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Sniglabandið
Sniglabandið
Sniglabandið (The Snail Band) was formed in a little house by the sea. A few motorcyclists had been gathering there after Sniglarnir (The Snails), the Motorcyclists Union of the Republic, had been established. They thought they should try to improve the image of bikers.
It soon became clear that there were a few eligible musicians in the Union and they decided to form a Snail Band. They played their first gig on October 17th 1985 in the community center in Garðurinn. The band was afraid that it would be booed off the stage, but as it turned out, they were quite well received.
The band went to a studio and recorded the single Margt býr í þokunni. For a while singer Stefán Hilmarsson (Sálin hans Jóns míns) sang with the band. They played at school dances and various other occasions. In 1986 they recorded their first album Fjöllin falla í hauga (The Mountains Break to Bits). The album was thought to be promising.
A year later, they released another album Járnið er kalt (The Iron is Cold). When singer Stefán left the band members were afraid that the band would disintegrate but instead they just sang themselves.
The album Til hvers þarf maður konur? (Why Does One Need Women?) was released in 1988. Sniglabandið had adopted an anti-market philosophy which entailed that they should always do what market forces least expected of them. So instead of promoting their album they went on holiday for a while. In 1989 the band decided to tour what was then the Soviet Union. Despite a lot of paperwork and hassles with permits the band went on a one month trip on five motorbikes, followed by their entourage in a truck.
It was a trip to be remembered. When they returned home, the band got more experimental and performed at concerts at the club Gaukur á stöng. On any given night, the audience could expect a poetry reading, a fashion show, a philosophy lecture or music.
These performances were very popular and the club was always packed with people. They recorded their Green Album live in Gaukurinn on one of those evenings. In 1992 they released the album Þetta stóra svarta (That Big Black Thing) and they worked really hard on the album because they wanted to prove that they were a real band not a bunch of jokers.
The Police Choir sang the introductory ditty, called Brennivín er bull (Alchohol is Bullshit), with skill and grace. October 17th 1995 Sniglabandið played at their anniversary concert in the Reykjavik Municipial Theatre when exactly 10 years had passed since this unique band played their first concert.