The guitarist of one the most formative post-punk bands has died.
Marlene Marder wasa core member of the all-girls Zürich post-punk band Kleenex, who later went on to change their name to LiLiPUT after a threat of a lawsuit from the tissue brand. The band broke up shortly thereafter in 1983, but their influence in punk and for women who play music (and, well, Nirvana) has been present since.
Originally a member of the band Nasal Boys, Marder always stuck to her guns, leaving the band after they refused to let her play saxophone. She subsequently linked with Kleenex bassist Klaudia Schiff before ultimately joining the band.
While they only lasted for four years and saw a number of lineup changes (Marder and Schiff always remained), they were favorites of John Peel, toured with Bush Tetras, the Raincoats and Gang of Four and were early Rough Trade signees.
In 2010, Kill Rock Stars released a compilation of their live work called Live Recordings, TV-Clips & Roadmovie (which you can stream at Bandcamp.) The following year, a 4xLP of their collected works was released by Mississippi Records.
we're beyond devastated to share the news that marlene marder of kleenex/liliput passed away on sunday. working with her was an honor (1/2)
— Kill Rock Stars (@killrockstars) May 18, 2016
@killrockstars and i still can't believe we got to release the kleenex/liliput discography. https://t.co/ILTVSqrXT1
— Kill Rock Stars (@killrockstars) May 18, 2016
