Wigwam were the leading progressive rock band to come out of Finland — and one of the very few Finnish groups of the 1970s to win real acclaim abroad. Formed in Helsinki in 1969 around the English expatriate singer Jim Pembroke, they made ambitious, eclectic, endlessly inventive music, and became a cornerstone of Finnish rock.

The short version

Wigwam were a Finnish progressive rock band, formed in Helsinki in 1969 from the remains of the pioneering group Blues Section. Led by English-born singer and keyboardist Jim Pembroke and organist Jukka Gustavson, they blended prog, jazz, psychedelia and art-rock into a sound entirely their own, sung in English. The five albums here span their classic decade, from “Tombstone Valentine” (1970) to “Lucky Golden Stripes and Starpose” (1976), taking in their acknowledged masterpiece, “Being” (1974).

Born from Blues Section

Wigwam grew out of Blues Section, often called Finland’s first great rock band. Drummer Ronnie Österberg and London-born singer-keyboardist Jim Pembroke started the group in 1969, adding organist and singer Jukka Gustavson; a year later, the teenage virtuoso Pekka Pohjola joined on bass. (Other Blues Section alumni went on to form Wigwam’s great rivals, Tasavallan Presidentti.) With two very different songwriters in Pembroke and Gustavson — who wrote separately rather than together — Wigwam had a rich, split personality from the start.

Two writers, one remarkable band

That dual character defined Wigwam. Pembroke brought witty, melodic, English-language songcraft; Gustavson brought ambitious, organ-driven, often conceptual writing with a symphonic sweep; and Pohjola’s inventive bass and multi-instrumental colour tied it all together. Across their early albums — the Kim Fowley-produced “Tombstone Valentine” (1970) and the sprawling double album “Fairyport” (1971) — they moved from whimsical, jazzy psych toward the longer, richer works that would become their trademark.

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Being, and a new era

Their 1974 masterpiece “Being” — a dark, ambitious concept album led by Gustavson — won Album of the Year in Finland and remains a cornerstone of European prog. But soon after, both Gustavson and Pohjola left. Pembroke and Österberg rebuilt the band with guitarist Pekka Rechardt and bassist Måns Groundstroem, and made the sleeker, jazz-inflected “Nuclear Nightclub” (1975) — their commercial peak, licensed by Virgin, which brought them to tour Britain — and “Lucky Golden Stripes and Starpose” (1976). For a while, international success looked within reach.

Album by album

Five Wigwam albums, in order. Tap any title to explore.

The players

Wigwam’s classic line-up was singer-keyboardist Jim Pembroke, organist Jukka Gustavson, bassist Pekka Pohjola and drummer Ronnie Österberg, with guitarist Pekka Rechardt central to the later, more successful era. Pembroke was the one constant across all of the band’s phases and its guiding figure. Wigwam’s story has been touched by loss over the years: Ronnie Österberg died in 1980, Pekka Pohjola in 2008, and Jim Pembroke in 2021. Jukka Gustavson and Pekka Rechardt have continued to perform the band’s music in recent years.

Where to start

Start with “Being” (1974) — Wigwam’s masterpiece, a dark and dazzling concept album that stands among the finest European prog of its decade. For their more accessible, song-based side, “Nuclear Nightclub” (1975) is the obvious way in, and is often named one of the greatest Finnish albums ever made. The ambitious double “Fairyport” (1971) rewards deeper exploration. Between them, they show both sides of a singular band.

Why they still matter

Wigwam matter as the flagship of Finnish progressive rock — the band that carried the country’s music to the wider world, and an incubator for many of its finest players, Pekka Pohjola among them. Their blend of prog, jazz, psychedelia and sharp English-language songwriting still sounds fresh and unlike anyone else, and their best albums are quiet classics of the genre. For anyone exploring prog beyond the usual names, Wigwam are a rich and rewarding discovery.

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