Info Blue Mathue: A band from Oslo, started up by Geir Ødegård, Sven Erik Harberg, Pål Helmersen and Jan Berg in 1981. After three months of arguments between Harberg and Ødegård, the latter left the band. The trio Harberg/ Helmersen/ Berg recorded a demo, and in the summer of 1982 played at the Cafe De Stijl club in Oslo. At this time they called themselves Art of JPS, but they changed name to Blue Mathue before their next gig – a warm-up for Thanasis Zlatanos’ band Nekropolis at Club 7 in December. (The name was taken from a French poem they found in a magazine).

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Uniton Records’ Tormod Opedal met the band at the Club 7 gig and offered them studio time to record a demo. However, within days after the Club 7 concert, Harberg and Helmersen had a large falling out, and Berg and Helmersen continued the band as a duo. The recording sessions for Uniton resulted in a demo, but it took almost another year before the band released anything, and then they opted for a set of home recordings. The 12” EP ‘Perfect Pictures’ b/w ‘In Our Dream’ and ‘The Vision’. Berg provided lead vocals for “Perfect Pictures” and “The Vision”, while Helmersen sang the lead on “In Our Dream”. Berg wrote the lyrics, while the music was a result of long jam sessions (two of the tracks began life back in the Art Of JPS days, but were re-written after the split).

The EP got a few reviews, most deriding the vocals or ridiculing the style of music. The reviews must have affected the band – in a 1984 interview, they announced that they were looking for a vocalist, preferably one who could play guitar as well. “We don’t give a sh*t about this whole synth scene; it’s nothing to do with us. It was never a goal for us to make synth music”, said Berg.

Nevertheless, the equipment used on the EP was a classic set of analogue synthesizers & suchlike: Roland SH101 - Prophet One - Roland Vocoder Plus - Roland Tr808 - Roland Promars. The band had used Korg MS 10 and MS 20 on demos, but mostly for harsh, noisy parts, and by the time of the EP, they wanted a fuller, ‘darker’ sound.

Berg was renowned in Oslo’s underground as a skilled keyboardist and programmer, and had helped Thanasis Zlatanos out on a couple of Nekropolis gigs while still in Blue Mathue. However, Blue Mathue’s 12” had neither sold very well nor led to more live work - the band were wary of playing live as a duo, and their new vocalist/ guitarist never materialised. In 1984, the band disbanded – loyal to band tradition, the members had a huge argument in the studio and decided to call it quits. By this time, Berg had met Tor Dybdahl, and soon the two started Clockwork Orange together with Erik Avnskog. Helmersen’s carreer as a recording artist came to a full stop when, a while after Blue Mathue’s demise, he became a christian believer.

Releases

"Perfect Pictures"; 12", Uniton 1983

"Burning The Midnight Sun", compilation LP, Uniton Records U-020, 1984 (track: "In Our Dream")

Known demos/ Unreleased material

Art Of JPS demo cassette (4-5 tracks, 1981)

Untitled demo cassette (4-5 tracks, 1982, including "Perfect Pictures" and "The Vision" in different versions to the 12")

Live recording, Club 7, 01.12.1982

Untitled demo cassette (1984, Helmersen plays bass guitar)

(all these recordings are thought to be lost)

Related projects

Clockwork Orange

Horsemen

Nekropolis

Jan Berg released a solo cassette in 1992, "Aurora". Instrumental, ambient techno. Possibly promo only.

Pål Helmersen released a solo cassette in 1994, "Gratefully Alive". Christian contemporary, pop.

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