The Plookers

Swiss band, 1993–1997

The Plookers were originally a chaotic party band around Martina Camenzind (voice, guitar) and Lukáš Machata a.k.a. van Øgl (voice, guitar, bass guitar), complemented with varying vocalists and (non-)musicians playing drums, bass guitar, keyboards, horns and percussion. The group was rehearsing very scarcely, and the genre of choice was schmuddelfunk. From 1995 onwards, the basic line-up remained firm for almost two years, thanks to Dr. Gui (drums), Dr. Felice (bass guitar) and Anita Polverosa (percussion). Subsequently, the self-produced CD hinted at the musical direction that the band might have taken in the future. However, the February 1997 CD release party at Wasserwerk, Berne, turned out to be the last gig of the “electrified” Plookers.

Martina (guitar), Dr. Gui (drums) & van Øgl (bass guitar) thus eventually focused on their Plookers offspring, the “Martina & Øgl Punk Projekt” M·Ø·P·P between 1997 and summer 1998. They worked hard on their new repertoire and played a couple of memorable and loud gigs, e.g. in 1997 at the Anyone Can Play Guitar open air festival in Berne, Switzerland, adopting the motto “even Martina can play guitar”.

Martina and van Øgl also used to perform as The Plookers Unplooked between 1994 and 1999. They were playing an explosive acoustic mixture of German “schmuddelschlagers”, hip-hop and Frank Zappa songs (e.g. “Titties’n’Beer” in German), as well as assorted self-penned songs from the Plookers’ repertoire, complemented with irritating travesty show blocks and van Øgl’s occasional DJ entries, and irregularly also supported by the percussionist Anita.

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Discography

The Plookers at discogs.com
M·Ø·P·P at discogs.com

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Audio

M·Ø·P·P – The Silly Song
live at Anyone Can Play Guitar, 1997

(music & lyrics: Lukáš Machata)

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Dedicated to the greatest Plooker fan of all times, Klaus Horisberger, 1969–2004