Visací zámek

History

All members of the band met as students of the Czech Technical University in Prague. They all attended the Faculty of Civil Engineering. Everything started with a rumor they spread about the best punk rock band in Prague called Visací zámek (padlock). This imaginary group became well known among university students and its popularity obliged them to form real Visací zámek. The original plan was to do just one gig for other students which took place on 7 December 1982 in student's club 007. Despite their lack of musical skills, the gig became a huge success and they decided to continue as a regular band. They soon managed to sell out their gig at Chmelnice club. But their growing popularity worried communist authorities because the band did not fit in their conception of official art. To avoid possible problems, the band changed its name to Traktor after one of their biggest hits. But further complications occurred when some members of the band had to complete, then compulsory, military service. Pixa, Šťástka and Pátek met in the same army unit and started a new band called Sedum vostrejch. The remaining band members joined other bands (e.g. Plexis) and later played in a different lineup as V.Z. (V zastoupení - on behalf of).
The original lineup reemerged in 1987. In 1988 they released their first single (under name V. Z.) and in 1990 recorded their first, self-titled, album. The band enjoyed growing success also outside of Prague. In 1992, film director Petr Zelenka made a mockumentary about the band called Visací zámek 1982 - 2007. Most of their original material was released during the first half of the 1990s with one album recorded every year. In the second half of the 1990s, the band reduced their songwriting activities and focused mainly on touring. During this time they also released several live recordings. But this approach also caused that they somewhat disappeared from the mainstream media. In 2005 their successful music video Známka punku became an instant hit and revived their popularity. After this success, Jan Haubert began publishing books of poetry that he used to recite during their concerts. The band continues to tour and occasionally releases new material.

Members

Discography