- The band never sounded as good in the 80s as we do now, says guitarist Anders Ericson, who has been in various rounds since 1982.
- Then it's a different thing to be 20 years old, it was a different intensity.
"Everyone has started calling us a champagne band lately, they associate it with elegance and forbidden pleasures.
It's a bit provocative, almost, for some.
So said the singer Johan Kinde, 17 years old, in his first television interview in 1981.
Sadness and champagne
And of course there are also other drinks, but champagne mixed with melancholy is an eternal cocktail, which Johan Kinde and Lustans Lakejer have been serving since they were teenagers.
- Those who say we are superficial and only sing about champagne, they haven't listened properly, says Johan Kinde today.
- There has always been a dark side in Lustan's music.
And it has probably never been darker than on the new album "Mörk materia".
Partly due to longtime member Tom Wolgers passing away in the middle of recording.
- It still feels surreal.
Almost every day I see or hear something that makes me think: I'm going to show this to Tom, says Johan Kinde.
"Best in 40 years"
The album "Mörk Materia" has been praised by critics, perhaps more than any of the previous ones (the band has released new albums every decade since 1981): "Lustan's Lakejer has not sounded this strong and relevant in 40 years", wrote for example Jan Gradvall in Dagens Industri.
What is the engine that makes Johan Kinde, after 44 years with the band, continue to be passionate about his music?
- It's probably the will to create something extraordinary;
the hope of making a perfect record, or song, says Johan Kinde.
Sometimes you imagine that you have achieved it, but you never have.
The first tour without Tom Wolgers begins this weekend in Sundsvall and Umeå.