Licking Fingers was formed in Stockholm sometime between 1997 and 1999 (who remembers, it's ages ago either way) by The Concretes as a way to get their first EP out on shelves in Sweden. Since then all records by the Concretes have been released on LF in Scandinavia.
There was always the ambition to put out records by other artists than The Concretes, but many years would pass before that day finally saw the light. Not that there hadn't been good bands around. The Concretes just hadn't found an artist that all eight of them could agree on. Well, until the beautiful songbird Frida Hyvönen sat down on the fence outside LF headquarters and sang 'I Drive My Friend' like there was no tomorrow. That changed everything.
So, Frida's album 'Until Death Comes' was released in March 2005. And that's how it works with Licking Fingers. You have to reach not one or two but all of their hearts to make it happen. But it's worth trying. Because if you win them all over you can be sure of a few things:
1. You make fantastic music.
2. You will get the fairest indie deal around. Because Licking
Fingers wants its artists to stay, and not because it says so on a
piece of paper (it doesn't), but because she/he/it wants to stay.
3. You will have good distribution and PR help in Scandinavia through
Playground Music. (LF is also looking for distribution partners
across the globe and there'll be more news on that within short).
4. You are in safe hands when it comes to the artwork. All LF related
artwork is created by The Concretes singer (and, up until recently, drummer) – Lisa Milberg, more often than not teamed up with the excellent illustrator Liselotte
Watkins. The artwork they have created together has been part of a
New Design exhibition at the ICA in London and has been featured
in international magazines, including Creative Review, Japanese
magazine Atmosphere and Australian magazine Doingbird.
5. You will have nice friends in Stockholm and you will never have to
drink alone again.
Sarah Assbring, also known as the wonderful El Perro del Mar, is the latest addition to the LF roster. And the fact that she approached us is the finest compliment we can think of.
So to conclude, if anyone asks what Licking Fingers is all about, say something like "Oh, dude, it's great. It's like built upon equal parts of like DIY attitude, democracy and, well, you know, like really impeccable taste." But in your own words of course.
The goal is for LF to continue to grow in its own pace, to spread beautiful music to the world and make it a marginally nicer place to live in.
Onsdagen den 10 december är det återigen dags för Klubb Folke - klubben som ser det som en ytterst viktig kulturgärning att taktmixa A Mountain of One med det gamla proggbandet Handgjort. Vi planerar att skapa en härlig stämning i Pet Sounds Bars källare, denna gång tillsammans med de två albumaktuella liveakterna Cirrus Winery och The Late Call.
Så kära besökare: Damma av kaftanen, låt ansiktshåren växa, sätt blommor i håret och kom sedan för att umgås till tonerna av väl utvalda folkrock-acidfolk-psych-alternativcountry-proggpärlor av tidlöst snitt!
Lovely Licking Fingers! Our new album 'Skogsbo is the Place' just got released. Get it just about anywhere, otherwise via www. recordheaven. net We also have a couple of Stockholm shows coming up, Landet Nov 5th and Teater Scenario Dec 18th. Warmly welcome!
