Böhse Onkelz

Böhse Onkelz
Background information
Origin	Frankfurt am Main, Germany
Genres	Hard rock, German rock
Years active	1980–2005, 2014–present
Labels	Rock-O-Rama (1984–86) Metal Enterprises (1987–90) Bellaphon Records (1991–94) Virgin Records (1995–2000) rule23 Recordings (2000–05)
Associated acts	Der W, Matt Röhr
Website	http://www.onkelz.de
Members	Stephan "Der W" Weidner Kevin Russell Peter "Pe" Schorowsky Matthias Röhr

Böhse Onkelz (German pronunciation: [ˈbøːzə ˈʔɔŋkəlt͡s]), derived from the German die Bösen Onkel (literally "evil uncles") is a German rock group formed in 1980 in Frankfurt am Main. The band was reunited in 2014. Despite mass-media criticism concerning their past as skinheads, several of their later records topped the German album charts (selling over 5,338,000 records and 425,000 videos or DVDs).E.I.N.S. was their most successful album, with over 510,000 copies sold.

Inspired by bands like the Sex Pistols and the Ramones, Böhse Onkelz began in November 1980 in Hösbach as a punk rock band. Founding members were Stephan "Der W" Weidner, Kevin Russell and Peter "Pe" Schorowsky. According to the official band biography, its name originated when teenagers in their neighbourhood warned their younger siblings about them with the words Vorsicht, da sind die bösen Onkels! Their name was an intentionally incorrect spelling of "evil uncles" (böse Onkel). Before that, they called themselves "Beulenpest" for two weeks (as seen on the Tour 2000 film). Initially, the band played primarily in the Frankfurt am Main area.

Böhse Onkelz maintained its initial lineup until Matthias Röhr (nicknamed "Gonzo", after the Ted Nugent album of the same name) joined them in 1981. Musically he was the most experienced of the group, having played guitar for six years and playing in other bands (such as Antikörper). Since Weidner played guitar, Matthias started out on bass; however, they switched instruments before their first recordings for the punk sampler Soundtracks zum Untergang 2.

(Soundtracks for the Downfall, Vol. 2) was a left-wing-oriented punk sampler, on which Böhse Onkelz featured in the band's first widely released recording. However, after the until-then apolitical punk movement moved towards anarchism, the band lost interest in this subculture. Football became more important in their lives, particularly the fights surrounding it.

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