Wire – 7-inch/12-inch single, UK Indie no. 12 *"Lust for Love" (Live) (1987) – 7-inch flexi disc with

Bucketfull of Brains ''Bucketfull of Brains'' (also known as ''BoB'') was a London-based music magazine, founded in 1979 and published until 2015 . An associated record label was launched in 2010. History ''Bucketfull of Brains'' was founded by Nigel Cross in 1979, ...

magazine *"I Can Smell Your Thoughts" (1987), Wire – 7-inch/12-inch single, UK Indie no. 25 *"Cool Shoes" (1987), Wire – 7-inch/12-inch single, UK Indie no. 17 *"Lost and Found" (1987), Wire – 7-inch/12-inch single, UK Indie no. 35 *"Pink House (Special 1988 Mix)" (1987),

IRS The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is the revenue service for the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government, which is responsible for collecting Taxation in the United States, U.S. federal taxes and administerin ...

– 12-inch single, Promo only *"I Can Smell Your Thoughts" (2 Remixes) (1988), IRS – 12-inch single, Promo only *"Radio One Sessions: The Evening Show" (1988) (1986 July 13 BBC Session),

Strange Fruit "Strange Fruit" is a song written and composed by Abel Meeropol (under his pseudonym Lewis Allan) and recorded by Billie Holiday in 1939. The lyrics were drawn from a poem by Meeropol published in 1937. The song Protest song, protests the Lynch ...

– 12-inch EP *"Demolition Love" (1988), Wire – 7-inch/12-inch single *"A Thousand Nights" (1989), Wire – 7-inch/12-inch single *"Ride Into Your Town" (1990), Wire – 7-inch/12-inch single *"Girls" (1991), Wire – 7-inch/CD single *"Save My Soul" (1994), MVG – CD single, Promo only

Compilation appearances

*''The Industrial Records Story'' (1984), Illuminated: "Slow Death" *''Backlash! (Original Film Soundtrack)'' (1985), Criminal Damage: "No Rule" *''No Rules'' (1986), Conifer: "No Rules", "Slow Death" *''Dudes – The Original Motion Picture Soundtrack Album'' (1987), MCA: "Jesus Came Driving Along" *''Sounds Showcase 3'' (1987), 7-inch EP: "Jesus Came Driving Along" (live version) *''Muzak Distortion'' (1988), Musikdistribution: "Lost and Found" *''Indie Top 20 Volume III – War of Independents'' (1988), Beachwood: "Lost and Found" *''Song and Legend'' (1988), Abstract Sounds: "Prime Mover" *''Sweden 88'' (1988), InfoGram: "Someone Special Like You (Edit)" *''Tapped'' (1988), Wire: "I Can Smell Your Thoughts (US Mix)", "Desolation Avenue" *''The Best of the Radio 1 Sessions Vol. One'' (1989), Nighttracks: "Pure Heart" *''Radio Ffn Powerstation'' (1990), SPV: "506" *''Big Deal!'' (1990), Sista Bussen: "No Rule", "Ensam i Natt" *''GBG Punk volym 2'' (1993), Nonstop: "Ensam i Natt" *''Ny Våg 78-82'' (1993), MNW: "No Rule" *''Back To Front Vol. 5'' (1994), Incognito: "Ensam i Natt" *''Fi-Fi Dong – A Gasolin Tribute'' (1995), Columbia: "Fi-Fi Dong" *''Spirit of the 80's'' (1996), Facedown: "I Can Smell Your Thoughts" *''Voll auf die Zehn!'' (1997), Public Propoaganda: "Cool Shoes" *''Svenska Punk Klassiker'' (2003), MNW: "Ensam i Natt" *''Abba Forever'' (2004), Polystar: "Gimme Gimme Gimme" *''Svensk Postpunk'' (2007), MNW: "Gimme Gimme Gimme" *''New Wave Club Class•X – Sinner's Day 11'' (2011), EMI: "Gimme Gimme Gimme" *'' Too Old to Die Young'' soundtrack (2019), Amazon Content Services: "F.F.A"

References

External links

Interview with Aron (in German)
{{Authority control Swedish industrial music groups Swedish gothic rock groups Swedish post-punk music groups Industrial Records artists Musical groups from Gothenburg 1978 establishments in Sweden 1970s establishments in Gothenburg and Bohus County