Karl Backman

Karl Backman, (born 27 October 1970, Umeå) is a Swedish artist and musician.

Karl Backman performing with AC4 at The Zoo in Brisbane, Australia, April 2011

Karl Backman performing with AC4 at Groezrock in Belgium, April 2013

Backman became involved in Punk rock in 1980 and started his first punk band the Boredom Brothers in 1982 when he was squatting in Umeå.

He formed the punk band The Vectors in 1990, with whom he is the lead guitarist and vocalist.

Backman is currently also the lead guitarist and the main songwriter in AC4, a hardcore punk band he started in 2008 with ex-Refused members Dennis Lyxzén and David Sandström.

Sometime in the late summer of 2013 Backman formed a new band called The T-55's, as AC4 is on a break.

He is interviewed about his views on artistic expression in the Australian documentary film A few minutes with AC4.

Backman's paintings are often colourful and large in scale, covering political, religious and sexual themes and is inspired by the Punk aesthetic. He has designed covers for many records and is also a prolific member of the internationell art project Artmoney.

Backman has worked internationally with many pornographic actresses including Satine Phoenix, Ashley Blue, Layla Rivera, Summer Luv, Drew Allen, Barbii Bucxxx and May Ling Su for noted exhibitions at The Museum of Porn in Art in Zurich, 2011 and 2012.

Backman and his girlfriend visited the Chernobyl nuclear disaster site in 2010 with a documentary news team from AFP. He is currently working on an upcoming exhibition of paintings based on the photographs he took there.

The T-55's

• 2014: Power Up (JanML Records, Germany)
• 2014: Split with Mary's Kids (Strange Magic Records/AM Records, USA)

AC4

• 2009: AC4 (Ny Våg, Scandinavia / Deranged, USA 2010 / Shock Entertainment, Australia 2011)
• 2010: AC4 / SSA (Aniseed, Australia)
• 2010: Umeå Hardcore (P.Trash)
• 2013: Burn The World (Ny Våg, Scandinavia / Deathwish Inc., USA)

The Vectors

• 1996: Fuck MTV (New Lifeshark)
• 1998: The Vectors (New Lifeshark)
• 2000: Rape the Pope (Rabid Alligator)
• 2003: Still Ill (Busted Heads Records)
• 2011: Pigs and Parasites (SIK Records)

• "T-55's, The – Power Up at Discogs". Retrieved 31 May 2014. 
• "Mary's Kids, T-55's, The – Mary's Kids/The T-55's at Discogs". Retrieved 31 May 2014. 
• "AC4 – AC4 at Discogs". Retrieved 18 March 2013. 
• "AC4 / Surprise Sex Attack – Aniseed 001 (Vinyl) at Discogs". Retrieved 18 March 2013. 
• "AC4 "Burn The World" LP out soon from a partnership of Deathwish & Ny Vag". Retrieved 18 March 2013.