The Bear Quartet

The Bear Quartet was a cult indie rock band from Luleå in northern Sweden. They were formed in the summer of 1989 with the original roster of Mattias Alkberg on guitar and vocals, Jari Haapalainen and Johan Forsling on guitar, Peter Nuottaniemi on bass, and Magnus Olsson on drums. However, the band’s lineup changed significantly before eventually settling on Mattias Alkberg on vocals and guitar, Jari Haapalainen on guitar, Peter Nuottaniemi on bass, Jejo Perkovic on drums, and Calle Olsson on keyboards. Their name is a reference to the novel Gentlemen by Klas Östergren. Although they were formed in 1989, they didn’t garner the attention of a record label until 1992. They made records at a steady rate from 1992, with their debut album, Penny Century, to 2010 with their final album Monty Python. Their albums were often received favorably, but they never resulted in large sales, usually only selling between 1,000 and 10,000 units per disc. The band is very obscure across the world, although they are much better known in Sweden.