MARLENE MARDER (1955–2016)

Marlene Marder–guitarist of the Swiss post-punk band Kleenex/LiLiPUT–has died, Claire Lobenfeld of Fact Mag reports. Started in 1978, Kleenex was an Zurich-based band that despite only lasting for five years—breaking up soon after changing their name to LiLiPUT due to threat of a lawsuit from the company Kimberly-Clark, which owned the brand of tissues—were a highly influential force in the evolution of punk, indie rock, and even Riot Grrl decades later. The initial lineup included Regula Sing on vocals, Marder on guitar, Klaudia Schiff playing bass and doing vocals, and Lislot Ha on drums. After releasing an EP, the band signed with the British label Rough Trade Records and put out their debut single “Ain’t You” in November 1978. They produced two albums for the label and toured with Spizzenergi, The Raincoats, and Gang of Four before dissolving in 1983.

Their two LPs, 1982’s Liliput and 1983’s Some Songs, was first compiled by the Swiss label Off Course in 1993, and later reissued by the American indie label Kill Rock Stars. In 2010, Kill Rock Stars also released a compilation dubbed Live Recordings, TV-Clips & Roadmovie and the following year a 4xLP of their collected work was released by Mississippi Records.