I'm on sick leave at home and it's October 2026. Have had some contact with Mats Zetterberg, foreground figure in Fiendens Musik, Bluesblocket etc. Now he has a new group that he calls Bloodgrupp Z and in some of the songs I almost think you hear Fiendens Musik .

We did this interview with Messenger and here is the result.

Before this group, Mats and his fellow musicians had a group that played Mickey Jupp songs in Swedish under the name Micke Japp and I wonder if it is a continuation of that group with Blodgrupp-Z... Mats says:" -Well, Micke Japp (who performs songs by the Englishman and pub rock pioneer Mickey Jupp - but in Swedish) was formed in 2017 and released a full-length CD in 2018. When the pandemic came in 2020, it wasn't as fun to rehearse anymore as we didn't have any gigs. So we started writing our own songs instead. It went better than I had dared to hope."

I almost think that it almost sometimes sounds as if this is the third LP with Fiendens Musik that we have been waiting for is here and Mats is happy. "- I take that as a compliment. Blodgrupp Z has maybe a little more blues at the bottom. But both bands are based on energy and arrangements."

I think a lot depends on Mats' voice because it does a lot for both groups, I think... I wonder what the others said about the name Blodgrupp Z because it alludes well to Mats' last name, and if it was OK with that. "-Yes, it had to be. But it was also that during the pandemic there was a lot of talk about what blood type you should have or should not have. And then it's a bit fun with Blood group Z - because such a blood type does not exist."

But now there is that blood group with his band.....I wonder if there were any other names that were on the agenda and Mats says: "-Not really. You should have a name bank. Henrik Venant has it."

OLD ALREADY THEN

Venant have had some bands so maybe it's an idea. When Fiendens Musik came out people thought they were too old for the style of music they played but now I wonder a little how it feels to play music when you have gotten older if you compare when they were younger and played. "-Exactly, we have always been old. Especially Gamle-Harry who has turned 77. The difference is that Fiendens Musik was right in time in 1978 and surfed on the new wave. BGZ we can say plays more timeless rock music, but everyone is very good at their instruments."

We get into the members and Mats tells us the following about each one"-Bassist Jan "Walle" Wallgren is the most merited. He has played with Peps, Kal P Dal and Ronny Carlsson. Moved to Ljungbyhed from Lund 15 years ago. The others have mostly played in local cover bands. But it has meant that our guitarists Ulf Algotsson and Jan "Nisse B Goode" Nilsson have become extremely cohesive."

They don't play out so often with the group and it's quite difficult to arrange gigs, says Mats and it is mostly old male and female bumps (stötar och stötinnor in swedish)  as Mats puts it, who come and watch "- Well, now I remember by the way, for a while I thought about naming the band Elektriska Stötar. Will be the next band. But sometimes young people fall in who kind of have come in the wrong way. And they have actually liked us."

I don't think it's strange at all that even younger people like BGZ because I think they play quite timeless music. It feels like Mats likes to write long lyrics and I wonder if it's deliberate or if it's just like that... "-It's never my intention to write long. On the contrary. I wish I could write shorter. It will be the way it is, just."

I like it that it's long lyrics... it gives a little meaning. Sure, lyrics that are short can be touching, but I like to read long lyrics. I protest against everything, Mats sings Mejla mig om nya ämnen. Is it important to never stop protesting against wrong things, I wonder and Mats answers: "-Yes, I think so. That particular song, Mejla mig om nya ämnen, was originally written for my retro prog band Svenska Musikrörelsen in 2001. Ferne from Risken Finns was also there. But the band had time to disband before we had time to record it."

FOOTBALL

I support GAIS and they made an embarrassing effort yesterday against the bottom team ÖIS in the derby and it gives me the opportunity to ask about which team the song Laget före jaget is about? "-I played my senior football in Röstånga IS 1970-71. Division 6. The B-team. Is probably not about any particular team, it was mostly that I thought that Laget före jaget was a good title. And I have heard many coaches say that they "take one game at a time". Then I added "then I take the next one".

When I ask Mats about which team he supports, he tells me that he mainly supports the Swedish national team but that HIF (Helsingsborgs IF) is in his heart as well. Mats mixes in real people sometimes in the lyrics like Nick Lowe and Niki Lauda in Fiendens and now Charlie Watts and Gasolin's drummer Sören. Mats says that it's fun to namedrop a little sometimes and I wonder if he ever had a lyric written about him... "-That's right. I like namedropping. Henrik Venant usually says that Lou Reed's Rock and Roll Heart is about me - with the line "I know that I ain't smart, but deep inside I know I've got a Rock and Roll Heart". "Masse has a rock n roll heart", Henrik Venant usually says. For a long time I took it as a compliment...

Mats' lyrics are often political, you can wonder what all these power-crazy people are doing there, maybe everyone is just power-mad who gets into politics? Right-wing extremism is spreading too and it feels like a difficult situation right now around the world but Mats doesn't think it will go that far in Sweden. "-Many people probably want the best and it's lucky that people have the energy to get involved, but it gets crazy sometimes in all the camps. I don't think it will be quite as bad here.

THE END OF THE INTERVIEW

We can hope that it won't be as bad here in Sweden as in other countries with right-wing extremism. When asked if he has any record favorites at home right now that are hot, he mentions two records, Mickey Jupp's Older Than Elvis and Rolling Stone's new and there I'm inclined to agree with him because the Stones' new one even though they are over 80 years old is really vital. And when I mention that they are several years older than him, I assume that we will hear more from Mats Zetterberg in the next few years. "- Well, I'm only at the beginning of my career" he replies.

BGZ = sludgy, bluesy garagerock is what I get as an answer if he would describe the group in three words and that is a really good description on their really nice 14-track CD. I think it sounds good that Mats is in the beginning of his career. Fiendens Musik plays together again and I wonder if they play a lot of gigs. "-It's funny, it's really hard to arrange gigs for Blodgrupp Z, BluesBlocket goes a little easier just because it's blues, but Fiendens Musik gets gigs without having to book any. We play at Encore in Stockholm (Sundbyberg) Saturday 30/1 next year. And we usually play with our brother band DödsBabs once a year. DödsBabs are Stockholm's new gems for those who don't already know."

Dödsbabs is really good I think too and they will release new stuff soon if I remember correctly... We are starting to get to the end of the interview with and I wonder what he and his group have for future plans or dreams. "-To get some gigs, preferably at Medley in Malmö which is a wonderful place. And we already have about ten brand new songs that we are going to start recording. We do it in the rehearsal room with a program called Fender Studio Design. It took us four years to learn it, but now we can do it!"

So in conclusion I want to say that you have to check out their new record because you who like Fiendens Musik for example will not regret it!