Fear Of War

Swedish D-beat Hardcore Punk band active from 1982 to 1987.

Fagersta, Sweden in the early 80's. A small, bleak industrial town, and home to a bunch of punks who were filled with the angst of the forthcoming Apocalypse of 1984 which George Orwell and most of the English punk bands predicted.
It was around this time I first met Kerre, a local teenage punk-rock gangster.
The next time we met I was due to play with my band En Buss I Rad at a squatter festival in Västerås supporting TST. However, the other members of my band never turned up. Kerre stood-in playing on a vacuum cleaner like a lunatic!
Back then he was on vocals and bass in Practical Joke (1981-1982) with Micke (guitar) and Hocke (drums). They changed the band name to Fear of War in 1982. Their first rehearsals took place in the basement of Hocke’s family home. It was far from a blessing for Hocke’s parents.
After only 2 weeks they had their first gig in the nearby city of Skinnskatteberg, armed with only four songs which they repeated over and over again, until the usual bar fight began. Not long after, Hocke left and joined Crude S.S. and Ugly Squaws. In his place came Marko, the good looking 12 year old misfit.
With inter changeable members, Fear of War, Ugly Squaws, Crude S.S., and Bedrövlers all rehearsed in the abandoned apartments called Kottmossen in Fagersta, previously used to house the widows of the local mine workers .
The “Tour in Finland 1984” included Fear of War, Ugly Squaws, Bedrövlers, Crude S.S., Anti Cimex and the Finnish band Vaurio.
Fear of War played with Disorder in Copenhagen at the “Subfestival” in 1987. This was to be their last gig before they split.
Micke is one of the greatest guitar players I've ever met. He could play all the instruments himself and would translate his band mates’ hums into great tunes. He left Fear of War, Bedrövlers and Ugly Squaws in 1987. He later joined Bad Dreams Always for a number of years. Today he is on lead vocals with Weed Goblin.
Marko also played with Bedrövlers in the 80’s and Ugly Squaws until 1997.
Kerre continued to play with Crude S.S. until 1987 and with Ugly Squaws until 1997. Up until 2013, he was the bass player of Bad Dreams Always. He is now singer and bass with Crude S.S.
Håkan “Hocke” Stadin sadly passed away in 1992. He will never be forgotten!
Fear of War began as a miracle of chaos and ended in a blur of a lowlife struggle.
Inge Ansvar, October 2014.