Frenesi started out as a two man band in the early eighties, with Jari Haraholma on acoustic guitar and Rickard Domeij on harmonica and vocals. The band was part of a larger program involving music, street theater, mural painting and art. Inspiration came from different sources, such as punk, beat, dada, zen, surrealism and existentialism.
Frenesi didn't sound like anything else at the time. The songs were short, simple, direct and expressive both in music and lyrics. Various musicians were invited to play with the band at the gigs, more or less unrehearsed. Three of them later became permanent members of the band: Michael Kjell (bass), Peter Holmquist (guitar, vocals and percussion) and Anders Jogstam (percussion).
Frenesi's early music were made for live performances only. Reactions varied from delight to uncomprehensiveness. At one occation, the arranger of an open air festival in Handen, first refused to pay the band for a gig far beyond his expectations. But he changed his mind when one of the members threatened to beat him up. After a couple of wild years with gigs at parties, cafés, pubs, art exhibitions and open air festivals, the band broke up. Their tribute to a bohemian, urban life style in which art is expressed as an unseparable part of daily living was over.
In the late nineties, however, three of the former members happened to meet at the Re:orient festival in Stockholm. Inspired by the music, they decided to start playing together again. Michael Kjell shifted from bass to indian harmonium, synth and clay pot. Gunnar Viksten was recruited as new bassist. Soon, all former members but Jari Haraholma were back to form a new Frenesi, influenced by a more multicultural world. Still, they have a sound of their own, and a faithfulness to the language of their hearts: Swedish. In 2006, the cd Gatorna i Kairo (Streets of Kairo) was produced as a demo.
