Beginnings and first releases The band formed in August 1983 when Ásmundur Jónsson from
Gramm Records wanted to create an
avant-garde supergroup to perform on the final episode of a radio show called
Áfangar. He assembled vocalist
Björk Guðmundsdóttir of Exodus and
Tappi Tíkarrass, trumpeter and vocalist
Einar Örn Benediktsson (a.k.a. Einar Örn) of Purrkur Pillnikk, keyboardist Einar Arnaldur Melax from the surrealistic group Medúsa, and bassist Birgir Mogensen from Spilafífl, as well as drummer
Sigtryggur Baldursson (a.k.a. Trix) and guitarist
Guðlaugur Kristinn Óttarsson (a.k.a. God Krist) from the band
Þeyr. After two weeks of writing and rehearsals, the band played the radio session. Their ensuing enthusiasm for the experience led to a decision to make the group permanent. Kukl's first live show was on September 20, 1983, opening for
Crass in
Reykjavík, followed shortly after by their first release, the 7" single "
Söngull" (Gramm).
The Eye Einar Örn had studied media at the
Polytechnic of Central London, which enabled him to come in contact with UK
anarcho-punk groups such as
Flux of Pink Indians and Crass. This led to the 1984 release of Kukl's first album,
The Eye (produced by Crass member
Penny Rimbaud) on the
Crass Records label. The title
The Eye came from Björk’s favorite book,
Story of the Eye by
Georges Bataille (1928), whose plot involved the sexual adventures of a young French couple within a violent context. The album cover was illustrated by Dada Nana.
The Eye contained an English-language version of “Söngull”, retitled “Dismembered”. A
video clip was shot for the song “Anna”, directed by
Óskar Jónasson.
Kukl à Paris, touring and Megakukl A live performance from September 1984 at L'Eldorado in
Paris, France yielded
Kukl á Paris 14.9.84, a cassette-only release issued in 1985 by independent
French record label
V.I.S.A. Kukl toured Europe during 1985, visiting the
Netherlands during the Pandora's Box Festival, and
Denmark during the
Roskilde Festival. Later that year, Kukl and Icelandic folk singer
Megas (Magnús Þór Jónsson) formed a side project called Megakukl. After creating about 20 songs, which remain unreleased, they played several concerts in Iceland.
Holidays in Europe and split Kukl released their second and final studio album,
Holidays in Europe (The Naughty Nought), on Crass Records on January 24, 1986. Two video clips were produced, "Outward Flight (Psalm 323)" and "France (A Mutual Thrill)". In a manifesto published as a Crass Records press release to announce the album, the band said: :
”The Naughty Nought” pertains to the insignificance of the individual as being nothing but a numb number in a computer game of loss/profit good/evil black/white binary pairs. You are taken from Quintessence to the four elements from the Holy Trinity to duality and then from monistism to the naughty nought. In this process the music breaks the scale by thundering trumpets and pouring vials of wrath together with subtle musical poetry. The naughty nought is the source of all creative energy and is manifested through whirling cyclonic motion from the very shatters of matter to the spiralling galaxies. By contemplating the kinetic aspect of this naughty ality you gain your former potency as the master and creator without mutilating your fellow beings.” Later that year, the band was close to an end, as different members pursued various projects. Guðlaugur and Björk formed
the Elgar Sisters, a group which featured musicians from Kukl (with the exception of Einar Ørn) and collaborators
Hilmar Örn Hilmarsson and Þorsteinn Magnússon. This ensemble recorded 11 songs in 1986 and disbanded thereafter. In the summer of 1986, Einar Ørn returned from England with two projects: the creation of a new record label,
Smekkleysa/Bad Taste, and a new band, Sykurmolarnir, later translated as
The Sugarcubes. As Kukl disbanded, the only members who did not continue with the new project were Mogensen and Guðlaugur. The birth of the new band coincided with the June 8, 1986 birth of Björk's son Sindri Eldon Þórsson (fathered by Medúsa guitarist Þór Eldon Jónsson).
Later projects Björk, Einar Örn, Melax and Sigtryggur formed the Sugarcubes in 1986 with bassist
Bragi Ólafsson and guitarist Friðrik Erlingsson (replaced by Þór Eldon). Melax was later replaced by Margrét Örnólfsdóttir. Melax later formed Exem with Þorri Jóhannsson of Inferno 5, releasing the album
Kjöttromman in 1995 on Smekkleysa. After Kukl disbanded, Guðlaugur collaborated with renowned Icelandic and international artists and has performed solo guitar concerts in Iceland. As a polytechnic engineer in practice and inventor, he has also combined his music work with scientific projects and delved into
quantum physics,
thermoelectricity and navigational systems. Mogensen worked for recording and video studios and joined Inferno 5, a multimedia ensemble founded by Þorri Jóhannsson. He was asked to play bass for
Killing Joke and rehearsed with them in England before
Paul Raven rejoined that band. He played bass on several tracks on Exem's
Kjöttromman. He later worked as a broadcast supervisor at the
SkjárEinn TV station. In 2024, he released an album entitled
Fluid Time with Sigtryggur Baldursson, as part of a new project, Paddan. ==Discography==