Wigwam

Blues Section and the first records

Wigwam began in 1968 when the drummer Ronnie Osterberg, whose jazz-rock band Blues Section had split, started again as a trio and then added the English-born singer Jim Pembroke, who had moved to Finland in 1965, and a 17-year-old classically trained keyboard player, Jukka Gustavson. The first line-up had Mats Huldén on bass and Nikke Nikamo on guitar. Head Heritage notes that Blues Section's split produced both Wigwam and Tasavallan Presidentti.

Nearly everything from 1969 to 1977 came out on Love Records in Finland. The first single, "Must Be the Devil" with "Greasy Kids' Stuff", came in 1969, the second, "Luulosairas" with "Highway Code" (Love LRS 1028), that December, and the debut album Hard 'n' Horny followed. Tombstone Valentine (November 1970) was produced by Kim Fowley, who hoped for the next Beatles, and became the first Finnish rock album released in the United States, on Verve Forecast. Pekka Pohjola replaced Huldén on bass that year, and Fairyport (December 1971) was a double album that added a live side recorded in June 1971.

Being, Virgin and the end of the decade

Being (February 1974), recorded between February and November 1973, is often called their masterpiece; Gustavson and Pohjola left soon after, and Pekka Rechardt joined on guitar for the live recordings that became Live Music from the Twilight Zone, made in June 1974 and issued in 1975. Nuclear Nightclub (1975), recorded at Marcus Music in Stockholm and produced by Paavo Maijanen, reached number one in Finland and went gold, was released in the UK on Virgin with a free concert in Hyde Park, and Head Heritage called it a gem hard to categorize and definitely unsung.

The Lucky Golden Stripes and Starpose (April 1976) was recorded in January 1976 at The Manor in Oxfordshire; reviews were mixed. The follow-up, tentatively called Daemon Duncetan's Request, was rejected by Virgin in 1977 as too low-key, and Love re-recorded and issued it as Dark Album. With Love Records close to bankruptcy, the band played what is described as an unofficial farewell at the Punkarock festival in summer 1978. Pembroke and Osterberg formed the Jim Pembroke Band in late 1979.

Returns

Wigwam played a one-off reunion at Provinssirock in 1991, made Light Ages (1993), and from 1999 to 2006 returned with Titans Wheel (2002) and Some Several Moons (2005); concerts at the Tavastia Club in April and July 2001 were recorded for Wigwam Plays Wigwam Live. A 50th anniversary tour followed in 2018. Pembroke, born in London in 1946, died in October 2021 at 75. Svart Records has reissued early albums and the archival Pop-Liisa series of radio sessions. AllMusic's biography calls them the only 1970s Finnish band to make a notable impact abroad.