The band was formed by brothers Axel and Pål Vindenes, together with school friends Jonas Nielsen and Stian Sævig. All classically trained musicians, the band was formed to play a one-off show at a local youth centre, Ungdomshuset 1880, but after positive response the band continued to play many live shows around Norway. In 2006, the band made their first recording and released the EP Already Your Favourite EP which was produced by Matias Tellez and featured the track "OOO".
Kakkmaddafakka released its first LP Down to Earth on 24 September 2007, which reached number twenty on the VG Topp30 Album list and brought the band nationwide attention in their native Norway, despite a largely negative critical response.
Kakkmaddafakka has performed at numerous festivals including Iceland Airwaves, Montreux Jazz Festival, NXNE, CMJ Music Marathon, Southside Festival, Hurricane Festival, Eurosonic Festival, by:Larm, Area 4 Hove and Melt! Festival in Germany, where they were introduced on stage by prominent Bergen musician and friend Erlend Øye.
In 2008, Kakkmaddafakka was nominated as Best Norwegian Act in the MTV Europe Music Awards, along with Madcon, Ida Maria, Karpe Diem and eventual winners Erik og Kriss.
On 25 February 2011, Kakkmaddafakka released their second album Hest. The album was produced by Erlend Øye and released on the label Bubbles. The first single taken from the album was "Restless".
On 28 June 2013, the band released their third album Six Months Is a Long Time. It was again produced by Erlend Øye and released on Universal Music Germany, featuring the singles "Someone New", "Young", and "Forever Alone".
In early 2014, pianist and founder member Jonas Nielsen left the band and was replaced by Sebastian Emin Kittelsen.
The band released their fourth album titled KMF on 18 March 2016.
In 2017, guitarist and singer Pål Vindenes started a parallel solo project under the name Pish. 2017 also brought on their fifth album, Hus.
In 2019, they released their sixth album, Diplomacy.
Band members include:
Axel Vindenes - guitar, vocals
Stian Sævig - bass, vocals
Pål Vindenes "Pish" - cello, guitar, vocals
Sebastian Kittelsen - piano
Kristoffer Van Der Pas - drums
Lars Helmik Raaheim-Olsen - percussion
Former members:
Jonas Nielsen - piano, vocals (2004–2014)
Additional musicians (also called Kakkmaddachoir)"
Martin Sande - backing vocals and dancing
Sverre Sande - backing vocals and dancing
Never Friends
Kakkmaddafakka Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
No people around
Big, warm room. Five meters from the floor to the ceiling
This is where people seek healing.
Music made for houses makes me want to move my body
Makes me want to move that body
All the people are showing me love. No better place to be alone than in a club
You're never alone in the club
I just met you. But you're more than a friend to me. More than a friend.
I just met you. I can never be friends with you. Never be friends.
Take me down to your river. I got a tree that you can climb.
You whisper in my air how you want me to swim in your water
I wanna be your inspiration. I wanna be a part of your imagination
I wanna be your painting. I wanna be your painter.
Let me be Munch for you. Let me be Matisse for you.
Let me be Da Vinci for you. I'm gonna go Picasso on you!
Girl, take me to your secret place. We can fly higher than the moon
I just met you. But you're more than a friend to me. More than a friend.
I just met you. I can never be friends with you. Never be friends.
I've got some predictions for the future:
You're gonna talk about me with your mama.
You're gonna tell her that I maybe be the one
You're papa's gonna wanna be meeting me
And your younger brother's gonna look up to me
But they don't know what I'm doing to you
cause you don't tell them what we do in your room
Girl, we can never be friends!
Oh, God I wish this never ends…
I just met you. But you're more than a friend to me. More than a friend.
I just met you. I can never be friends with you.
Never be friends.
The lyrics of Kakkmaddafakka's song Never Friends depict the paradoxical and complex state of mind of the singer who just met someone who is more than a friend to them, they are so intrigued by this person that they want to become a part of their life in every way possible. The song starts with a description of the setting, the town of Bergen, where the singer finds solace in the warm room and the music that makes them want to move their body. The club becomes the place where the singer feels the least alone, surrounded by people showing them love. However, their attention is soon diverted when they meet someone who becomes much more than just a friend to them.
The second part of the song is directed towards this person, whom they want to take to their river and become their inspiration and painting. They are willing to become whoever this person wants them to be as long as they can be with them. The singer predicts their future with this person, they will talk about them with their family, but no one will know what they do in their room. The singer is willing to keep this relationship a secret, but they can never be friends because their connection is too strong and intense to be labeled as such.
Overall, the song explores the themes of desire, longing, and the complexity of human relationships that exist beyond the realm of just friendship.
Line by Line Meaning
Wind and water, Bergen town, dark from 4, no people around
The city of Bergen in Norway is quiet and empty, with natural elements such as wind and water dominating the landscape. It’s dark outside even before the usual time, at 4 pm, and there are no people around to distract from the peacefulness of the surroundings.
Big, warm room. Five meters from the floor to the ceiling
The room is spacious and cozy, with high ceilings offering an amplified sense of grandeur and comfort.
Music made for houses makes me want to move my body
The type of music played in homes, often more mellow and slow, has a unique ability to make the listener want to dance and move rhythmically.
All the people are showing me love. No better place to be alone than in a club
Despite being in a crowded club, the sense of camaraderie and shared energy is palpable. The artist notes that this type of environment is an ideal place to be oneself without the pressure of introspection or self-reflection.
You're never alone in the club
While physically surrounded by strangers, a sense of communal existence takes over, and one feels like they’re never truly alone in this type of environment.
I just met you. I can never be friends with you. Never be friends.
Upon meeting the person they’re singing about, the singer acknowledges that they are more than friends and that they can’t simply be friends with this person in the traditional sense.
Take me down to your river. I got a tree that you can climb.
Asking to be taken to the other person’s favorite spot, where the singer has a metaphorical ‘tree they can climb’ to be elevated in some way.
You whisper in my air how you want me to swim in your water
The other person is speaking softly and seductively about being immersed in their water – either meaning their own sensuality or a literal body of water.
I wanna be your inspiration. I wanna be a part of your imagination
The artist wants to inspire and be a part of the other person’s creativity and imagination. They want to be the muse and the reason behind the other person’s artistic endeavors.
Let me be Munch for you. Let me be Matisse for you.
Offering to embody the artistic styles of well-known historical artists like Edvard Munch and Henri Matisse for the other person’s benefit and inspiration.
Let me be Da Vinci for you. I'm gonna go Picasso on you!
Embodying even more iconic artists, the singer wants to channel Leonardo Da Vinci and Pablo Picasso to create something beautiful for and with the other person.
Girl, take me to your secret place. We can fly higher than the moon
Inviting the other person to take them to a place they hold dear, where they can transcend reality and exist in a space higher and more magical than simply traveling to the moon.
I've got some predictions for the future: You're gonna talk about me with your mama. You're gonna tell her that I maybe be the one
Predicting that the other person will speak about the singer to their mother and tell her that they may be the one for them - indicating romantic interest and possibly even long-term commitment on the horizon.
You're papa's gonna wanna be meeting me. And your younger brother's gonna look up to me. But they don't know what I'm doing to you, cause you don't tell them what we do in your room.
The singer imagines that the other person’s father will want to meet them, and their younger brother will admire them, yet the singer acknowledges the private and secret nature of their relationship, as the other person doesn't share vulnerabilities or personal details with their family members.
Girl, we can never be friends! Oh, God I wish this never ends…
Reiterating that the singer and the other person will never simply be friends, lamenting that this romantic and intense relationship can’t last forever.
Contributed by Miles H. Suggest a correction in the comments below.