Photos: Live Anouk Giervald

Photo:Pub Orlando Pastene

Palle Bull & Förlorarna have sailed up as a real favorite band lately with their really nice narrative punky style... September 2026

Tell us a little bit about Palle Bull och förlorarna? When ? Where? How?

-We originated from an old skate punk band called Shuvit. Me and Simon (Drums) became friends early in 2014, then we played in bands together from the winter of the same year. Johan on the bass beamed with us a couple of years later and we pushed hard until covid killed our dreams. The first songs for Palle Bull & Losarna were written in my dorm room and were supposed to be just me and a microphone, but Simon insisted that it was too good not to do as a band, so Köpenhamnsdiet was born from there. Johan on the guitar was an old colleague of mine who agreed to be a live guitarist when we released the first album, but over time he became just as obvious a member of the band as the rest of us. We decided somewhere along the way that it is confusing to have two named Johan, and the fairest solution was that no one could be called Johan. That's why bass Johan is called "Konny", and guitar Johan "Kugen" from now on!

Tell me a little about each member of the group or can Förlorarna vary, previous bands etc etc?

-Oh, this could have been a chapter on its own. I myself started in a band called Johan.P and continued with Simon and Konny in Shuvit. Simon and Konny have played in countless bands, but worth mentioning is our Union Rags, Simon played in Sir Reg, and Konny plays some in Kriminella Gitarrer as a stand-in. Kugen plays in a band called Dimmoln, but has been a solid dansband guitarist once in the world. Regardless, it's obvious that I'm the worse musician with good ideas, and the others are the musicians who know how to turn a good idea into a great song!

I read somewhere a description "As Bäddat without feeling and as Wilmer X without class" where does this quote come from?

-Bäddat för trubbel is one of my favorite bands in this world, and Hjelle is my idol. If you talk about Scanian punk without mentioning Bäddat you don ́t know the difference between out or in. Then Wilmer (together with Wiehe and Afzelius) is the obvious picture of what Scanian rock can be when you put your mind to it. The expression is basically a joke with undertones of truth, we try to make it as dirty and honest as Bäddat, but with the finesse that Wilmer always had.

You've released two LPs in a fairly short time, how come it was as close as 14 months in between, do you have so much music that needs to be released?

-The music comes in batches, and two records within 14 months was probably exceptional, so don't expect the same output in the future. We write about life, and then mood is always a decisive factor. Songs don't come to order, but we probably have some record bastard left in us before we are completely exhausted.

You play really calm music with a lot of punk feeling, how do you see on punk, is it only a word, music style or lifestyle or is it all?

-Punk has always been an exciting expression for me. For me, punk is an attitude and a worldview, more than your clothes and your lifestyle. I've long said that Veronica Maggio is Sweden's hardest punk, even though the music is pop. For me it's questioning the status quo, unwillingness to accept a norm you don't want to be a part of, and the desire to be your own. The old guard of punks probably don't agree with me, but I'm punk enough to give a what they think.

Tell us a little about the following songs:

"Slutsålt på min begravning" Think that the absolute bottom has a basement The idea of sold out at my funeral originated from a song from a pop-punk band from the United States. They sang about the desire to live one's life in such a way that one's friends would mourn one's death. I liked the idea and interpreted it in my own way. The expression

"Det är en konst att stå ut med sig själv" is entirely attributed to our friend Cim Dahlle. When I moved back to Malmö in 2021, she sent me a painting as a housewarming gift. On it was that particular line of text, and it became the cover of the album. The song was written when I sat at home and looked at the painting with some wonder at how simple and beautiful it was.

"Skratta på kredit" is about the feeling of putting on one personality during the day, and then being another at night. No one can pretend to laugh their way through life without it having to be paid for later. You feel good, but on credit. Imagine that the absolute bottom is another line of lyrics that comes from something I saw online. But it's written on one of the worst nights I've had in my life mentally. I sat in the dark and put together the lyrics about how fucking bad I felt together with a happy melody. I wrote it quite differently from the final product, but Simon put his magic hands on it and made it a banger!

The lyrics are the self-experienced ones in most cases or where does the inspiration come from?

-Self-experienced most of the time. Me and Simon write a lot together, so not everything is necessarily experienced by me. But we are best friends, my pain is his and his is mine, so it works well that way. It's nice to have someone to feel the worst with, and to be able to write music about it too!

Politics and music, do they always belong together?

-Absolutely, but not all music has to be political! We are very political as people, we discuss politics between us and are quite homogeneous in where we stand. But we chose early on that Palle Bull & Förlorarna is an expression of feelings and not of politics. We have songs like Reform and Revolution which maybe reveals where I stand ideologically, but I have no plans to write more songs like that.

Political favorite?

-Sure I have one of those, but I keep it to myself in band-related contexts.

While we're talking politics, what do you think it's like to live in Sweden today and what do you think about the election?

-Sweden is like many other countries in many ways, but very own in many ways. There are things I love, things I hate, and things that are allowed to go as they go. I think the election will reflect the people's votes, as it should be. I hope for a happy toast when the election results are in, but the flip side of democracy is that I kindly have to accept if it becomes a toast of mourning.

Is it more important than ever to vote this year or what do you think?

-Every year will always be the most important year ever to vote. If you are entitled to vote, I encourage you to vote. It is your right, but in my opinion also your obligation!

Can you imagine participating in political gigs like Fröken Snusk did for SD or is it stupid to paint yourself into a corner?

-No, never. Not with Palle Bull & Förlorarna anyway. You can certainly see me or someone else in the band in a political connection in the future, but not under our current flag.

Anckarström of Sweden ASS003 and 004, which are the first two releases?

-I think it's a compilation record where our interpretation of a Turbonegro song can be heard, and a record by another band from the Stockholm area.

Is it important to release your music physically or do you really think it's enough digitally or does it feel more real like this?

-Haha, here you will probably get four different answers if you ask each of us. I would love to have it on vinyl, but mostly for my own sake. It's a really cool feeling the first time you pull the physical form of all your feelings out of a box!

Do you buy a lot of records yourself?

-A lot and a lot... I would say that it is moderate. At least I buy double digits of vinyls per year and like to buy CDs. Partly because I want to contribute to all the musicians I come across in life, and partly because I love records. However, I am not nerdy about first presses and the like. I buy the music, it is not an investment.

When you play out, is it mostly together with punkbands you play or is it mixed? What is the strangest thing you have played with?

-It's pretty mixed, but it's been quite a lot with punk bands. We're punk at heart, and we're probably usually written under that genre. But it also means that our hard-earned contacts are in that genre, so it's quite natural that we end up in that direction. Personally, I would have loved to play with bands like Wilmer X, The Hellacopters, Lars Winnerbäck, Veronica Maggio, Albin Lee Meldau and Oslo Ess. It's maybe in line with my view on punk that I don't care so much about how the music is categorized, but more about what it conveys. The strangest thing I don't really know, we're often the weird band no one can really place.

What's the best thing about playing live?

-Oh, it's like asking what the best thing about laughing is. I can't put my finger on why, but I love it more than anything. If I have to answer, it's to play music that I love, with people I love and for people who love to listen to music. When I'm on stage, it's like there isn't a world outside and every breath is precious... If you're a young aspiring musician who is afraid of the stage, I promise it will be the best thing you've ever done. Just do it!

Which is the biggest band you have ever played with?

-The right answer is maybe Buzzcocks. But for me it was big as hell to open for Hjelle och Ormarna. We have in various previous constellations opened for cool bands like Asta Kask, Dead Kennedys, The Headlines and The Lillingtons... I even think that Simon opened for Sabaton once in the world. But I stick to Hjelle och Ormarna, it was cool to open for your own hero.

Which five bands would you like to have a big concert with, living and dead bands and if you could choose five of them through all times?

-Oh.. Now I take the liberty to answer for all of us, but it ́s not at all the same as that everyone agrees. My answer is not so rooted in what I think would have been a good combination, but just different bands and artists I hold damn high and with a focus on Sweden. Veronica Maggio, Bäddat för trubbel, Kal P. Dal, Nationalteatern, and Wilmer X. But I could just as well have said Kent, Håkan Hellström, Mando Diao, The Hives, Knægt, Ida-Lova, The Headlines, Albin Lee Meldau, Bror Gunnar Jansson, Lastkaj 14 and The Dahmers. We have so damn much good music in our little country!

Ten favorite records of all time?

- The top ten list probably changes a little all the time, but today's probably looks like this;

NOFX - Punk in Drublic

My Chemical Romance - The Black Parade

Veronica Maggio - Satan i gatan

Kent - Vapen & Ammunition

Bäddat För Trubbel - Det här är inte New York

The Wonder Years - Sister Cities

Nationalteatern - Barn av vår tid

Ebba Grön - We're only in it for the drugs

Wu Tang Clan - Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers)

No Use For a Name - More Betterness!

I realize now when I read the list that it is extremely male-dominated. It will probably be a promise for myself to focus on more variety in the coming year, music is not just for men!

The five best concerts you've seen?

- Frank Turner & the Sleeping Souls at Amager Bio, Copenhagen

- Honningbarna at Trädgår'n, Gothenburg

- Frank Turner & The Rattlesnakes at Copenhell, Copenhagen

- Bäddat för Trubbel at Häng Bar, Malmö

- Räjäyttäjät at Debaser, Malmö

Is there any really good bands that you can recommend from your hometown (whatever it is) or from Sweden in general?

-Svart Ridå is maybe the best young band there is right now, they are amazing. Malmö's hardcore scene was defined by Knægt a couple of years ago, it is a must for those who like hardcore punk. I think you have to listen to Lilla Krogen Band and Haket if you like Swedish dialectal rock. But honestly, go and check out the bands that play at your local club. Swedish music is so much better than the rest of the world, and that can only remain if the average person wants to go to concerts!

Is there any record label that you associate with that they always release good music?

-Well, not really. There are of course labels like Second Class Kid where the owner, Per, obviously shares a lot of my taste in music. The same comment probably applies to Fat Wreck Chords, Birdnest, Burning Heart, and Epitaph. But in general I don't care so much about the label, I care about the record!

Do you think music can change someone's life, I mean lyrics etc? Do you have any song that has made you change your mindset?

-I hope so deep down. If nothing else, the opportunity to express my own feelings has changed my life. I'm very open about the fact that I live with depression and anxiety, and if my openness can help someone else to dare to admit their own depression, I've more than succeeded. There is a social stigma there that needs to be broken down! For myself, there have probably been many different songs over the years. Right now, the song Photosynthesis by Frank Turner probably leaves deeper traces than any other. It's a song about accepting that you've gotten a little older, but still feeling the resistance inside to give up youth.

Playing music, is it a good way to get out frustration and become an even better person?

-It's definitely a good way to get out frustration, and with that maybe you become more harmonious... But being a good person is so much more than your own calm, you probably have to work on that every day.

Futureplans with the band?

- Right now it's going well for us, we get fun gigs, have fun together and feel that we get better every time we play. We're going to try to ride that wave and see where it takes us, but we still see it as our hobby. As soon as it stops being fun, we're done! But I think we have some record left in us, there are a couple of stages that we still want to conquer. We're motivated enough to go on for a while longer. Sweden Rock, the Main Stage at the Malmö Festival and like Gröna Lund would have been fun!

Future plans with your life otherwise?

- Right now I'm living a pretty good life (even if it goes up and down) with work, my lovely little dog, family and friends. I'm studying a bit on the side and trying to learn to take it easy between laps. The future plan is to get to a point in life where I can no longer write songs about being sad!

Words of wisdom?

-Be fine, drink beer!

Something to add?

-It was a hell of a pain to answer all the questions, I hope there is something there that is worth keeping. But yes, I really want to highlight how lucky we are in Sweden to have such an awesome music scene as we have. The quality of the bands produced in this small country is absolutely outstanding. It can only be maintained if we who are active musicians support the new ones, that young people get access to equipment, premises and support from study associations and counselors, that the local scenes let the bands play even when they are inexperienced, and that we cherish live music by actually going to small concerts. I am proud as hell to be a musician in Sweden, and I hope that others will feel that pride in the future!